80 



I think then you will see the creativity and entrepreneurship in 

 our fishing industry being devoted to developing clean fishing prac- 

 tices, and we would see some real improvement in our fisheries. 



The second point I wanted to cover with you, Mr. Chairman, was 

 the need to protect our coastal communities and their economies, 

 and help rebuild and further enhance stable fisheries found adja- 

 cent to our coastal towns. 



One problem we have had in dealing with allocation decisions 

 has been the way the National Marine Fishery Service interprets 

 the act, and the language in the act which specifically deals with 

 the need to maximize economic efficiency. The National Marine 

 Fishery Service has chosen to interpret that language to mean effi- 

 ciency at the corporate level. Considerations about long-term eco- 

 nomic or social stability in adjacent fishing communities takes a 

 back seat to considerations for "economic efficiency." 



We would like to see some clarification in the act that, indeed, 

 the needs of our communities and the economic opportunities and 

 stability the fisheries provide to adjacent coastal communities can 

 be protected and enhanced. 



One program I want to mention to you, and I believe you have 

 heard about this when you were in Dillingham, is the community 

 development quota program. That is a new program that the State, 

 along with the Secretary, administers. It took a very modest 

 amount of quota and provided it to the communities along the Ber- 

 ing Sea coast. Those communities entered into joint venture oper- 

 ations with major seafoods companies. The program has been very 

 successful to date, and has generated literally hundreds of jobs in 

 a region of our State that has some of the poorest communities in 

 the country. The CDQ program has resulted in numerous training 

 programs, scholarship programs, and investments in the seafood 

 industry. We are looking forward to continuing the program. It con- 

 tinues until 1995, and we believe it is one of the most significant 

 opportunities we have for building an economy in some of the poor 

 parts of our State. And, we can do this without any significant ex- 

 penditure of Federal money, which I think in these days is truly 

 an accomplishment. 



The final thing I want to mention briefly is the need to strength- 

 en the regional council process. Attending a hearing back in Wash- 

 ington, I heard a lot of criticism of the council system regarding 

 conflicts of interest, their inability to tackle tough problems, and 

 the need to reform and change the makeup of the council. The 

 State of Alaska does not support that viewpoint at all. We believe 

 that, at least in the North Pacific the council has done an excellent 

 job of conserving the fish stocks up here. 



It was the council that placed the 2 million ton cap on Bering 

 Sea harvest, which over the long haul has minimized impact of 

 such things as foreign fishing in the Donut Hole, and the con- 

 sequent impact that it has had on the fish stocks in the Bering 

 Sea. 



We believe that the council, if it was given some of the legislative 

 guidance that I mentioned previously, would be able to address 

 bycatch and waste problems, and be able to reduce those numbers 

 I referred to you earlier. 



