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We also believe that the most effective approach to conservation would be to give 

 the councils more tools to handle the issue of by -catch rather than institute meas- 

 ures that would deprive the councils of some of their authority. 



When you look at the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation's plan for 

 the use of its CDQ revenues, you will quickly see why conservation is so important 

 to us. Our plans are based on a long-term sustainable flow of revenues. 



Because our traditional salmon and herring fisheries are well established, we 

 have a lot of experience with fisheries and are taking a cautious and conservative 

 approach to the CDQ program. For these reasons, the BBEDC community develop- 

 ment program stresses employment training, education and long-term investment. 



The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation was formed in October, 1992, 

 in order to participate in the Community Development Quota program that was ap- 



f»roved by the Secretary of Commerce as a part of the North Pacific Inshore-offshore 

 ishery allocation management plan. This plan allowed the communities that border 

 the Bering Sea to harvest 7.5 percent of the allowable catch of pollock in the Bering 

 Sea. 



Our corporation is one of six that were formed to be the recipients of these quotas 

 so that we could initiate programs that would provide our people with education and 

 economic opportunities. The Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation is com- 

 posed of 14 Bristol Bay villages that are within 50 miles of the Bering Sea. 



Our CDQ corporation, along with others, were allocated quotas of pollock and 

 formed partnerships with Bering Sea trawling organizations. Our partner, 

 Ooeantrawl Inc., has employed 50 of our people on their vessels since the program 

 started. Our goal is 60 people and we are rapidly closing in on that goal. These jobs 

 will be in all areas of the trawl operation and eventually will lead from the fish 

 slime lines up to bridge command. In addition, we are working on an internship pro- 

 gram with Oceantrawl that will allow our people to gain job office management 

 training In their corporate offices. 



We are encouraged by the short term gains already experienced and are looking 

 forward to more successful enterprises in the future. Our plans require a continu- 

 ation of the CDQ program and the full support of your committee and the United 

 States Senate. Economic development cannot occur without a long term commitment 

 from our government so that necessary human resource development and infrastruc- 

 ture can be built to sustain new opportunities fur our people in Western Alaska. 



We are developing a vocational/technical training program and a scholarship pro- 

 gram for our students in Bristol Bay. Our scholarship program will be funded in 

 perpetuity by our investment fund which will depend on a reliable long term source 

 of revenue. We are focusing at all levels of education by helping our people gain vo- 

 cational, technical and college training. 



Many but not all of our people are engaged in the commercial salmon fishery. 

 This fishery is of short duration. Salmon prices have been dropping and income has 

 gone dawn to disastrously low levels. This is all going on while the costs of staying 

 in the fishery are going up. Pressure is building on those that are moving into boat 

 payment problems and there are those who are behind in their tax payments. 



It is our plan to develop and implement a permit retention program in Bristol 

 Bay. Bristol Bay has lost 175 drift net permits and 194 set net permits in the last 

 15 years. Further erosion of permit owners who live in Bristol Bay will be a disaster 

 to our fishing industry if this trend continues. 



We plan to work with the IRS to develop work out packages that will prevent 

 Limited Entry Permits from being seized and auctioned off. We plan to work with 

 our fishermen to work out long term payment schedules with the State so that boats 

 and permits do not have to be sold to make boat and ERS payments. 



Human resource development, training and protecting our Bristol Bay salmon in- 

 dustry from further erosion are our focal points for the short and median term. Long 

 term plans are centered on the development of an Alaska Seafood Investment Fund 

 that would allow us to invest in ventures that would provide a long term cash flow 

 to support our vocational, technical and scholarship programs. Our investment fund 

 would also be used to investigate the profitability ol secondary value added salmon 

 and herring processing, long-lining and other seafood related industries in Alaska 

 and the Pacific Northwest. 



These programs are brought to your attention to illustrate the importance of the 

 CDQ program and how it is impacting our lives on the Bering Sea coast. As you 

 consider reauthorizing the Magnuson Act, please keep in mind the need for strong 

 conservation measures, expanding the CDQ program to other species and placing 

 the CDQ program in statute. 



We recommend that your committee expand the CDQ program to include all Ber- 

 ing Sea species so that we do not place all of our future eggs into one pollock fishery 

 basket. It would be advisable for the committee to expand the fishery and diversity 



