110 



it to all Bering Sea fish species so that a more reliable long term source of funding 

 is available for our CDQ communities well in to the 21st century. 



Finally, it is our recommendation that this committee keep the status quo on the 

 makeup of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. We cannot see any bene- 

 fits that would accrue to the nation if the current structure is changed. History 

 shows that the Council has had a very strong conservation philosophy that we 

 strongly endorse. We will be dependent on strong, healthy and sustainable fishery 

 resources in the Bering Sea. Other countries have not been so careful and we should 

 err on the side of caution as we manage our renewable resources. 



In conclusion, I would like to summarize my three points: 



One, we cannot overemphasize the need for conservation of our resources in the 

 Bering Sea. It is imperative for us to stress the reduction of waste on the high seas 

 by keeping by-catch levels to an absolute minimum by imposing strict, enforceable 

 disincentives and by creating the best monitoring programs we can devise. 



Two, Congress should include CDQ's in the Magnuson Act. Based on our experi- 

 ence, the CDQ program is proving to be a tremendous success. We would also like 

 to see the CDQ program expanded to include all of the fish species in the Bering 

 Sea so that we are not totally dependent on a single species. For these reasons we 

 would like to see the CDQ program enshrined in the Magnuson Act. 



And third, we would like to see the status quo maintained on the membership 

 of the North Pacific fishery Management Council. By and large, the council has been 

 responsive to Western Alaska and to conservation concerns. We seriously doubt that 

 the proposals for adding more members to the council would improve the councils 

 response in either of these areas. 



Mr. Chairman, please accept once again my sincere appreciation for coming to 

 Bristol Bay and allowing us to address this very important legislation. Have a good 

 stay and safe travel back to the Capitol. I would be nappy to answer any questions. 

 Thank you. 



Prepared Statement of John Jemewouk, Chairman, Western Alaska Fisheries 



Development Association 



Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you very much for visiting 

 Alaska to learn the perspective of the people of our state on the Magnuson Fishery 

 Conservation and Management Act. In particular, I wish to thank you for the time 

 and special effort involved in traveling to Dillingham in rural Alaska. The people 

 here can provide you with first hand information on the fisheries of western Alaska 

 and on the positive impact of the Community Development Quota program. 



My name is John Jemewouk. I am the chairman of the Western Alaska Fisheries 

 Development Association. WAFDA was formed by four of the six CDQ corporations 

 * * * the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, the Coastal Villages 

 Fishing Cooperative, the Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association, and the 

 Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation * * * for the purpose of promot- 

 ing economic development in western Alaska through the Community Development 

 Quota program. 



My testimony today also reflects the views of the Aleutian Pribilof Island Commu- 

 nity Development Association and the Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association. 

 We are all in agreement on our position on the Magnuson Act. For the record, I 

 have provided the committee with copies of a brochure that describes the plans and 

 activities of all six CDQ corporations. 



I also serve as the president and executive director of the Norton Sound Economic 

 Development Corporation, giving me direct involvement in the CDQ program. 



CDQ PROGRAM HISTORY AND BACKGROUND 



The CDQ program was approved by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Com- 

 merce as a part of the North Pacific in shore -offshore fishery allocation management 

 plan. It gave the residents of the Native villages along the Bering Sea coast the op- 

 portunity to harvest 7.5 percent of the biologically available pollock in the Bering 

 Sea in partnership with established seafood processing companies. This is a nec- 

 essary transition in the process of moving from small scale shorebased fisheries to 

 economic self-sufficiency. Through the program, we have created jobs for western 

 Alaska residents and we have generated revenues lhat are being used to implement 

 fisheries development projects throughout western Alaska. 



The CDQ region comprises the entire coastline of Alaska from the Aleutian Is- 

 lands to Norton Sound. The CDQ program involves 56 communities with a popu- 

 lation of over 21,000 people. The region is characterized by subsistence * * * 

 where people hunt, fish and gather from the land to obtain the food and materials 



