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STATEMENT OF RON SOMERVILLE 



SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE COMMISSIONER 



ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



BEFORE THE 



HOUSE MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES COMMITTEE 



FISHERIES MANAGEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE 



REGARDING 



HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 135 



Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I am pleased to be here 

 today to present the views of the State of Alaska regarding House 

 Concurrent Resolution 135 (HCR 135) and the issues surrounding the 

 Central Bering Sea "donut hole." I am Ron Somerville, Special 

 Assistant to the Commissioner of Fish and Game, State of Alaska. 



Mr. Chairman, Alaska's fisheries are some of the richest in the 

 world. This is especially true for the Bering Sea where literally 

 billions of pounds of fish and shellfish, worth hundreds of 

 millions of dollars, are harvested each year within the Alaska 200 

 mile zone. The State of Alaska, and the nation, have long 

 recognized the need to conserve these resources and manage them 

 for the benefit of U.S. fishermen. Because of this concern, 

 Bering Sea fisheries have been the subject of numerous 

 regulations, laws, and international treaties and agreements, all 

 aimed at conserving and managing these stocks . 



