18 



I will at this time submit for the record my written statement, 

 if there is no objection. 

 Mrs. Unsoeld. Without objection. 

 [The statement of Mr. Young follows:] 



Statement of Hon. Don Young, a U.S. Representative from Alaska, and 

 Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Fisheries Management 



Mr. Chairman, the Pacific Salmon Treaty is as unique as the resource it was de- 

 signed to protect. It is the only international treaty which combines conservation 

 and management with the principle of equity. It took 14 years for the parties nego- 

 tiating the original treaty to agree on the final language which was ratified by the 

 United States in 1985. 



The time it took to reach the final agreement shows how contentious this Treaty 

 is and how important salmon issues are to the region. The intermingHng salmon 

 stocks under this Treaty's jurisdiction are the lifeblood of many fishermen in the 

 North Pacific. The conservation and management of these stocks are key to the sur- 

 vival of these fisheries and the livelihoods of the fishermen who depend on them. 



Alaska has had its own conservation and management problems wdth respect to 

 salmon stocks. In the 1960's and early 1970's, the salmon stocks of Alaska were as 

 decimated as the Northwest stocks are today. The people involved in these fisheries 

 went through several years of hardship to rebuild the stocks. Fishery closures are 

 not easy for the fishermen or the managers. But, sacrifices have to be made when 

 a resource as unique as the salmon is at stake. 



The point I am making is this, in managing natural resources, we as managers 

 are bound to make mistakes. What we need to do is learn from them and also deter- 

 mine the cause of our mismanagement. In the case of the declining Northwest salm- 

 on stocks, there are many factors compounding the problem: hydroelectric dams, log- 

 ging, farming, development, and fishing are all putting pressure on the salmon habi- 

 tat. It was inevitable that the stocks would decline. 



The State of Alaska is willing to work with the other parties to the Treaty, but 

 I will not allow Alaska to bear the burden of everyone else's conservation problems. 

 I particularly do not like the tactics the Canadians have been using and their at- 

 tempt to blackmail the Unites States to give in to their demands on resolving the 

 equity issue. 



Canada's idea that conservation of the stocks relies on a resolution of equity is 

 WRONG. For them to focus their fishing on weak U.S. stocks is despicable and in 

 violation of the first stated principle of the Treaty, which is to conduct fisheries in 

 such a way as to prevent overfishing and provide for optimum production. 



In my opinion, The Canadians have a short memor>' on what conservation meas- 

 ures we have taken to protect their stocks. This Treaty was designed to work on 

 the principle of cooperation, not coercion, and I do hope the Administration remem- 

 bers that. 



I find it disconcerting that the officials from the Administration who have been 

 privy to the recent negotiations are not present today. I do hope we will get answers 

 to questions concerning what types of concessions were offered to the Canadians, 

 and what role the Administration will play in future negotiations. 



I am, however, pleased to see the Coast Guard here. I am interested in how the 

 Coast Guard is enforcing U.S. law in Dixon Entrance. I would like to get some clari- 

 fication on U.S. policy and enforcement in relation to this area. I am also interested 

 in the Commissioners' views on how they think a resolution to this Treaty gridlock 

 can be reached. 



Mr. Chairman, this is a difficult issue and I do hope this hearing will be a produc- 

 tive one. I believe we should all strive to come to an agreement that we are all com- 

 fortable with, rather than one that satisfies only a select few. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Young. Before I go on, Mr. Turner, one question. I read your 

 testimony. The only question I would like to ask you, and I heard 

 it from Mr. James, a Federal official making things happen. How 

 do you propose that occurring when you have another Nation that 

 is involved? 



Mr. Turner. You have to be more specific about your question. 

 Congressman. 



