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FISH FACTOR: AK Senator Dan Sullivan touts science, strong coastal economies, more markets By LAINE WELCH - Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan has scored seats on nearly every Congressional committee that deal with issues on, over and under the oceans. That fulfills a commitment he made to Kodiak when he ran for office two years ago, he said at a ComFish town meeting during a two day stay on “the Rock.”

Sullivan ticked off a list of fishery related actions he’s had a hand in getting accomplished over the past year: passage of an enforcement act that combats global fish pirating and seafood fraud; adding language to bills that lifts pricey classification requirements on new fishing vessels; and a one year water discharge exemption so fishermen don’t need special permits to hose down their decks.

He said he is “working to make sure new regulations are not an undue burden on the industry.”

“We hear about overregulation in terms of costs from every single group I’ve met with,” Sullivan said. “We all want clean water and a safe environment, but we have federal agencies that are taking a one size fits all approach to these regulations and it can be crushing on what you all do. I hear it loud and clear.”

Sullivan said when it comes to Alaska’s fisheries, he is guided by three core principles: science is the foundation for sustainability, seafood is the engine for strong coastal economies, and the need to create more markets for what he dubs the “super-power of seafood.”

“We’ve been looking at ways structurally to create more demand for Alaska seafood,” he said, citing recent legislation that was added to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement to fix a seafood oversight.

“The authorizing legislation said our trade negotiators have to achieve objectives to open markets for different industry groups, such as agriculture, high tech, textiles…,” Sullivan said. “Guess what industry was not in the bill – seafood. So my team drafted legislation that said in any future trade agreements, the U.S. has to get access for our fisheries and fish products in foreign markets, and go after the subsidies of foreign fleets that unfairly compete against us. It passed and was signed by the president. So all trade agreements for the next six years must have major provisions focused on opening markets for U.S. seafood products. It also is included in a European trade agreement being negotiated now.”

On the home front, Sullivan said he is working with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to require the nation’s school lunch program to only include fish that is caught in U.S. waters.

“Believe it or not, there are loopholes in the program that don’t require that,” Sullivan said. “In my view, we should not be feeding our kids fish that is caught in Russian waters and then processed in China and injected with phosphates. If our kids get fed fish that is not very good, you turn off a generation until they get about 30 or 40 and get over the fact that the fish sticks they had in second grade made them not like seafood.”

In a separate media interview, Sullivan took exception to allegations that he and Alaska’s delegation aim to stymie U.S. and global protections for an increasingly off kilter climate to benefit the fossil fuel industry.

“On the science side we’re trying to make sure that ocean acidification and other issues that impact the fisheries are completely and fully funded. I'm all over that,” he asserted. “In Alaska we’re seeing the impacts of climate change and a warming ocean. I have been very focused on making sure the agencies have the applied science capability to manage the stocks accordingly.”

Sullivan agreed that human activity has an impact on climate change, to some degree.

“With seven billion human inhabitants there is certainly a human impact, but to what degree, I don’t think the science is ever settled on that,” he said.

Sullivan said he supports an “all of the above energy strategy, crediting the “natural gas revolution” of the past few years (fracking) for “driving down America’s greenhouse gas emissions significantly.”

Senator Sullivan said Alaska’s roads, ports and harbors will benefit from a $2.6 billion highway bill passed by Congress, and another in the pipeline will provide “significant” money for airports. The Coast Guard’s biggest airbase at Kodiak also is set for some upgrades, including new aircraft and cutters. - More...
Monday PM - April 11, 2016

Southeast Alaska: Coast Guard Suspends Search For Man Missing Near Sitka - Coast Guard crews suspended their search for a 40-year-old man near Sitka, Saturday.

A kayak belonging to Jesse Mills was discovered on Kasiana Island approximately four miles northwest of Sitka, Friday, but search dogs and crews turned up no other sign of the man after a thorough search of the area. A first light search conducted by an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka, Saturday, yielded no results. - More...
Monday PM - April 11, 2016

Alaska: Alaska Still a Likely Portal for Avian Influenza - The U.S. Geological Survey released additional evidence last week that western Alaska remains a hot spot for avian influenza to enter North America. The new report announces that while no highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have been found in Alaska, the state remains an important area to monitor due to migratory bird flyways from North America and Eurasia that overlap the region.

“Our past research in western Alaska has shown that while we have not detected the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, up to 70 percent of the other avian influenza viruses isolated in this area were found to contain genetic material from Eurasia, providing evidence for high levels of intercontinental viral exchange,” said Andy Ramey, a scientist with the USGS and lead author of the recent report. “This is because Asian and North American migratory flyways overlap in western Alaska.” - More...
Monday PM - April 11,2016

Alaska: Alaska Senate Passes Bill Allowing Guns on Public University Campus - By a vote of 13-5, the Alaska State Senate passed a bill Friday to protect the constitutional right of Alaskans to keep and bear arms on a public university campus.

SB 174, sponsored by Sen. Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks), resolves a conflict between the University of Alaska Board of Regent's weapons ban and the Alaska Constitution, ensuring that law-abiding residents may carry firearms while pursuing a post-secondary education. - More...
Monday PM - April 11,2016

Alaska: University of Alaska Regents Focus on Budget Issues and Strategic Planning - A two-day Board of Regents meeting held in Anchorage focused on tough budget and planning discussions was punctuated by some festive moments, most notably a visit from the UAA women’s basketball team just returning from NCAA Division II national playoffs, and an award ceremony acknowledging staff excellence across the University of Alaska system.

The primary purpose of the meeting held April 7th-8th was to engage a preliminary discussion of the university’s FY17 contingency budget planning and discussion about processes for investing in important programs in the face of budget reductions. - More...
Monday PM - April 11, 2016

Alaska: HOUSE VOTES TO CALL CONVENTION OF THE STATES; Pair of resolutions aim to give states veto power over Federal actions - The Alaska House of Representatives today passed a pair of resolutions, both by Representative Shelley Hughes, seeking to restore the balance of power between the states and federal government and strengthen state sovereignty by providing states with veto (countermand) power over federal decisions not in their best interest through a precise and careful mechanism established by an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This pair of resolutions is intended to start the process of eventually amending the U.S. Constitution via the powers granted in Article V of that same document. - More...
Monday PM - April 11, 2016

Alaska: House Passes Bill Allowing State to Implement "ABLE" Act; “ABLE” ACT gives families of the disabled greater financial freedom - Families and those with disabilities are a step closer to having greater financial freedom and security following House passage of a bill by Rep. Dan Saddler to implement the federal “ABLE” Act in Alaska.

House Bill 188 would let individuals and families set up tax-free savings accounts to help pay for education, housing, transportation or other expenses for children or adults with disabilities.- More...
Monday PM - April 11, 2016