Alaska Lawmakers Outline Plan to Rescue Seafood Industry

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Alaska Lawmakers Outline Plan to Rescue Seafood Industry
SEAFOOD,ALASKA,ECONOMY

Alaska lawmakers propose a comprehensive plan to revitalize the state's struggling seafood industry, focusing on international marketing, product development, workforce support, and addressing industry challenges.

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Alaska lawmakers from fishing-dependent communities are proposing a series of bills aimed at revitalizing the state's struggling seafood industry. The draft recommendations, reviewed at a two-day hearing in Anchorage, suggest a multifaceted approach, ranging from robust international marketing of Alaska fish to local initiatives like shared community cold-storage facilities to reduce costs.

The Joint Legislative Task Force Evaluating Alaska’s Seafood Industry, which reviewed the draft, will refine it in the coming days with a deadline for a report to the full Legislature of January 21st. However, a final task force report may be submitted as late as February 1st, according to Senate President Gary Stevens, the group's chair. The draft recommendations address key challenges facing the industry, including depressed prices due to international economic forces and a glut of competing Russian fish, rising operating costs, and climate change-induced stock crashes. One set of recommendations focuses on fisheries research, calling for increased state and federal funding and a streamlined data-sharing system for scientists from various entities. The draft also proposes steps to encourage the development of new seafood products and markets, including non-traditional options like protein powder, nutritional supplements, and fish oil. It recommends expanding mariculture with simplified permitting and financing processes. The proposals also include changes in seafood tax structures, new tax incentives for companies investing in modernization, product diversification, and sustainability, and direct aid to fishery workers and fishing-dependent communities through housing subsidies and development projects. Addressing the shortage of affordable housing, a major challenge for communities and companies, is a key concern. The draft also calls for increased investment in worker training through public-private partnerships and tax credits or grants to encourage hiring Alaska residents. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), the state agency responsible for promoting Alaska seafood domestically and internationally, plays a significant role in the draft recommendations. The draft calls for ASMI to assume a greater role in promoting the quality and sustainability of Alaska fish and expanding its responsibilities to include the promotion of Alaska mariculture. However, lawmakers acknowledge that ASMI, in its current form, may not be equipped to handle these expanded operations. Even securing modest funding increases for ASMI has proven to be difficult. \\A $10 million increase approved by the Legislature last year was released in December and includes an increase in state money for ASMI, but Stevens has stated that his suggestion to spread $10 million in new funding over three years falls short of what the organization needs.

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Alaska Lawmakers Propose Solutions to Save Struggling Seafood IndustryAlaska Lawmakers Propose Solutions to Save Struggling Seafood IndustryA legislative task force in Alaska has outlined preliminary recommendations to revive the state's ailing seafood industry. These recommendations address a range of issues, including marketing, product development, workforce shortages, financing, operating costs, insurance, and environmental challenges. The task force aims to submit a final report to the Legislature by February 1st.
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