FY2010-16 Urging The North Pacific Fishery Management Council To Retain The Intent Of The Current Inshore/Offshore Regulations In The Gulf Of Alaska Quota Allocation Decisions1 Introduced by: Mayor Selby
2 Requested by: Mayor Selby
3 Drafted by: Mayor Selby
Introduced on: 11/05/2009
4 Adopted on: 11/05/2009
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6 KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
7 RESOLUTION NO. FY 2010 -16
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9 A RESOLUTION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
10 URGING THE NORTH PACIFIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL TO RETAIN
11 THE INTENT OF THE CURRENT INSHORE /OFFSHORE REGULATIONS
12 IN THE GULF OF ALASKA QUOTA ALLOCATION DECISIONS
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14 WHEREAS, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) is considering allocating
15 Pacific cod quotas in the Western and Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) amongst gear types; and
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17 WHEREAS, the NPFMC is considering allowing mobile offshore processors options that will
18 supersede the current inshore /offshore processing sector coastal community protections,
19 effectively undoing the present inshore /offshore regulations; and
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21 WHEREAS, motherships are mobile offshore vessels that catch and process their own catch
22 as well as receive deliveries from catcher vessels and process this catch at sea; and
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24 WHEREAS, there has been no mobile mothership processing of Federal groundfish harvests
25 in the Central GOA and limited mobile mothership processing in the Western GOA since 2000;
26 and
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28 WHEREAS, allowing increased mobile mothership processing activity in the GOA groundfish
29 fisheries would create alternative fishery markets, but would not represent historical mothership
30 activity or consider coastal community dependence; and
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32 WHEREAS, Kodiak is a processing hub with multiple processors that process fishery
33 resources year round. Year round processing jobs are possible because of the large volume of
34 fish delivered into the Port of Kodiak. These processing workers are residents of and contributors
35 to the overall Kodiak economy; and
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37 WHEREAS, the community of Kodiak depends on deliveries of multispecies groundfish
38 including Flatfish and Pacific cod to maintain our year round residential processor work force;
39 and
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41 WHEREAS, sufficient inshore processing markets currently exist and can increase or improve
42 under the present inshore /offshore rules by adding or improving shorebased processors and
43 stationary mothership floating processors that operate in a single geographical location; and
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45 WHEREAS, setting public policy that encourages increased mobile offshore processing will
46 create unfair competition for catcher vessel harvests with more efficient and cost effective
47 processing platforms across the GOA that could erode Kodiak's and other GOA Coastal
48 communities groundfish landings; and
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50 WHEREAS, certain trawl catcher - processors operating in the rationalized groundfish harvests
51 in the BSAI Amendment 80 fisheries have already received great benefits from the NPFMC
Kodiak Island Borough Resolution No. FY2010 - 16
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52 allowing those vessels to form extremely efficient harvesting cooperatives which will allow the
53 vessels with excess capacity to unfairly take processing opportunities from the groundfish
54 dependent processors operating in Kodiak and other GOA coastal communities; and
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56 WHEREAS, certain long -line catcher processors operating within the much larger BSAI cod
57 fisheries have an allocation of Pacific cod and are seeking legislative protection to allow them
58 individual catch shares for cooperative harvesting and will utilize any excess capacity to unfairly
59 take processing opportunities from the groundfish dependent processors operating in Kodiak and
60 other GOA coastal communities; and
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62 WHEREAS, Kodiak processing plants employ 1,158 employees with a combined payroll of
63 over $54 million annually; and
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65 WHEREAS, Kodiak processing plants, harvesters, and support businesses help generate raw
66 fish taxes, severance taxes, sales taxes, and property taxes that support both the City of Kodiak
67 and the Kodiak Island Borough community infrastructures; and
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69 WHEREAS, the City of Kodiak infrastructure has been built to support the Kodiak harvesting
70 and processing sectors including water, sewage, electricity, transportation, boat harbors, and the
71 large vessel boat lift. These services depend on user fees to cover infrastructure costs; and
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73 WHEREAS, those sectors of the Kodiak economy not directly engaged in fishing consist
74 largely of support services for those involved directly or indirectly in the fishing industry; and
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76 WHEREAS, regulatory changes that result in fish currently being processed in dependent
77 coastal communities moving to mobile offshore processors will erode community stability and
78 cause the loss of revenue and jobs to Alaskans and their communities, and cause irreparable
79 economic damage; and
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81 WHEREAS, the NPFMC alternative to allow increased mobile offshore processors within
82 certain geographic boundaries is flawed because the revenues associated with mothership
83 processing activity within a community boundary may not be comparable to revenues associated
84 with shoreside processing activity in another community and is a direct re- allocation of the limited
85 fishery resource across coastal communities; and
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87 WHEREAS, some CQE communities may benefit from limited operations of stationary floating
88 processors that purchase groundfish from limited locations within the municipal boundaries of
89 said CQE communities so long as their mobility is limited and they comply with all regulations
90 that cover shore -based processors operating in the coastal communities of the Gulf of Alaska;
91 and
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93 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY the Kodiak Island Borough that the NPFMC should
94 set policy to preserve present participation of coastal fishing communities by regulating inshore
95 and offshore floater processors as they are now regulated.
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97 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Kodiak Island Borough endorses the no mothership
98 processing option in the Central GOA and Western GOA for all federal groundfish species.
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100 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Kodiak Island Borough endorses the provision for a
101 stationary floating processor to operate in up to three geographical locations but cannot operate
102 as a catcher processor in the same calendar year. These stationary floating processors should
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103 be required to operate inside city municipal boundaries for the CQE communities listed in the
104 motion with an annual quota cap on total volume processed applied.
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106 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT any change of allocation away from inshore processing
107 should be subjected to extensive analysis of economic impact to coastal communities prior to
108 adoption to assure that there is no negative impact to coastal communities.
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119 ATTEST:
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U dl_
ADOPTED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
THIS FIFTH DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2009
iiW i t
Nova M. Javier, M C
orough Clerk
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
Je ome M. Selby, Bor
Kodiak Island Borough Resolution No. FY2010 -16
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