09-35 Adding Native voices to North Pacific federal fishery board

Published on November 10th, 2009

By ALEX DEMARBAN

Summary

Alaska delegation to Congress should put forward amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to add four voting seats to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council that represent tribal and/or Native organizations.

Call on the Commerce secretary to place a moratorium on commercial fishing in Arctic waters until those seats are created.

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Full Text

RESOLUTION 09-35

COMPOSITION OF THE NORTH PACIFIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL

WHEREAS: The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council (NPFMC), through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is responsible for the management of fisheries in the marine Exclusive Economic Zone off of the coast of Alaska; and.

WHEREAS: The NPFMC is composed of 11 voting members; and

WHEREAS: The NPFMC does not have tribal representation in any of its membership; and

WHEREAS: The NPFMC current membership primarily represents the interests of the fishing industry; and

WHEREAS: NMFS and the NPFMC frequently develop and carry out actions that may uniquely and significantly affect tribal communities; and

WHEREAS: There is precedent for tribal representatives on the Pacific Fishery Management Council; and

WHEREAS: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act may be amended to modify the composition of the NPFMC; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the delegates to the 2009 Annual Convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives, Inc., that the Alaska Delegation to the US Congress put forward amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act that would add four voting seats to the NPFMC to be filled by representatives of federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and other Alaska Native organizations and including the Community Development Quota Programs (CDQ); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT AFN call on the Secretary of Commerce to place a moratorium on expanding industrial commercial fisheries North of Saint Matthew Island until the Voting seats are provided to federally recognized tribes or Alaska NaIve Organization representatives; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any nominees for these seats should not be directly employed by a community development quota program or the Pollock industry.

SUBMITTED BY: KAWERAK, INC.

COMMITTEE ACTION: DO PASS

CONVENTION ACTION: AMENDED AND PASSED