Bills Now on Senate Floor Include Millions for Alaska Fisheries
Bills now up for consideration in the U.S. Senate include several that would allocate millions of dollars for research benefitting commercial fisheries in Alaska.
The list of fisheries legislation sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, includes $3.5 million for in-season genetic analysis of chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery, to enhance understanding and efforts to reduce chum salmon bycatch and support Western Alaska fisheries and $3 million for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to promote U.S. wild-caught Alaska seafood to retain and expand market share among domestic consumers.
An allocation of $2.5 million is proposed for the North Pacific Research Board to study how environmental conditions influence special of commercial and ecological importance in the Northern Bering Sea, informing fisheries management and community impacts.
The Senate will also consider $2 million to advance the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation’s Seafood Industry Modernization Initiative, with a focus on research, product development, market access, skilled trades training, and applied innovation.
Funds for the University of Alaska include $1.99 million to develop drone-borne maritime lidar technology to improve salmon counting accuracy critical to sustainable fishing and commercial success in Alaska’s seafood industry.
The Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association would benefit from a $500,000 grant to provide technical expertise to tribal organizations to minimize non-Chinook (chum) salmon bycatch in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Another package on the list contains $355,000 for the Prince William Sound Science Center to develop and deploy updated tethered profiling robots for climate and ecosystem monitoring in Prince William Sound.
The legislation also contains $300,000 to promote climate resilience in coastal communities by improving weather tracking along Alaska’s northern and western coasts.
Murkowski said July 29 that while the investments proposed are not yet final, she would continue to push for their enactment, to bring significant benefits to communities statewide.
