United States Senate Committee on
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Hearings
 
Statement of Ted Stevens
Hearing: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Oversight Hearing of 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I know that you realize our state has half the coast line of the United States and really NOAA is one of our most important agencies. I’m delighted to see that this ’09 budget request is the largest one I’ve ever seen.  I’m disturbed that the fisheries have been reduced and I hope you can find a way to sort of readjust that as we go along.  Very clearly it’s $46 million less for marine fisheries, which the Chairman has mentioned.  We have, I think, a growing problem in our state, as you know, in terms of the IUU fisheries and they’re outside the 200 mile limit.   They’re coming across our line.  We’re trying our best to work out, along with the various agencies some form of monitoring at the maritime border, which is really, beyond our 200 mile limit, but at least it would give us some understanding who is out there in terms of these new anonymous vessels.  We do not overfish any species.  There’s no endangered or threatened species that we harvest off of Alaska and we’re very proud of our fisheries.  We’re very disturbed about the continued increase in the IUU fishery capability and really more disturbed than anything over the fact that we don’t know what they’re doing.  So, I would urge you to concentrate on that to find some way to get us the knowledge of what species these vessels are harvesting and where they are taking that catch and if there’s any way at all for us to determine what they’re catching because I think if we don’t find some way to regulate them, they could destroy everything we’ve done and everything the world has done.  By following our example and having a 200 mile limit within which you could have scientific management.  Ours, I think, is the best in the world and we like to work with you to continue that. 

 

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