Page 1 of 2 Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 110 BY SENATORS PERRY, ALARIO AND HEITMEIER A RESOLUTION To express and affirm the support and appreciation of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana for the Gulf menhaden fishery and all of the economic and social contributions that industry has made to the state through many years of operation in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in the coastal areas of the state. WHEREAS, the Gulf menhaden fishery industry generates an annual economic impact of nearly eight hundred twenty-five million dollars to the economy of the state of Louisiana; and WHEREAS, the Gulf menhaden fishery industry expends in excess of eighty million dollars annually in purchases for materials and supplies from industry support vendors with nearly sixty-five percent of those purchases made from other Louisiana businesses; and WHEREAS, the Gulf menhaden fishery industry provides over seven hundred twenty-five jobs to citizens of Louisiana with the salaries paid to those people directly enhancing the economy of the state; and WHEREAS, the Gulf menhaden fishery industry indirectly creates and supports many other good, high paying jobs throughout the state; and WHEREAS, the Gulf menhaden fishery is the largest fishery by volume in both the state and the entire Gulf of Mexico; and WHEREAS, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission declared in 2013 through its SouthEast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR 32A) report that "the Gulf Menhaden stock in the Gulf of Mexico is not undergoing overfishing and is not overfished"; and WHEREAS, independent data has shown clear trends of increasing biomass and recruitment along with declining mortality in the Gulf menhaden stock over the last twenty years; and WHEREAS, the recent stock assessment of Gulf menhaden found in the Gulf of Mexico demonstrates that the fishery is being harvested and managed at a sustainable level SR NO. 110 ENROLLED Page 2 of 2 and will continue to employ Louisianians and contribute to the economy and well-being of the state for many years to come. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana, that based on the fishery science established by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, as a result of the responsible harvesting conducted by the fishing community, the Gulf menhaden industry is and will continue to be of great value to our state, occupy a key role in job creation, and provide substantial positive economic effect on our region. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate does hereby express and affirm the support and appreciation for the Gulf menhaden fishery and all of the economic and social contributions that industry has made to the state through many years of operation in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in the coastal areas of the state. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE