Regardless of the issues that we discuss whether it is wildland, firefighting hazardous fuels management, special use permitting and beyond, issues surrounding agency capacity are cited as barriers to success.

Without adequate processing, the fishermen have no place to take their fish and not only does it impact the fishermen and their families but the market that is waiting.

I think prioritizing the pre-commercial thinning is going to be an important part of fulfilling that plan.

I want to thank you and the rest of the State of Hawaii for hosting our Alaska Native language speakers.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, and Chief, good morning. It is good to see you.

I just want to reinforce for the record today, your commitment to monitoring the work of NOAA with regards to our fisheries surveys.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to follow up on the comments from the Senator from New Mexico and what you have mentioned, Chief, about the local knowledge that we have.

We are also looking at the effort to foster the relationship between Native language programs and institutes of higher education.

Well, we'll work with you on that.

the fish don't really care what we're doing back here in Washington and what our timeline is

There is a sense of urgency in so many of our communities, because as you say, we are losing our Native speakers.

As we gather to discuss how to make our forests healthier and more resilient, you can't help but reflect on how that has always been the goal.

I want to ask you about where we are with vegetation management issues.

So as soon as you can, put some folks to address this. It is appreciated.

We were pleased to see passage last week of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Representative Don Young (R-AK).

This removes a barrier to the restart of cruises in Alaska by temporarily waiving the requirement of the Passenger Vessel Services Act for Alaska cruises departing from Washington State to stop in Canada.

thank you for passing that very important piece of legislation. The official name of that legislation that just passed the Senate is the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act. This is a really good day for Alaska right now and for our small…

This might sound parochial, but it is not parochial.