[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING RICHARD E. GUTTING

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a man 
who, although not a constituent, was very important to my State. 
Richard E. Gutting Jr., who died on Christmas Eve, spent over 40 years 
working in and for the commercial seafood industry. As many of my 
colleagues are aware, the seafood harvesting and processing industry is 
the largest private sector employer in Alaska. The seafood industry is 
crucial to the economic health of Alaska and employs more than 63,000 
workers in my State, and overall Alaska's fisheries support over 
165,000 American jobs.
  The successful development and growth of the modern U.S. seafood 
industry is the result of the hard work of many individuals, and Dick 
played an important role in many key areas. He was recognized as the 
foremost U.S. expert on seafood safety and trade policies, and he 
continued to dedicate his time and energy to the seafood industry right 
until the weeks before he passed, publishing a daily update on seafood 
trade developments.
  Dick's long career in both government and the private sector 
coincided with a period of rapid development and expansion of my 
State's seafood industry. In the 1960s we were focused mostly on salmon 
and watched as foreign fleets took a wide variety of marine resources 
from the waters off our shores. The passage of the Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act--now the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act--on which Dick provided advice and counsel, was a 
crucial step in allowing U.S. citizens to utilize the fisheries 
resources just off our shores. His work at the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, at the National Fisheries Institute, 
NFI, and in private law practice helped not just Alaskans but the 
seafood industry throughout the country.
  During his long tenure at NFI, Dick frequently testified before 
Congress on issues of great importance to the Nation's commercial 
seafood industry. His legal and policy insights, combined with his calm 
demeanor, made him a valued advisor to ocean policy leaders such as 
Senator Ted Stevens, Congressman Don Young, and my father, Senator 
Frank Murkowski, as they crafted legislation necessary to develop U.S. 
fisheries while also promoting the consumption of seafood. He also 
helped mentor an entire generation of both governmental and private 
sector policy leaders in the commercial seafood industry. Many of those 
people are now in significant positions in government, academia and the 
private sector, and they continue to benefit from what they learned 
from Dick.
  Above all, Dick loved seafood, and he loved to share his passion for 
promoting seafood throughout the country and the world. That is 
something that as an Alaskan I understand very well, and I appreciate 
his contributions to my State and to the country.
  Although Dick is no longer with us, we are left with his many 
contributions to the responsible growth of the domestic seafood 
industry. Our system of fishery management and our robust global trade 
in seafood products have in many ways been shaped by Dick's four 
decades of work. These professional achievements, combined with the 
love and admiration of family and friends, form a legacy that anyone 
would be proud to leave behind. He will be missed by many Alaskans and 
by the entire seafood industry.

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