H-0505.3 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1171
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State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1993 Regular Session
By Representatives King, Basich, Fuhrman, Chappell, G. Cole, Springer and Wood
Read first time 01/20/93. Referred to Committee on Fisheries & Wildlife.
AN ACT Relating to surplus salmon eggs; adding a new section to chapter 75.08 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds the department of fisheries produces surplus salmon eggs every year as part of the state hatchery salmon production cycle. The legislature has authorized the department to sell surplus salmon eggs to any person, at any cost, for use in cultivation of salmon in any location. The legislature finds the implementation of this law has had an adverse impact on private aquatic farmers in the state. Private aquatic farmers have attempted to develop improved commercial salmon broodstock for commercial egg production and have been unsuccessful because the price of state eggs has degraded the market price so dramatically that development of a captive broodstock is not economically feasible. The legislature further finds the majority of subsidized state eggs also are sold to foreign private aquatic farmers who use them to produce pen-reared salmon that are sold in the United States markets to compete with Washington-raised farmed salmon and salmon harvested by commercial fishers. It is the intent of the legislature that the average sale price for surplus salmon eggs produced by the state be no less than the average sale price for salmon eggs produced by private aquatic farmers in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 75.08 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The department shall conduct a survey of private aquatic farmers in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia to determine the average price they are receiving for the sale of their salmon eggs. The survey shall be conducted each year. The department shall not sell any surplus salmon eggs at a price less than the average sale price in the previous year for salmon eggs sold by private aquatic farmers in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.
(2) Any aggrieved person may bring a legal action, to include injunctive relief, to enforce this section.
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