SENATE BILL REPORT

                                   ESB 6293

                      AS PASSED SENATE, FEBRUARY 14, 1992

Brief Description:  Increasing the harvest of Puget Sound chinook salmon by recreational fishermen.

SPONSORS: Senators Thorsness, Owen, Metcalf, Rasmussen and Oke

SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

Majority Report:  Do pass. 

      Signed by Senators Metcalf, Chairman; Oke, Vice Chairman; Amondson, Owen, and Sutherland.

Staff:  Ross Antipa (786‑7413)

Hearing Dates: February 4, 1992

BACKGROUND:

Catch accounting errors were made over a number of years involving recreational harvest of chinook salmon in Puget Sound.  Recreational harvest was overestimated during this period.

There is concern that catch allocation should be increased for recreational fishermen until past imbalances have been corrected.

SUMMARY:

The director shall increase the opportunity for recreational fishermen to harvest chinook salmon in Puget Sound to make restitution for past errors in catch accounting between treaty Indian fishermen and non-Indian recreational fishermen.  Non-Indian commercial salmon fisheries shall not be reduced in order to provide an increase in recreational harvest because of past accounting errors.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested

TESTIMONY FOR:  None

TESTIMONY AGAINST:

Increased recreational catch of salmon should not be at the expense of non-Indian commercial fishing quotas.

TESTIFIED:  Don Stuart, Salmon for Washington (con); Gene Didonato, Department of Fisheries (con); Steve Arbaugh, Puget Sound Gillnetters (con)