HOUSE BILL REPORT
SB 5302
As Reported By House Committee On:
Fisheries & Wildlife
Title: An act relating to food fish and shellfish.
Brief Description: Concerning food fish and shellfish rules.
Sponsors: Senators Owen, Hargrove and Oke.
Brief History:
Reported by House Committee on:
Fisheries & Wildlife, March 18, 1993, DP.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES & WILDLIFE
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 9 members: Representatives King, Chair; Orr, Vice Chair; Fuhrman, Ranking Minority Member; Sehlin, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Basich; Chappell; Foreman; Lemmon; and Scott.
Staff: Keitlyn Watson (786-7310).
Background: The director of the Department of Fisheries is authorized to regulate the time, place, and manner of harvesting food fish and shellfish for recreational purposes. However, current law does not allow the director to regulate the harvest of oysters, clams, cockles, borers, or mussels by private tideland owners and lessees of state tidelands if taking such species on their own private tidelands or leased state tidelands.
Summary of Bill: The director may not regulate the harvest of oysters, clams, cockles, borers, or mussels by the immediate family members of private tideland owners or lessees of state tidelands when harvesting on the private or leased tidelands. Immediate family members include spouses, brothers, sisters, grandparents, parents, children, or grandchildren.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: Private owners of tidelands are currently entitled to harvest shellfish from those lands without restriction. The intent of the legislation when it was enacted was also to allow relatives of such owners to harvest without restriction. There are no conservation concerns that would be raised by allowing this to occur.
Testimony Against: None.
Witnesses: Senator Brad Owen, prime sponsor (pro); and Cyreis Schmitt, Department of Fisheries (pro).