HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 5012

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Natural Resources

Title:  An act relating to transfer of fishery licenses.

Brief Description:  Revising the fee for transfer of fishery licenses.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senator Snyder).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Natural Resources:  3/21/95, 3/28/95 [DPA].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 14 members:  Representatives Fuhrman, Chairman; Buck, Vice Chairman; Pennington, Vice Chairman; Basich, Ranking Minority Member; Regala, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Beeksma; Cairnes; Elliot; G. Fisher; Romero; Sheldon; Stevens; B. Thomas and Thompson.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  Signed by 1 member:  Representative Jacobsen.

Staff:  Rick Anderson (786-7114).

Background:  The Department of Fish and Wildlife issues licenses for various commercial fisheries.  Participation in some of these fisheries is limited by restricting the number of licenses that are issued.

State law allows these licenses to be transferred with certain restrictions.  The fee for selling one of these licenses is: 1) equal to the resident renewal fee, if the license is not limited by the department; 2) three and a half times the resident renewal fee, if the license is limited by the department; or 3) the difference between the non-resident and resident license fees, if a license is transferred from a resident to a non-resident.  All fees are deposited into the general fund.

Summary of Amended Bill:  The transfer fee for all commercial salmon licenses is reduced to $50.

The transfer fees for all other commercial fishing licenses are unchanged.

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  The amended bill reduces the transfer fee only for commercial salmon licenses.  The substitute bill reduces the fee for all limited entry and non-limited entry licenses sold to a resident.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The transfer discourages the sale of commercial fishing licenses and is an inequitable tax.  The fee is no longer supported by fishers because the fee is not being used to support hatcheries.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Don Stuart, Salmon for Washington; Mark Cedergreen, Westport Charter Association; Ernie Summers, Washington Dungeness Crab Fisher's Association; Roger Attwood, Washington Trollers Association; Cyreis Schmitt, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; and Ed Owens, Coalition of Washington Ocean Fisherman (all in favor).