HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 5360

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Natural Resources

Title:  An act relating to the renewal of commercial fishery and salmon charter licenses.

Brief Description:  Providing commercial salmon fishers with a license renewal process when they opt to not renew for a season.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Parks (originally sponsored by Senators Hargrove, Anderson, Spanel, Swecker, Haugen, Oke, Snyder and Kline).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Natural Resources:  3/26/97, 4/3/97 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 10 members:  Representatives Buck, Chairman; Sump, Vice Chairman; Thompson, Vice Chairman; Regala, Ranking Minority Member; Alexander; Anderson; Chandler; Hatfield; Pennington and Sheldon.

Staff:  Rick Anderson (786-7114).

Background:  Licenses for salmon charter boats and commercial salmon fisheries are subject to limited entry requirements.  The Department of Fish and Wildlife no longer issues new licenses for these fisheries.  To renew a salmon charter boat or a commercial salmon fishery license, a person must have held the license the previous year or have acquired the license from a person who held it the previous year.

A fee for permit renewal is charged for charter boat and commercial salmon fishery licenses.  The permit renewal fee for each license is $380 except for the salmon purse seine license which is $530.  Each license is subject to an annual $100 surcharge.  The surcharge is dedicated to regional fisheries enhancement groups.

Summary of Bill:   A person can renew a salmon charter boat license or a commercial salmon fishery license with the payment of the $100 surcharge and a $15 handling fee if the department is notified that the person seeking the license renewal will not participate in the commercial fishery during that year.  Persons renewing a salmon charter boat or salmon troll license must notify the department by May 1.  Persons renewing a gill net, reef net or purse seine license must notify the department by August 1.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For: This bill provides an opportunity for salmon fishers to make good business decisions.  The bill may also help to reduce fishing pressure on depleted stocks.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Gary Alexander; Brian Edie, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife; Scott Coughlin, Purse Seine Vessel Owner's Association; and Ed Owens, Coalition of Coastal Fisheries (pro).