S-1000.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5678

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators B. Sheldon, Oke, T. Sheldon and Snyder

Read first time 02/02/1999.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation.

Creating a pilot program to test planting geoducks on state aquatic lands.

    AN ACT Relating to planting of geoduck beds on state aquatic lands; adding a new section to chapter 79.96 RCW; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 79.96 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) The department of natural resources shall implement a pilot program to test the effectiveness of planting geoducks on state aquatic lands located in Puget Sound.  The program shall be developed and implemented in consultation with the department of fish and wildlife.  The program shall be designed to use test plantings and monitoring of geoduck populations on the test sites to determine if harvestable populations may be achieved in a manner that will increase revenues over that achievable from natural regeneration while ensuring the maintenance of sustainable populations of geoducks.  The department of natural resources shall design the test program to compare geoduck populations of the test sites with other sites in Puget Sound providing comparable growing conditions.  The department shall use existing state facilities for the production of seed stock.  The department may contract with geoduck harvesters licensed in accordance with chapter 75.28 RCW to plant the seed and to monitor geoduck populations on the test sites.

    (2) The program shall be designed to test geoduck populations and  growth rates for a period no less than five years.  No later than December 31, 2005, the department of natural resources shall report the results of the program to the natural resource committees of the legislature and make recommendations whether the program should be expanded, otherwise modified, or terminated.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The sum of one million two hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 2001, from the resource management cost account to the department of natural resources for the purposes of this act.

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