SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5215

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Parks, Fish & Wildlife, February 18, 2003

Title: An act relating to imposing a surcharge on the personal use shellfish license fee to fund the Olympic region harmful algal bloom program.

Brief Description: Modifying the personal use shellfish license fee.

Sponsors: Senators Hargrove and Jacobsen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Parks, Fish & Wildlife: 2/11/03, 2/18/03 [DPS].

Ways & Means: 2/26/03.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON PARKS, FISH & WILDLIFE

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5215 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Oke, Chair; Sheahan, Vice Chair; Doumit, Esser, Jacobsen, Morton, Spanel and Swecker.

Staff: Kari Guy (786-7437)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Staff: Richard Ramsey (786-7412)

Background: Harmful algal blooms occurring along the Washington coast may cause increased levels of domoic acid, which can trigger closure of the recreational and commercial shellfish harvest. The Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom program is a collaboration of government, academia, business, and tribes established to study harmful algal blooms on the Washington coast. The program is based in the Olympic Natural Resources Center at the University of Washington. The objectives of the program are to understand the environmental conditions that cause blooms, and to develop models to predict and mitigate the effects of harmful algal blooms.

A personal use shellfish and seaweed license is required to dig for or possess seaweed or shellfish. The fee for the resident license is $7. The fee for the nonresident license is $20.

Summary of Substitute Bill: A surcharge of $1 is added to resident and nonresident shellfish and seaweed licenses. Money collected from the surcharge must be used to fund monitoring by the Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom program.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: A technical correction is made to an RCW reference.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

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

Testimony For: Keeping the recreational clam and commercial crab harvests open is extremely important to coastal communities. This bill will fund research to help prevent or better predict harmful algal blooms and subsequent harvest closures. State funds are needed to match the federal and tribal commitment.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: PRO: Vera Trainer, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA; Miranda Walker, UW Olympic Natural Resource Center.