BILL REQ. #:  H-1847.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/25/03.   

     AN ACT Relating to the commercial harvest of geoduck clams; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) There is created a legislative task force to study and make recommendations regarding geoduck management and harvest rules. The task force is composed of the following members:
     (a) Two members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives to include one member from each of the two largest political caucuses;
     (b) Two members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate to include one member from each of the two largest political caucuses;
     (c) The chair of the house of representatives' fisheries, ecology and parks committee and the chair of the house of representatives' agriculture and natural resources committee; and
     (d) The chair of the senate parks, fish, and wildlife committee and the senate natural resources, energy, and water committee.
     (2) The task force must elect a chair and agree upon procedures for conducting the business of the task force. The task force may establish an advisory committee of stakeholders including but not limited to representatives from treaty Indian tribes, the aquaculture industry, geoduck divers, private shoreline property owners, the department of fish and wildlife, the department of natural resources, the department of health, the department of agriculture, local government, or other affected stakeholders. Staff support for the task force must be provided by the house of representatives' office of program research and senate committee services.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   By December 1, 2003, the task force established in section 1 of this act must report to the legislature with recommendations concerning the following issues:
     (1) Improvements for the coordinated management of the geoduck resource;
     (2) The costs and benefits of implementing a limited entry geoduck diver license;
     (3) Improvements for compliance and enforcement with geoduck harvest rules on state and nonstate-owned lands;
     (4) Improvements to state rules for geoduck harvesting; and
     (5) The state's potential role in aquaculture and reseeding of geoduck clams.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act expires January 1, 2004.