Brief Description: Creating a Washington coastal Dungeness crab pot buoy tag program.

Sponsors: Senator Doumit.

Hearing Date: 3/22/05

Staff: Jason Callahan (786-7117).

Background:

There are two different closed commercial fisheries for Dungeness crabs in Washington. One fishery is operated for the Puget Sound, and one is limited to coastal waters. To catch crabs commercially, the fisher is required to have a license for the appropriate fishery.

Crab are caught using crab pots. Each crab pot must be attached to a buoy and fished individually. In the Puget Sound fishery, each buoy must be marked clearly with a tag that contains the name or license number of the person fishing the specific pot. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) is authorized to charge a fee to the holders of Puget Sound Dungeness crab licenses to pay for the production of the tags and the management of the tag program. Each license holder in entitled to use 100 pots, to which a $100 annual fee applies. Revenue from the fees are deposited into the Puget Sound Crab Pot Buoy Tag Account, which is a non-appropriated account.

Summary of Bill:

The crab pot buoy tag program is expanded from the Puget Sound commercial Dungeness crab fishery to the commercial coastal fishery. The Department is authorized to charge the holders of coastal Dungeness crab licenses a fee to pay for the production of the buoy tags and the administration of the program. The fees are required to be deposited into the newly created non-appropriated Washington Coastal Crab Pot Buoy Tag Account. Revenue in the new account may only be used for implementing the buoy tag program for the coastal crab fishery.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.