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

Sponsors: Senator Doumit.

Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
House Committee on Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks
House Committee on Appropriations

Background: The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in the Puget Sound uses a crab pot buoy marking system to help regulate the fishery. The coastal fishery does not use the marking system and the complexity of the coastal fishery could be simplified if a tag program were established.

Summary: A commercial crab pot buoy program is established and an account is set up to hold the revenue from the fishers payment of a fee to cover the Department of Fish and Wildlife's cost for the tags. The department must review annually the costs of the tags and pass savings on to the license holders.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      38   8
House      95   0   (House amended)
Senate      41   5   (Senate concurred)

Effective: July 24, 2005