Brief Description: Regarding Puget Sound Dungeness crab catch record cards.

Sponsors: Senators Spanel, Swecker, Jacobsen, Morton and Shin; by request of Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources

Background: Current statute states that catch record card information is necessary for proper management of the state's fish and shellfish resources.

In addition to a recreational license, fishers must have a catch record card endorsed for Puget Sound Dungeness crab in order to fish for or possess Dungeness crab in Puget Sound. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) must provide initial catch record cards at no cost, and subsequent catch record cards generally cost $10. The cost of a Dungeness crab endorsement varies depending on the type of license the fisher holds, but in no case exceeds $3.

DFW has broad authority to adopt catch record card reporting requirements by rule. Persons who do not follow DFW's fish and wildlife harvest reporting requirements are subject to a misdemeanor.   

DFW estimates that catch record card reporting compliance for the recreational Puget Sound Dungeness crab catch is approximately 30 percent.

Summary: DFW may establish an administrative penalty for failure to comply with rules requiring recreational fishers to report Puget Sound Dungeness crab catch record card data. The total administrative penalty imposed per fisher may not exceed $10. Such a violation would no longer constitute a misdemeanor.

DFW may also require recreational fishers to report the required data and pay the administrative penalty in order to receive a new Puget Sound Dungeness crab catch record card.

DFW must annually report to the Legislature the rate of fisher compliance with these reporting requirements, the administrative penalty imposed for a violation, and the total amount of administrative penalties collected.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      47   0
House      85   11   (House amended)
Senate      47   0   (Senate concurred)

Effective: June 12, 2008