HOUSE BILL REPORT

SHCR 4403

BYHouse Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives K. Wilson, Haugen, Basich and P. King) 

Providing for the development of rules to permit gillnet fishing during daylight hours.

House Committe on Natural Resources

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (18)

      Signed by Representatives Sutherland, Chair; K. Wilson, Vice Chair; Amondson, Basich, Beck, Belcher, Bumgarner, Cole, Fuhrman, Hargrove, Haugen, R. King, Meyers, Sayan, Schmidt, C. Smith, Spanel and S. Wilson.

House Staff:Bill Koss (786-7129)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 8, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Commercial fishing for sockeye salmon is regulated by the Fraser River Area Sockeye Panel, an international governing body.  Membership on the Panel consists of U.S. and Canadian government fisheries management staff and commercial fishermen.  The Panel meets each spring to determine harvest quotas, seasons and regulations for the various fishing groups -- purse seiners, gillnetters, etc.  The fishing takes place in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia.

By agreement, the two major gear groups (purse seiners and gillnetters) alternate who fishes first in the season.  Gillnetters fish during the hours of dusk to early morning and purse seiners fish during daylight hours only.  In recent years, the technology of gillnets has changed to permit successful daylight gillnetting.  The change came when monofilament gillnets were developed and their use legalized.  Prior to the development of monofilament gillnets, salmon could see the net and swim around it.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Fisheries is requested by the Legislature to meet with the Fraser River Area Sockeye Panel and to explore the possibility of developing rules permitting daylight gillnetting for sockeye salmon.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):  Adds new language stating that the development of rules permitting gillnetting during daylight hours shall not indicate an effort to alter salmon allocations between user groups.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Curt Smitch, Department of Fisheries; Steve Arbaugh and Don Sobjack, Puget Sound Gillnetters Association.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Bob Zuanich, Purse Seiners Association; Tom Philpott, Reef Netters Association.

House Committee - Testimony For:    With the new technology creating monofilament gillnets and legislation permitting the use of monofilament gillnets, it now becomes feasible to use gillnets during daylight hours.  Gillnetters prefer to fish during the daylight for safety reasons -- winds are often calmer and other vessels can see the nets more easily.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      It will be difficult to allow all groups that want to fish during the daylight adequate time.  Daylight fishing for gillnetters may increase the historical share caught by the gillnetters.

VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Yeas 97; Excused 1

Excused:    Representative Williams B