FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 2576

                                   C 84 L 90

BYHouse Committee on Fisheries & Wildlife (originally sponsored by Representatives R. King, S. Wilson, Bowman, Haugen and Jacobsen; by request of Department of Wildlife)

Updating and revising certain statutes regarding the department of wildlife.

House Committe on Fisheries & Wildlife

Senate Committee on Environment & Natural Resources

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Wildlife is requesting changes in two areas of the wildlife code:  licenses, tags, stamps, and permits; and reports that were required before January 1, 1990.

LICENSES, TAGS, STAMPS AND PERMITS:  A person who hunts or fishes for game animals or game fish in Washington state, must first obtain a hunting or fishing license.  Various additional licenses, permits, stamps, or tags are required depending on the animal, fish, or bird being taken.

When hunting for certain wild animals (deer, elk, bear, cougar, sheep, mountain goat, moose, and wild turkey), a hunter must also obtain a separate transport tag and supplemental stamp.  No fee is charged for the transport tag, but depending on the animal, various fees are charged for the supplemental stamps.  Both transport tags and supplemental stamps expire on March 31 following the date of issuance.

Game bird hunters must have additional stamps or licenses to hunt for certain game birds.  Upland game birds and migratory waterfowl require stamps.  Hunting with hounds requires a stamp, and hunting with falcons requires a license.  Expiration dates of the stamps and licenses vary.

Punchcards are required for steelhead fishing and for the hunting of upland game birds (quail, partridge, and pheasant).  A punchcard for steelhead costs $15 and allows a fisher to catch 15 steelhead.  A fisher can reduce the cost of a punchcard to $10 by returning the previous card to the Department of Wildlife by a certain date.

STATUTORY REPORTS:  When the Legislature changed the funding source for the Department of Game and renamed it the Department of Wildlife, it required reports on agency management, wildlife and wildlife recreational needs, and hunting and fishing licenses.  All reports were due to the Legislature by June 31, 1989, and have been delivered by the Wildlife Commission.

The Legislature established the Joint Select Committee on Endangered Species with a report due to the Legislature in 1987.

SUMMARY:

All supplemental stamps and punchcards for hunting game birds are eliminated except the migratory waterfowl stamp. Game bird stamps become permits and the upland game bird permit is divided into an Eastern Washington permit ($8) and a Western Washington permit ($15).  The hound permit, upland game bird permits, and the raptor license expire on January 1.  The expiration date on migratory water fowl stamps remains March 31.

All supplemental stamps for hunting game animals are eliminated and the charges formerly associated with the stamps now apply to transport tags.

The steelhead punchcard is renamed the catch record card.  A juvenile under the age of 15 may purchase a steelhead catch record card for $5 that allows the juvenile to catch five steelhead.

Statutory references to the following statutory reports are deleted:

(a)  Analysis of management of Department of Wildlife due November 1, 1987;

(b)  Wildlife and wildlife recreational needs assessment by the Wildlife Commission due October 1, 1988;

(c)  Analysis of hunting and fishing licenses due June 30, 1989; and

(d)  Joint Select Committee on Threatened and Endangered Species due 1987 legislative session.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      House 96   0

      Senate    44     1 (Senate amended)

      House 94   0 (House concurred)

EFFECTIVE:June 7, 1990