S-0092.1                   _______________________________________________

                                                     SENATE BILL 5056

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State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Senator Haugen

Read first time 01/11/93.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

Regulating seaweed harvesting.

          AN ACT Relating to seaweed; adding new sections to chapter 79.01 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that the plant resources of marine aquatic ecosystems have inherent value and provide essential habitat.  These resources are also becoming increasingly valuable as economic commodities and may be declining.  The legislature further finds that the regulation of harvest of these resources is currently inadequate to afford necessary protection.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definition in this section applies throughout this chapter.

          "Marine aquatic plants" means marine plant species that are dependent upon the marine aquatic or tidal environment, and exist in either an attached or free-floating state.  Marine aquatic plants include but are not limited to seaweed of the classes Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, and Rhodophyta.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The maximum daily wet weight harvest or possession of seaweed for personal use from all private and state tidelands and state bedlands is ten pounds per person.  The department of natural resources in cooperation with the department of fisheries may establish seaweed harvest limits of less than ten pounds for conservation purposes.  The departments shall jointly develop a seaweed management plan for any seaweed species which is harvested.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  A violation of section 3 of this act is a misdemeanor.  All law enforcement officers, including fisheries patrol officers, may enforce this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.  Section 3 of this act shall in no way affect the ability of any state agency to prevent all harvest of marine aquatic plants from lands under its control, ownership, or management.  Sections 3 and 4 of this act do not apply to commercial harvest of marine aquatic plants.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.  Sections 2 through 5 of this act are each added to chapter 79.01 RCW.

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