SENATE BILL REPORT

                  2SSB 6264

              As Passed Senate, February 12, 1998

Title:  An act relating to mass marking of chinook salmon.

Brief Description:  Providing for the mass marking of chinook salmon.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Oke, Rasmussen, Morton, Swecker and Anderson).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Natural Resources & Parks: 1/16/98, 1/20/98 [DPS-WM].

Ways & Means:  1/29/98, 2/3/98 [DP2S].

Passed Senate, 2/12/98, 44-4.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6264 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

  Signed by Senators Oke, Chair; Rossi, Vice Chair; Hargrove, Jacobsen, Morton, Prentice, Roach, Snyder, Spanel, Stevens and Swecker.

Staff:  Ross Antipa (786-7413)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report:  That Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 6264 be substituted therefor, and the second substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators West, Chair; Deccio, Vice Chair; Strannigan, Vice Chair; Bauer, Brown, Hochstatter, Kohl, Long, Loveland, Rossi, B. Sheldon, Snyder, Swecker, Thibaudeau and Winsley.

Staff:  Cathy Baker (786-7708)

Background:  The Department of Fish and Wildlife currently operates salmon hatcheries that provide fishery benefits in mixed stock fisheries.  In order to continue to provide hatchery origin coho salmon for the fishery, all coho salmon are externally marked to enable fishers to determine which salmon are hatchery origin, while releasing nonmarked wild salmon.  This program is known as mass marking.

The same approach can be utilized with chinook salmon to allow fisheries to continue on hatchery chinook while protecting wild chinook salmon.

Summary of Bill:  The Department of Fish and Wildlife is instructed to mass mark all appropriate hatchery origin chinook salmon by June 30, 1999.

The department must work with the treaty Indian tribes in order to reach mutual agreement on the implementation of the mass marking program.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 28, 1998.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For (Natural Resources & Parks):  Mass marking is the only hope for future salmon fisheries in mixed stock areas.

Testimony Against (Natural Resources & Parks):  None.

Testified (Natural Resources & Parks):  Bruce Crawford, Department of Fish and Wildlife; Frank Urabeck, Northwest Marine Trade Association.

Testimony For (Ways & Means):  Mass marking will allow fishers to selectively harvest hatchery fish, while protecting wild salmon stocks.  This is a tool that will allow the state to maintain control of our fisheries in the face of listings of salmon under the federal Endangered Species Act.  The funding required to implement mass marking is well worth the investment.

Testimony Against (Ways & Means):  None.

Testified (Ways & Means):  PRO:  Senator Bob Morton, prime sponsor; Bern Shanks, Department of Fish and Wildlife; Frank Urabeck, Northwest Marine Trade Association; Sean Nixon, State Board of Puget Anglers; Bill Robinson, NWSCC; David Paden, Puget Sound Anglers; Shari Stoican; Chuck Wischman, Puget Sound Anglers.

House Amendment(s):  The department must work with the treaty tribes to reach agreement on the mass marking program, and report to the Legislature by January 1, 1999, on progress made on mass marking negotiations.  A null and void clause is added.