Brief Description: Authorizing the increase of shellfish license fees.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Hargrove, Rossi and Doumit).

Hearing Date: 4/21/03

Staff: Amy Hanson (786-7118).

Background:

The Department of Health (DOH) operates various environmental health programs, including the Recreational Shellfish Program and the Biotoxin Program. The Biotoxin Program performs monitoring of paralytic and amnesic poisons in shellfish. The DOH tests for these biotoxins in both the recreational and commercial shellfish fisheries, and it closes harvest levels when the toxins are detected at dangerous levels. The Recreational Shellfish Program provides information about where shellfish can be safely harvested.

The Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom (ORHAB) monitoring program is a collaboration of government, academia, business, and tribes established to study harmful algal blooms on the Washington coast. The program is based in the Olympic Natural Resources Center at the University of Washington.

To fish for shellfish in Washington, a person over the age of 15 must have a personal use shellfish and seaweed license issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). The fee for an annual license is $7 for residents, $20 for non-residents, and $5 for seniors. The DFW also offers a two-day shellfish and seaweed license that costs $6 for both residents and non-residents.

As an alternative to the shellfish and seaweed license, a person can purchase a personal use combination fishing license. This license authorizes the holder to not only collect shellfish and seaweed, but to also fish for finfish. The combination license costs $36 for residents, and $72 for non-residents.

Revenues collected from the sale of shellfish licenses are deposited into the general fund.

Summary of Bill:

The DFW is required to include: 1) A $3.00 surcharge on resident and non-resident shellfish licenses; and 2) a $2.00 surcharge on resident and non-resident adult combination licenses.

Surcharges will fund: 1) Biotoxin testing and monitoring by the DOH of beaches for recreational shellfishing; and 2) monitoring by the ORHAB monitoring program of the Olympic Natural Resources Center at the University of Washington.

Amounts collected from the surcharge are deposited into the General Fund-Local Account managed by the DOH, with the exception of $150,000 per year to be deposited into the General Fund-Local Account managed by the University of Washington.

The fee increase takes effect in the DFW's license fee structure beginning July 1, 2003.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect July 1, 2003.