BILL REQ. #:  S-2002.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/23/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to preventing fish-squish on salmon and steelhead spawning beds; and adding a new section to chapter 77.95 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 77.95 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The department shall produce educational materials discouraging activities that harm or disturb the spawning beds of salmon and steelhead. Discouraged activities to be addressed in the educational materials include, but are not limited to: Wading on spawning beds; driving motor vehicles on spawning beds; use of high-powered jet or propeller-driven boats across spawning beds; dragging anchors through spawning beds; digging or removing gravel from spawning beds; or any other physical disturbance capable of disturbing spawning fish or damaging or destroying nests of incubating eggs.
     (2) The educational materials must include, at a minimum, brochures for distribution to persons applying for fishing and boating licenses statewide. The department must also distribute the brochures widely to retail outlets that cater to outdoor recreation.
     (3) The department shall work cooperatively with the tribal fishery comanagers in the development of the educational materials.
     (4) The department shall report to the legislature concerning the effectiveness of this section after at least two spawning cycles of salmon and steelhead have occurred following the initiation of distribution of the educational materials. However, the report must be provided by December 1, 2012, at the latest.