H-1482              _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 607

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Representatives Unsoeld, Vekich, Sayan and Belcher

Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

AN ACT Relating to shellfish; adding a new section to chapter 75.24 RCW; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 75.24 RCW to read as follows:

          The legislature finds that current environmental and economic conditions warrant a renewal of the state's historical practice of actively cultivating and managing its oyster reserves in Puget Sound to produce the state's native oyster, the Olympia oyster.  The purpose of this section is to reestablish dike cultivated production of Olympia oysters on such reserves on a trial basis as a tool for planning more comprehensive cultivation by the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     There is appropriated from the state general fund to the department of fisheries the sum of sixty thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, for the biennium ending June 30, 1987, to carry out the purposes of this act.