(1) A sea urchin dive fishery license is required to take sea urchins for commercial purposes. A sea urchin dive fishery license authorizes the use of only one diver in the water at any time during sea urchin harvest operations. If the same vessel has been designated on two sea urchin dive fishery licenses, two divers may be in the water. A natural person may not hold more than two sea urchin dive fishery licenses.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, the director shall issue no new sea urchin dive fishery licenses. For licenses issued for the year 2000 and thereafter, the director shall renew existing licenses only to a natural person who held the license at the end of the previous year. If a sea urchin dive fishery license is not held by a natural person as of December 31, 1999, it is not renewable. However, if the license is not held because of revocation or suspension of licensing privileges, the director shall renew the license in the name of a natural person at the end of the revocation or suspension if the license holder applies for renewal of the license before the end of the year in which the revocation or suspension ends.

(3) Where a licensee failed to obtain the license during the previous year because of a license suspension or revocation by the director or the court, the licensee may qualify for a license by establishing that the person held such a license during the last year in which the person was eligible.

(4) Sea urchin dive fishery licenses are transferable subject to the fees and restrictions in RCW 77.65.020(2).

(5) If fewer than twenty natural persons are eligible for sea urchin dive fishery licenses, the director may accept applications for new licenses. The additional licenses may not cause more than twenty natural persons to be eligible for a sea urchin dive fishery license. New licenses issued under this section shall be distributed according to rules of the department that recover the value of such licensed privilege.

Finding—Intent—Effective date—2017 3rd sp.s. c 8: See notes following RCW 77.08.010.

Finding, intent—Captions not law—Effective date—Severability—1993 c 340: See notes following RCW 77.65.010.

Legislative finding—1990 c 62; 1989 c 37: "The legislature finds that a significant commercial sea urchin fishery is developing within state waters. The potential for depletion of the sea urchin stocks in these waters is increasing, particularly as the sea urchin fishery becomes an attractive alternative to fishermen facing increasing restrictions on other types of commercial fishery activities.

The legislature finds that the number of vessels engaged in commercial sea urchin fishing has steadily increased. This factor, combined with advances in marketing techniques, has resulted in strong pressures on the supply of sea urchins. The legislature desires to maintain the livelihood of those vessel owners who have historically and continuously participated in the sea urchin fishery. The legislature desires that the director have the authority to consider extenuating circumstances concerning failure to meet landing requirements for both initial endorsement issuance and endorsement renewal.

The legislature finds that increased regulation of commercial sea urchin fishing is necessary to preserve and efficiently manage the commercial sea urchin fishery in the waters of the state. The legislature is aware that the continuing license provisions of the administrative procedure act, RCW 34.05.422(3) provide procedural safeguards, but finds that the pressure on the sea urchin resource endangers both the resource and the economic well-being of the sea urchin fishery, and desires, therefore, to exempt sea urchin endorsements from the continuing license provision." [ 1990 c 62 § 1; 1989 c 37 § 1.]