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

(2) Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, the director shall issue no new sea cucumber 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 cucumber 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 either of the previous two years because of a license suspension 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 cucumber dive fishery licenses are transferable subject to the fees and restrictions in RCW 77.65.020(2).

(5) If fewer than twenty persons are eligible for sea cucumber 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 cucumber 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.

Effective date—2011 c 339: See note following RCW 43.84.092.

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

Legislative findings—1990 c 61: "The legislature finds that a significant commercial sea cucumber fishery is developing within state waters. The potential for depletion of the sea cucumber stocks in these waters is increasing, particularly as the sea cucumber fishery becomes an attractive alternative to commercial fishers who face increasing restrictions on other types of commercial fishery activities.

The legislature finds that the number of commercial fishers engaged in commercially harvesting sea cucumbers has rapidly increased. This factor, combined with increases in market demand, has resulted in strong pressures on the supply of sea cucumbers.

The legislature finds that increased regulation of commercial sea cucumber fishing is necessary to preserve and efficiently manage the commercial sea cucumber fishery in the waters of the state.

The legislature finds that it is desirable in the long term to reduce the number of vessels participating in the commercial sea cucumber fishery to fifty vessels to preserve the sea cucumber resource, efficiently manage the commercial sea cucumber fishery in the waters of the state, and reduce conflict with upland owners.

The legislature finds that it is important to preserve the livelihood of those who have historically participated in the commercial sea cucumber fishery that began about 1970 and that the 1988 and 1989 seasons should be used to document historical participation." [ 1990 c 61 § 1.]