03/20/2024 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

                 HB 295-SALMON HATCHERY PERMITS                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:27:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY  announced that the  next order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO.  295 "An Act relating to  salmon hatchery permits;                                                               
and  authorizing the  sale  of salmon  to  permitted persons  for                                                               
stocking lakes." [Before the committee was CSHB 295(FSH).]                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:28:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DOUG  VINCENT-LANG,  Commissioner,  Department of  Fish  &  Game,                                                               
presented  CSHB 295(FSH)  on behalf  of the  bill sponsor,  House                                                               
Rules by request  of the governor. He said  that state hatcheries                                                               
are paid  for by  sport angler dollars,  and that  they typically                                                               
use a  stocking plan to determine  which lakes to stock.  He said                                                               
that  this bill  would allow  private, nonprofit  hatchery owners                                                               
the  option to  sell fish.  He said  to reduce  the potential  to                                                               
impact the wild  fish populations, the Alaska  Department of Fish                                                               
& Game  (ADF&G) would use sterile  stocked fish. He said  that it                                                               
is important to note that this  bill allows for the sale of fish,                                                               
and  that it  is not  a  mandate for  private nonprofit  hatchery                                                               
owners  to  sell  their  fish.   He  mentioned  that  during  the                                                               
Coronavirus crisis, Alaskans  used stock fish lakes  as places to                                                               
get their food.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:31:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOE  FELKL,  Legislative  Liaison, Office  of  the  Commissioner,                                                               
Alaska Department of Fish & Game,  on behalf of the bill sponsor,                                                               
House  Rules  by  request  of  the  governor,  gave  a  sectional                                                               
analysis  of CSHB  295(FSH) and  a  summary of  changes from  the                                                               
original bill  version to [CSHB  295(FSH)]. Mr. Felkl  began with                                                               
the  sectional  analysis  for  CSHB  295(FSH)  [included  in  the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1:  adds a  new subsection  to the  statute for                                                                    
     salmon  hatchery  permit   conditions  clarifying  that                                                                    
     nothing in  a permit prohibits  the sale of  salmon for                                                                    
     the  purposes  of stocking  lakes  in  the state  to  a                                                                    
     private  person   or  entity   that  receives   a  Fish                                                                    
     Transport Permit under AS 16.05.251.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2:  amends AS 16.10.440(b)  to insert  the word                                                                    
     "wild."                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. FELKL  continued to the  summary of changes [included  in the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section  1:  corrects  a drafting  error  replacing  an                                                                    
     incorrect  citation  (AS  16.05.671) with  the  correct                                                                    
     statutory  authority  for  Fish Transport  Permits  (AS                                                                    
     16.05.251). This  section has  also been  redrafted for                                                                    
     clarity, specifying  sale of  hatchery-produced salmon.                                                                    
     This  change  is  stylistic and  does  not  change  the                                                                    
     meaning of the language.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2:  new section that amends  AS 16.10.440(b) to                                                                    
     insert  the  word  "wild." Inserting  the  word  "wild"                                                                    
     clarifies   the  Commissioner   of   Fish  and   Game's                                                                    
     authority  is permitting  the  hatchery operation,  and                                                                    
     the   Board   of   Fisheries'  (Board)   authority   is                                                                    
     allocation of the common  property resource. Adding the                                                                    
     word  "wild"  also   conforms  salmon  hatchery  permit                                                                    
     statutes  with  the  more  recently  enabled  shellfish                                                                    
     enhancement  statutes  (see   AS  16.12.050(b)),  which                                                                    
     already include  the word "wild" regarding  the Board's                                                                    
     authority to amend a permit.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:33:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MEARS   asked   Commissioner   Vincent-Lang   to                                                               
elaborate on the permit process.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. VINCENT-LANG  said that there  are a variety of  processes in                                                               
place already, that  ADF&G looks at many  things, including river                                                               
flows, location,  and water drainage,  when deciding  which lakes                                                               
to stock.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:34:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
FLIP  PRYOR, Section  Chief,  Division  of Commercial  Fisheries,                                                               
Alaska Department of Fish & Game,  on behalf of the bill sponsor,                                                               
House  Rules  by request  of  the  governor, explained  specifics                                                               
regarding  the permitting  process, such  as pathology,  genetic,                                                               
and biology reviews.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. FELKL  added that there  are things  in the bill  packet that                                                               
talk about relevant regulations for fish transport permits.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:36:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what the goal of this bill is.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. PRYOR  answered that currently, private  nonprofit hatcheries                                                               
can only  sell eggs  to other  private nonprofit  hatcheries, and                                                               
that this bill allows them to sell eggs to the public.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:37:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. VINCENT-LANG  added that in  essence, what is occurring  is a                                                               
demand  that is  not  being met.  He  said that  as  part of  the                                                               
permitting process, there  is a report that must  be submitted on                                                               
how  successful  a  program  might   be.  He  said  there  is  an                                                               
evaluation  program  coming  forward,  and that  CSHB  295  (FSH)                                                               
utilizes existing structure to move this issue.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
[HB 295 was held over.]                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:39:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 1:39 p.m. to 1:41 p.m.