03/30/1994 03:40 PM Senate RES

 SENATOR MILLER announced  SB 325  (TAKING OF ANTLERLESS MOOSE) to be     e    
 up for consideration.                                                         
                                                                               
 BARBARA BORBRIDGE, Aide to Senator Lincoln, testified that SB 325             
 repeals AS 16.05.780.  If enacted there would be no change in the             
 antlerless moose hunt from year to year.  No action is required by            
 the Board of Game. Advisory Committees would not have to meet to              
 address this.  SB 325 streamlines the process to allow for hunting            
 opportunities, it protects the resource at a savings to the state.            
 DAVE KELLEYHOUSE, Director, Division of Wildlife, said when AS                
 16.05.780 was enacted, the biologist at that time really believed             
 that wolf and bear predation was having no impact on moose                    
 populations.  But they were proved wrong and that prompted this               
 legislation.  This has become a rubber stamp issue by the Board of            
 Game, but it is very time consuming and costly, taking a day or               
 more for the Board to go through reauthorizing every one of the               
 hunts every year.                                                             
                                                                               
 MR. KELLEYHOUSE said this morning the Alaska Board of Game passed             
 a resolution supporting this bill.                                            
                                                                               
 Number 259                                                                    
                                                                               
 TIM OSBORNE, Galena area biologist, said he was representing the              
 Middle Yukon Fish and Game Advisory Committee.  He said the                   
 Advisory Committee represents four villages and there is travel               
 between them whenever a meeting is held.  This year there would not           
 have been a meeting this spring other than for the fact they had to           
 come together and vote to have the current antlerless moose hunt to           
 continue.  They would have lost it otherwise.  They, therefore,               
 strongly support this bill.                                                   
                                                                               
 GEORGE COVEL, Chairman, Copper River and Prince William Sound                 
 Advisory Committee, supported SB 325.                                         
                                                                               
 SENATOR MILLER said they received phone calls from two people in              
 Anchorage, Mr. Stevens, Vice Chairman, Anchorage Fish and Game                
 Advisory Committee, and Mr. Wright, who oppose the bill.  He                  
 intended to give them a chance to register their opposition to the            
 bill.