05/09/2007 04:00 PM Senate RESOURCES

               HB 186-SPORT FISHING GUIDE RECORDS                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HUGGINS announced HB 186  to be up for consideration. [CSHB
(FSH) was before the committee.]                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
TOM  WRIGHT, staff  to Speaker  John Harris,  sponsor of  HB 186,                                                               
said he didn't have anything to add to previous testimony.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:05:09 PM                                                                                                                    
DOUG VINCENT-LANG,  Special Projects,  Alaska Department  of Fish                                                               
and Game (ADF&G), said questions  were raised in the last hearing                                                               
about how confidentiality  of this data would be  assured. So, he                                                               
provided the  committee with a  memo from Kirk  Brogdon, Division                                                               
of Fish,  indicating that the  security process the ADF&G  has in                                                               
place doesn't allow sharing of  information within the department                                                               
or with public. Secondly, once  the data has been transferred, he                                                               
explained that this  bill would allow for an MOU  to be signed by                                                               
the  department and  the National  Marine  Fisheries Service.  It                                                               
would provide that a witness-approved  certificate must be signed                                                               
by  anyone in  the federal  government  who gets  access to  this                                                               
information  and  has  penalties associated  non-compliance.  The                                                               
penalties  consist  of  a  violation of  federal  law,  which  is                                                               
punishable by a minimum of six months  and a maximum of a year in                                                               
prison and a $100,000 fine.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HUGGINS asked him to remind  the committee why this bill is                                                               
needed.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. LANG replied that this bill  is needed so that information on                                                               
some  management  issues with  the  sport  charter fleet  can  be                                                               
shared  with the  National  Marine Fishery  Service  at its  June                                                               
meeting.  Some   options,  like  annual  limits,   might  not  be                                                               
available to them without this data.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:06:24 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  WAGONER asked  if the  department would  keep a  running                                                               
tally of quota and poundage and turn it in weekly or monthly.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. LANG replied that the data has  to be turned in weekly to the                                                               
department.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:07:05 PM                                                                                                                    
JERRY MCCUNE,  United Fishermen of  Alaska, supported HB  186 for                                                               
all the reasons previously stated.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:07:43 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS  moved to pass  CS for HB 186from  committee with                                                               
individual recommendations  and attached zero fiscal  note. There                                                               
were no objections and CSHB 186(FSH) moved from committee.