SB 13: "An Act relating to assessment of discrete salmon stocks and to discrete salmon stock assessment surcharges."
00SENATE BILL NO. 13 01 "An Act relating to assessment of discrete salmon stocks and to discrete salmon 02 stock assessment surcharges." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. PURPOSE AND INTENT. (a) This Act requires the Department of Fish and 05 Game and the Board of Fisheries to prepare and prioritize a list of discrete salmon stock 06 assessment projects that are consistent with the sustained yield of wild salmon stocks. This 07 Act also provides a means to offset the costs incurred by the state in conducting discrete 08 salmon stock assessment projects by increasing the fees for commercial fishing licenses. The 09 additional revenue generated and appropriated for discrete salmon stock assessment projects 10 is supplemental to, and not intended to replace, funds appropriated for the operation of the 11 division of commercial fisheries management and development or the division of sport fish. 12 (b) It is the intent of the legislature that the cost of conducting discrete salmon stock 13 assessment projects be funded in part from revenue derived from the sale of sport fishing 14 licenses in an amount that annually approximates $1 for each license sold.
01 * Sec. 2. AS 16.05 is amended by adding a new section to article 5 to read: 02 Sec. 16.05.740. Discrete salmon stock assessment. (a) The Board of 03 Fisheries shall, in consultation with the department, identify those stocks of salmon for 04 which discrete salmon stock assessments are needed. The board shall rank the discrete 05 salmon stock assessment needs in accordance with the importance of the stock to 06 fisheries in the state, the magnitude of conflicts among users of the stock, the 07 biological health of the stock, and the need for information to ensure the sustained 08 yield of the stock. The department shall assist the board in the identification of needed 09 information and the ranking of the discrete salmon stock assessment needs. 10 (b) The department shall 11 (1) annually develop, with the assistance of the board, a list of, and 12 priority ranking for, proposed research projects to collect information necessary for the 13 assessment of discrete salmon stocks identified by the board under (a) of this section; 14 the projects must include research on the stock composition of salmon taken in 15 fisheries, development of escapement objectives for discrete salmon stocks, projection 16 of escapements for discrete salmon stocks, and other projects intended to obtain 17 information that the board determines necessary under this section; 18 (2) in conjunction with the board, solicit public comment on the list of 19 proposed projects developed under (1) of this subsection and, as appropriate, revise the 20 projects and the priority ranking assigned to the projects based on the information and 21 comments received during the public comment period; 22 (3) submit the revised list of proposed projects together with a proposed 23 budget for each project to the governor for inclusion in the proposed budget for the 24 department for the following fiscal year. 25 (c) The governor shall include a request for an appropriation to the department 26 to fund the discrete salmon stock assessment projects identified on the revised list 27 prepared by the department under (b) of this section as part of the budget and annual 28 appropriation bill submitted to the legislature. The individual projects contained on 29 the list shall be included as allocations under the appropriation for discrete salmon 30 stock assessment projects. 31 * Sec. 3. AS 16.05.480 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
01 (e) In addition to the license fee set under (a) of this section for a crewmember 02 fishing license, a stock assessment surcharge of $10 shall be collected at the time of 03 issuance of a crewmember fishing license. The amount of the surcharge collected 04 under this subsection shall be deposited into the general fund. The legislature may 05 appropriate money collected under this subsection to the Department of Fish and Game 06 for the discrete salmon stock assessment program under AS 16.05.740. 07 * Sec. 4. AS 16.43.160(a) is amended to read: 08 (a) The commission shall establish annual fees for the issuance and annual 09 renewal of entry permits or interim-use permits. The amount of the commercial 10 fishing license fee paid by a permit holder under the provisions of AS 16.05.480 shall 11 be credited by the commission toward payment of the permit renewal fee charged 12 under this section. No more than one credit may be obtained annually by a person. 13 * Sec. 5. AS 16.43.160(d) is amended to read: 14 (d) The commission may charge interest at a rate not to exceed the legal rate 15 of interest established in AS 45.45.010 on fees and stock assessment surcharges 16 more than 60 days overdue. 17 * Sec. 6. AS 16.43.160 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 18 (e) In addition to the amounts collected under (a) - (d) of this section, the 19 commission shall collect, at the time of renewal of an entry permit or interim-use 20 permit for a salmon fishery, a stock assessment surcharge that shall reasonably reflect 21 the different rates of economic return for different fisheries. The amount of the 22 surcharge imposed on the renewal of a permit by a person who is eligible for a 23 reduced permit fee under (c) of this section shall be reduced in the same proportion 24 that a renewal fee for a permit under (c) of this section bears to the renewal fee for 25 the permit under (a) of this section. The commission shall impose an additional 26 surcharge on the renewal of an entry permit or interim-use permit held by a 27 nonresident to the extent permitted by law. The commission shall credit the amount 28 of a stock assessment surcharge paid by a permit holder under AS 16.05.480(e) toward 29 payment of the surcharge imposed under this subsection. A permit holder may receive 30 only one credit toward the payment of a surcharge during each year. The total amount 31 of revenue generated by the stock assessment surcharge must approximate $500,000
01 annually. The amount of the surcharge collected under this subsection shall be 02 deposited into the general fund. The legislature may appropriate money collected 03 under this subsection to the Department of Fish and Game for the discrete salmon 04 stock assessment program under AS 16.05.740. 05 * Sec. 7. APPLICABILITY. (a) The Department of Fish and Game, with the assistance 06 of the Board of Fisheries, shall develop the first annual list and priority ranking of proposed 07 projects under AS 16.05.740(b), added by sec. 2 of this Act, for submission to the governor 08 for inclusion in the proposed budget for the department for fiscal year 2001. 09 (b) AS 16.05.480(e), added by sec. 3 of this Act, and AS 16.43.160(e), added by sec. 10 6 of this Act, are applicable to crewmember licenses, entry permits, and interim-use permits 11 issued or renewed for 2000 or a subsequent year.