04/08/2003 02:05 PM Senate L&C

       CSHB 118(RES)am-TRANSPORTATION OF COMMERCIAL FISH                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR   BUNDE   announced   CSHB   118(RES)am  to   be   up   for                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PAUL SEATON, sponsor,  explained that this measure                                                               
corrects a  situation that  allows only  process servers  to hire                                                               
tenders and pick  up fish on the fishing grounds.  This bill will                                                               
allow  fishermen to  consolidate  their catches,  fill out  their                                                               
required  paperwork  so  that   the  necessary  documentation  is                                                               
available  for  ADF&G,  and  run that  consolidated  catch  on  a                                                               
fishing  vessel  into  the  processor.  It  would  also  allow  a                                                               
fisherman or group of fishermen  to hire a tender, transfer their                                                               
fish to  that tender,  have the  fish ticket  made out,  and have                                                               
that transported to town for delivery.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
He explained  that a  number of processors  have rolled  back the                                                               
number  of  tenders  they  hire.  That  is  problematic  for  the                                                               
fishermen  because, according  to statute,  they must  be at  the                                                               
dock  at the  time  of  delivery. This  bill  is  limited in  its                                                               
application to  the sale  of three  species: salmon,  herring and                                                               
Pacific cod.  It was amended  to say that all  incidental legally                                                               
caught fish could also be  delivered by the tender. Fishermen and                                                               
processors support this bill.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR SEEKINS moved  to adopt SCS CSHB 118(L&C),  Version B, as                                                               
a working document. There were no objections.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  BUNDE explained  that the  committee substitute  (CS) also                                                               
addresses  another  issue that  has  been  before this  committee                                                               
about obtaining social security  numbers [on fishing licenses] to                                                               
be used  for child support  enforcement. He asked if  a fisherman                                                               
without  a permit  gave his  fish to  someone with  a permit  for                                                               
transport that might create an enforcement problem.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON  replied it  would  not  be anymore  of  a                                                               
problem than it  is using the current system.  This bill requires                                                               
all paper work to be filled  out and that requires all supporting                                                               
documents  and  identification. This  bill  does  not loosen  the                                                               
regulations.  In   fact,  it  will  provide   ADF&G  with  better                                                               
information.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS  said the Salmon  Task Force  saw it as  a useful                                                               
tool.  He  asked Representative  Seaton  if  the fish  ticket  is                                                               
issued when the fish are weighed  as they go into the transporter                                                               
or  whether  the  fish  ticket  is  written  when  the  fish  are                                                               
delivered to the processor.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON replied  that a fish ticket  is issued when                                                               
the fish are  transferred from the fishermen  to the transporter.                                                               
However,  some  flexibility  needs  to  be  provided  since  some                                                               
tenders will have  certified scales. The person  functioning as a                                                               
fisherman  and   a  transporter  has   to  have  a   fish  ticket                                                               
corresponding to  the amount of  fish onboard. The weight  has to                                                               
be  estimated,  if  nothing  else, and  the  accurate  weight  is                                                               
recorded when the fish is delivered to the processor.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR BUNDE  asked if two boats  combined a catch of  dog and red                                                               
salmon and the  transporter put all the red salmon  on one ticket                                                               
and  the  dog  salmon  on   another,  which  would  amount  to  a                                                               
significant difference in  money, how that would  be regulated or                                                               
whether the fishermen would just have to trust each other.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DOUG MEECUM,  Director,  Division  of Commercial  Fisheries,                                                               
ADF&G, said  the bill doesn't really  address private contractual                                                               
arrangements  between transporters  and  fishermen. The  existing                                                               
fish ticket system contains columns  to record the amount of each                                                               
species and the price that was paid.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He said  the division supports the  bill and that it  addresses a                                                               
priority  of the  Salmon Task  Force.  It might  reduce costs  to                                                               
fishermen and  lead to improvements  in quality. He  said [ADF&G]                                                               
may place limits on where it  will issue these permits, one being                                                               
Bristol Bay because of a  prohibition against having fish onboard                                                               
when a fishing vessel has gear on board.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR BUNDE  said the committee  would hold the bill  for another                                                               
hearing.