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                                                               
(ADF&G), 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  the                                                               
department  typically uses  a stocking  plan  to determine  which                                                               
lakes  to stock.   He  said that  the proposed  bill would  allow                                                               
private, nonprofit hatchery  owners the option to sell  fish.  To                                                               
reduce the potential  to impact the wild  fish populations, ADF&G                                                               
would  use   sterile  stocked  fish.     Commission  Vincent-Lang                                                               
emphasized that  CSHB 295(FSH) would  allow for the sale  of fish                                                               
but 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.  He  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;  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  documents in the bill packet that                                                               
outline relevant regulations for fish transport permits.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:36:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  asked  what  the goal  of  the  proposed                                                               
legislation is.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. PRYOR  answered that currently, private  nonprofit hatcheries                                                               
can sell  eggs only  to other  private nonprofit  hatcheries, and                                                               
that CSHB 295 (FSH) would allow them to sell eggs to the public.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:37:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  VINCENT-LANG added  that in  essence, CSHB  295 (FSH)  would                                                               
meet a demand not  currently 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 CSHB  295  (FSH)  would                                                               
utilize existing structure to move this issue.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
[HB 295 was held over.]