03/21/2007 08:30 AM House FISHERIES

HB 186-SPORT FISHING GUIDE RECORDS                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:41:13 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  186, "An  Act relating  to sharing  with certain                                                               
federal agencies records required of sport fishing guides."                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:42:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON  pointed out  that the  committee packet  contains a                                                               
letter from the Southeast Alaska  Fishermen's Alliance in support                                                               
of  HB 186  as well  as  a letter  from the  United Fishermen  of                                                               
Alaska.  Chair  Seaton then noted that Kathy  Hansen is available                                                               
to answer questions.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:43:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LARRY  MCQUARRIE,  Region  2C  Vice  President,  Halibut  Charter                                                               
Coalition of  Alaska; Operator, Sportsman's Cove  Lodge, began by                                                               
noting his lengthy  involvement in the fishing  industry and this                                                               
issue  in particular.   He  related his  support for  HB 186  and                                                               
informed  the  committee that  he's  currently  a member  of  the                                                               
stakeholders committee.   Recalling when the  logbooks first came                                                               
into use, he related that  confidentiality of the client list was                                                               
of concern.   At  that time,  it never  occurred to  [the charter                                                               
businesses] that  the data wouldn't  be shared.   The information                                                               
needs to  be utilized to  properly manage the catch,  he related.                                                               
The annual  bag limit is one  of the best options  in controlling                                                               
the  catch for  the charter  industry.   However, he  related his                                                               
understanding  that the  annual bag  limit is  very expensive  to                                                               
implement and thus  the availability of this  information will be                                                               
helpful.   In response to  Chair Seaton, Mr.  McQuarrie confirmed                                                               
that  he has  no problem  with sharing  the information  with the                                                               
National Marine  Fisheries Service  (NMFS) and  the International                                                               
Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:47:02 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON  related his understanding that  the catch                                                               
and the  fishing license number  will be  reported.  He  asked if                                                               
there's a  way to tie a  fishing license number to  a person such                                                               
that the client list is obtainable.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MCQUARRIE replied  yes.   He  pointed out  that the  fishing                                                               
license  numbers were  included  in order  to  make the  logbooks                                                               
verifiable  such  that the  individual  linked  with the  license                                                               
number  could be  called to  verify  the catch  information.   In                                                               
further  response   to  Representative  Johnson,   Mr.  McQuarrie                                                               
acknowledged  that  the ability  for  a  competitor to  obtain  a                                                               
client list  is of  concern.   However, he  said he  trusted that                                                               
there will be some limits  on that information as the information                                                               
needed is the "numbers, not necessarily people."                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSON suggested  that  perhaps  the last  three                                                               
numbers of  the fishing licensing  could be redacted in  order to                                                               
inhibit access [to client lists].                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:48:50 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON highlighted  that this  won't make  the information                                                               
public, it  makes it available  only to NMFS  and IPHC.   He said                                                               
that the  Alaska Department of Fish  & Game (ADF&G) can  be asked                                                               
to verify  that the aforementioned entities  hold the information                                                               
confidential.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON said he would appreciate such.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:49:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON, in  response to  Representative Johnson,  reminded                                                               
the  committee  that  an amendment  providing  for  an  immediate                                                               
effective date was adopted [March 19, 2007].                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:50:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON,  after determining no  one else wished  to testify,                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:50:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DOUGLAS VINCENT-LANG,  Special Projects Coordinator,  Division of                                                               
Sport  Fish, Alaska  Department of  Fish &  Game, in  response to                                                               
Chair  Seaton, specified  that the  personal records  shared with                                                               
NMFS and IPHC would have  to remain confidential.  He highlighted                                                               
the importance of  sharing this information because  if the state                                                               
was to  go to a  federal annual  limit on halibut,  for instance,                                                               
part of the enforcement procedures  would be to review individual                                                               
angler  records   to  ensure  that  the   annual  limits  weren't                                                               
exceeded.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:51:49 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN moved  to report HB 186,  as amended, out                                                               
of   committee   with    individual   recommendations   and   the                                                               
accompanying zero  fiscal note.   There being no  objection, CSHB
(FSH)  was  reported  from  the  House  Special  Committee  on                                                               
Fisheries.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.