CSHB 547(RES) am Moratorium on S.E. Dive Fisheries  CHAIRMAN LEMAN announced CSHB 547(RES) am  to be up for consideration. He said the bill was heard and there was substantial interest in moving it. However, it was not unanimous. At least one person would be affected by it and he thought the bill was now represented a reasonable consensus on limiting the number of divers for abalone, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and geoducks. SENATOR HOFFMAN said there was concern that the people who pioneered the fishery would be left out and there was testimony that half of them were Alaskan residents. SENATOR PEARCE asked if the catch was limited in any of the fisheries. CHERYL SUTTON, Legislative Aide, House Resources Committee, answered that the purpose of the bill is to establish a moratorium on four of the dive species in Southeast so the development of the fisheries can be observed and consistent, sustained yield management plans can be devised. She said the bill is widely supported and they had worked closely with all the communities and divers in Southeast Alaska. There is a lot of compromise contained in this bill. CHAIRMAN LEMAN asked her to comment on the fisherman who would be excluded from the fishery as a result of this bill. MS. SUTTON explained that he was basically a Kodiak fisherman and this is a Southeast Alaska moratorium on specific species in Southeast Alaska. Number 540 SENATOR FRANK moved to pass CSHB 547(RES) am from committee. SENATOR HALFORD objected because he didn't want to limit participation in any more fisheries. SENATOR HOFFMAN pointed out that this did not limit fisheries, but it was a four-year moratorium so that the resource could be further evaluated. MS. SUTTON commented that there was a lot of assessment work that needed to be done with these developing fisheries and that funding had been cut for this. The participants in this fishery are interested in looking at a self-funding mechanism to have on-going management and stock assessment. She said there are already too many participants in the fishery. SENATOR FRANK asked if they already limit the catch. MS. SUTTON replied that they do have quotas already. SENATOR FRANK asked if the openings could be structured so that they would favor Alaskan residents. MS. SUTTON replied that the Department was trying to do that, but there is such a rush from folks in failing fisheries that a sound management cannot be developed because of the unknown number of participants. A moratorium would fix some numbers and give them the opportunity to develop more effective management. SENATOR FRANK suggested closing the fishery down altogether and let the stocks come back and have surprise openings. Number 484 REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS, sponsor of HB 547, said he couldn't add much more to what Ms. Sutton said. SENATOR HALFORD said he was concerned that half the participants now are outsiders. MS. SUTTON replied that that was incorrect. Number 458 FRANK HOHMAN, Limited Entry Commissioner, explained that in three of the fisheries a substantial majority are resident fishermen. In the geoduck fishery their latest statistics indicate 50/50 and this is the newest fishery. He explained that the rush to get into the open fisheries has mushroomed and the reason for the moratorium is to cap it to have time to study it. SENATOR HALFORD suggested having the fisheries managed for resident participation while the information is gathered, use those participants as a starting point, and then make the permits non- transferable. He noted that all the other fisheries with transferable permits have a huge debt-load and they are all going down hill. MR. HOHMAN answered that those things had been tried and the abalone fishery, for example, is down to one day per year. He said that 95 percent of the harvesters in that fishery are residents. He added that this moratorium might be an opportunity for them to investigate some of the methods he just mentioned. Number 415 SENATOR FRANK asked the status of the moratorium on the dungeness crab fishery they instituted a few years ago. MR. HOHMAN answered that was completed and it was operating with the input from people within the fleet and the Department. They developed a new type of limited entry system which has a new phase called the tiered pot system. Each participant, based on their past production, is given a number of pots they can fish. This preserves the resource and allows a certain number of pots to be fished and it preserved the economic opportunity for those who are in it. He thought this was a very successful conclusion to that fishery. MR. HOHMAN added that there would likely be some non-transferable permits within that fishery, but there would also be transferable ones. It is based on a complicated point system. SENATOR HALFORD asked why we should ever create another transferable fishery. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS said that he agreed with him, but the dive fishery required large boats to service the divers and fishermen from down south are equipped to handle that. This makes it difficult for the residents to invest money if they are not assured they will have a fishery. That is what basically is happening. SENATOR LINCOLN asked what the objection was to having the moratorium reviewed in two years instead of waiting for four years. MR. HOHMAN replied that the reason for the four years is to give time to the Commission. This isn't the only issue before them and their last experience with the Southeast Dungeness Crab fishery took a four year period of time. He said it took at least three public hearing phases throughout Southeastern to come to agreement there. SENATOR HALFORD withdrew his objection with the condition that he would come up with a floor amendment that prohibits the creation of new transferable fisheries. CHAIRMAN LEMAN asked if there was further objection to the motion to pass CSHB 547(RES) am from committee. Hearing none, it was so ordered.