HB 110-BARBED HOOKS  10:40:23 AM CHAIR SEATON announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 110, "An Act prohibiting the use of barbed hooks in certain freshwater areas." 10:40:56 AM DOUG DUNCAN, Staff, Representative Paul Seaton, Alaska State Legislature, introduced HB 110, paraphrasing from the sponsor statement, which read [original punctuation provided]: Recently, many runs of Chinook salmon have experienced poor returns. Fishery Disaster Declarations have been made for the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Cook Inlet regions. People who depend on these king salmon for their economic, recreational, and cultural livelihood are experiencing great hardship due to this low abundance. Sustainability is critically important and measures should be adopted that help protect Chinook salmon and similar vulnerable species while still maintaining fishing opportunities. One of the best ways to do this is to utilize fishing gear that reduces the mortality to species of concern while still allowing the utilization of healthy stocks. The use of barbless hooks is proven to reduce the mortality of released fish. Studies by the Pacific Salmon Commission Technical Committee concluded that barbless hook usage reduced mortality by 3.5% in mature fish. A barbless hook is faster to remove and results in less trauma to the fish. This reduces handling and increases the chance a fish will survive to reproduce. Some fly fishermen currently file the barbs off their hooks to allow a less damaging release of fish. Additionally, Washington and Oregon prohibit the use of barbed hooks while Chinook fishing because wild stock fish must be released while hatchery fish can be retained. HB 110 would prohibit the use of barbed hooks for freshwater stocks of fish where retention is prohibited, that is in a catch and release fishery. MR. DUNCAN emphasized that stocks can be protected through less mortality due to the barbless hook with less handling and hook damage. CHAIR SEATON pointed out the different approach that HB 110 takes versus the laws adopted by Washington State and Oregon, where wild stocks are required to be released and hatchery fish may be retained, and the mortality rate was studied to ensure that the program was having the intended effect. The Alaskan studies indicate that catch and release mortality for Chinook is about eight percent; reducing this number to three or four percent would be significant. The intent of HB 110 is to reduce catch and release mortality in Alaska's existing catch and release fisheries, without creating new regulatory areas. 10:45:20 AM REPRESENTATIVE GATTIS questioned whether there would be an impact on safety enforcement officers, and how it relates to the fiscal note. CHAIR SEATON announced that HB 110 would be held for further consideration at the committee meeting scheduled for 2/26/12.