HB 218-SALT WATER FISHING: OPERATORS/GUIDES  2:52:41 PM CO-CHAIR TARR announced the final order of business would be CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 218(FSH),"An Act relating to salt water sport fishing operators and salt water sport fishing guides; and providing for an effective date." [Before the committee was CSHB 218(FSH).] 2:53:11 PM DOUG VINCENT-LANG, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), informed the committee the Sport Fish Business Owner/Guide License was passed [in the Twenty-third Alaska State Legislature] and remained in effect through 12/31/14. In the Twenty-Ninth Alaska State Legislature, salt water licenses were reinstated with a 2018 sunset and ADF&G seeks to establish the licenses in statute in perpetuity. License fees are used to pay for collecting logbook data - which has been collected by ADF&G from salt water sportfishing businesses and guides since 1998 - that is critical to upholding the state's obligations to the Pacific Salmon Treaty and the International Pacific Halibut Commission. The data is also provided to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for the management of federal fisheries in order to avoid duplicative reporting mechanisms, which are an undue burden on the charter fishing industry. In addition, logbook data is utilized by the Board of Fisheries, ADF&G. The original version of the bill included freshwater and salt water components; however, due to opposition from freshwater guides, the freshwater component was removed from the bill. Thus, [CSHB 218(FSH)] addresses the state's treaty obligations and the critical need for the collection of salt water data to manage salt water fisheries, which would be paid for by the licensing program. 2:56:26 PM RACHAEL HANKE, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, paraphrased from the following sectional analysis [original punctuation provided]: Sectional Analysis HB 218: Salt Water Guide Licensing (version A) Section 1 Establishes license fees for saltwater guides and operators. ? Guide license - $200 ? Operator license - $400 ? Operator and guide combined license - $400 Section 2 Adds new Article to AS 16.40 that ? AS 16.40.262 provides stipulations for the salt water operator license and defines the license type; ? AS 16.40.272 provides stipulations for the salt water guides and combined license and defines both license types; ? AS 16.40.282 establishes reporting requirements for salt water guides and operators; ? AS 16.40.292 establishes penalties for violations the chapter; and ? AS 16.40.301 defines "salt water sport fishing guide" and "salt water sport fishing guide services". Section 3 Adds salt water sportfishing operator and guide license to AS 25.27.244(s)(2) which defines "license". Section 4 Effective date of January 1, 2021. CO-CHAIR TARR surmised the effective date is on a calendar year basis because the bill would not be implemented in the upcoming season. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG confirmed that is correct. REPRESENTATIVE TUCK questioned whether [the licensing program] was at one time in statute. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG confirmed it was. REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN inquired as to the sunset date of the "logbook statute." MS. HANKE answered in 2018. In further response to Representative Hannan, she said ADF&G estimates there are over 800 salt water sportfishing guides, and approximately 600 businesses, and offered to provide the number of freshwater guides. [HB 218 was held over.]