SB 294-SPORT FISH GUIDE LICENSES  3:34:55 PM CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced SB 294 to be up for consideration. 3:35:02 PM CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE, sponsor of SB 294, explained that it would repeal the termination date for the program they created to have licensing of sport fish operators and sport fishing guides. The original bill passed in 2004. Since then the program has proven beneficial to both the industry and resource managers. It's estimated that over 1.8 million clients were served taking more than 460,000 guided fishing trips in Alaska annually; 88 percent of them were non-residents. Sport fishing is an integral part of Alaska's economy; in 2007 non-residents brought in over $650 million. An average of 1670 sport fishing licenses and 1981 sport fishing guide licenses that include regular training and safety briefings have been issued. The guides have said the training is a real important part of keeping a standard in the industry. She said in 2009 the termination date was extended for one full year and now they are proposing the permanent repeal of the termination date. 3:37:09 PM MIKE PAWLOWSKI, staff to Senator McGuire, mentioned that a copy of the original HB 452 was in their packets in case there were questions about the original law. SENATOR STEVENS said Alaskans pay a different license fee for commercial fishing than non-residents do and he asked if there is any differentiation between instate and out of state license fees for guides. 3:38:48 PM CHARLIE SWANTON, Director, Division of Sport Fish, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), said resident and non- resident guides don't have a difference in fees. A guide business operator/owner license fee is a $100 fee and it's $50 for a guide. CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the department supported the bill. 3:39:38 PM JENNIFER YUHAS, Legislative Liaison, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), explained that this legislation was introduced at the request of the department and it has been a pleasure to work with the Senate on this issue over the last two years. This is the second time it has been introduced and it is identical to what was introduced last year. It passed this committee and the full Senate. It was later amended in the House to have the one- year sunset and the Senate actually accommodated the concurrence vote before adjourning last year. She explained that the logbook program provides for data collection that is necessary for information needed for state fisheries management. The process has recently been streamlined by the use of new "scanable" sheets instead of the large cumbersome logbooks that salt-water guides had to write in. MS. YUHAS said this program exempts guides from the National Salt Water Angler Registry that is being implemented in the rest of the United States. She said that some of the guides have testified that they would rather fall under that because it costs $25 rather than $100, but that program doesn't provide any of the data the department needs to manage its fisheries. That data is the most important part of the logbook program. What the guides receive for their $100-fee is not simply a sticker for their boat, but the ability to utilize this resource to earn an income. She said everything is paid for by program receipts for anglers and through the guide fee and that Mr. Swanton would speak to the zero fiscal note. 3:41:12 PM SENATOR HUGGINS joined the committee. SENATOR FRENCH asked what the resistance to extending the sunset for more than one year was in the other body. MS. YUHAS replied that she couldn't speak to the logic that Representative Neuman used in requesting that. 3:42:19 PM MIKE MCCRARY, representing himself, Anchorage, Alaska, said SB 294 tries to do too many things. He said this bill came about because more information on the numbers of guides and their activities was needed and the data needed to be comprehensive and credible. Those goals were accomplished, but nothing more than minimum standards were established to actually be a guide. From his point of view outfitting, charter boats, air taxis, and water taxis are businesses, but guiding is an occupation. This bill should not be put into place forever because the actual occupational licensing of all classes of guides needs to be separated from the business aspects - reducing speculative entry of businesses into the commerce stream and enhancing the profession of guiding. There should be one occupational licensing board for guides like hairdressers and barbers have. He said this bill tries to do too many things and extending it without termination is premature. 3:45:51 PM MELVIN GROVE, charter owner, Valdez, Alaska, said he opposed SB 294. His biggest concern is that they are being taxed, basically, to pay for the logbook program. And even though he believes in data collection, they hadn't seen any harvesting improvements as a result of it. They had seen reduced bag limits instead. He said contrary to what Ms. Yuhas said, registering for the National Salt Water Angler Registry is free according to Forbes Darby. And anyone using their service in federal waters wouldn't have to register, because data would be collected in state waters. This data should be shared with the feds, but we shouldn't use that to justify collecting a $100 fee. He said he couldn't even keep a fish while fishing with clients any more. If they pass SB 294, he urged them to please keep the sunset in it. 3:49:48 PM KEN LARSON, Secretary, Prince William Sound Charter Association, North Pole, Alaska, opposed SB 294. They do not object to the data collection, but between the sport license fees that both instate and out-of-state residents pay and guide fees, they aren't getting much for their money. ADF&G needs to look at other funding sources, anyway. He said he saw no funding support from NOAA for the logbook data that they use. MR. LARSON said sport fish license fee funding has been reduced because of the economy and other influences. For instance, revenues are down because of the one-fish limit on halibut, revenues from license sales and King salmon stamps were down 12 percent in 2009 and 5 percent in 2008, and it's probably going to go down in 2010; in 2011 the Limited Entry Program for halibut charters is going to eliminate 38 percent of the halibut charter fleet in Alaska. Scanning logbook data is a good idea as many data entry errors have been found during the ongoing Limited Entry Program process. But those cost reductions should mean position reductions in ADF&G if nothing else. At any rate, he said, the funding needs to be looked at and that's why they asked for the sunset to occur last year and that's why they are asking for it again this year. 3:52:54 PM REED MORISKY, Wilderness Fishing, Inc., Fairbanks, Alaska, supported SB 294. He said this will be his 26th summer operating in Fairbanks. He believes the logbook information is needed for documenting consistent use and access to the resource. This act would ensure clients that minimum standards are met. Improvements have been made to the logbook program, as well, that allow the guide-supplied information to be scanned. 3:54:02 PM SMOKEY DON DUNCAN, Master Guide 136, Fairbanks, Alaska, didn't support SB 294 as written. He wanted to see the program sunsetted if the following amendments were not adopted: an exemption from the licensing fee for fish guide businesses and sport fish guides who do not operate from a city, a town, village or permanent lodge, and an exemption from fees for camp- based or float-trip based guides and from multiple daily logbook recordings for camp-based and float-trip based guides. Further he said the regulations should be changed to filling in the logbook within 24 hours and he wanted ADF&G to provide water proof containers for the logbook if requested. He also wanted the Coast Guard requirement deleted, because they are entirely absent from areas north of the Alaska Range. MR. DUNCAN said this program has done nothing but cost him time, money and headaches. He recruits all of his clients with no help from the state, he pays land use fees, client day fees and he and his clients buy fishing licenses. He said "the state does virtually nothing to help promote or support the hunting and sport fishing guide industries." He said further that guides already pay enough for a business license, so why do they have to buy two licenses? 3:57:03 PM JOHN BLAIR, Executive Director, Southeast Alaska Guides Association, Sitka, said he supported SB 294 for three reasons. First, because it is a clear-cut example of a program that actually works and does something right. Since its inception, the logbook program has successfully provided accurate and timely information for use by the Board of Fisheries and ADF&G. Second, the log book program has become the only effective means of collecting data on the sport fishing industry in an objective and unbiased manner. Having independent and non-industry based collection and enforcement insures credibility of the information, so the information is dependable. Third, these data are essential to ensure conservation and sustainability of our fisheries. Without the logbook program there would be no quality data and science that have become the foundation of sound fisheries management. Alaskans pride themselves on their fisheries management based on facts and science. 3:58:35 PM SENATOR WAGONER asked how many members are in his group in Southeastern Alaska. MR. BLAIR answered that it represents over 100 vessels and lodge owners throughout the region. 3:58:55 PM WADE WILLIS, Anchorage, Alaska, said he used to be a guide and he was concerned about the sustainability of the state's fisheries. The state needs to look further down the road and develop an occupational licensing board that licenses all occupations that can insure that the quality of the guiding industry is as good as it can be. He supported extending the program for two more years. 4:01:22 PM RICKY GEESE, Executive Director, Kenai Sport Fishing Association, supported SB 294. He said the data has become an extremely useful tool for the department to use for management of the resources. He concurred with the need for an occupational board to set minimum standards. 4:02:32 PM REUBEN HANKIE, owner and operator of a small Kenai River fishing business, supported SB 294. He pointed out that hunters need licenses in the field. Collecting the data had some problems at first, but those are getting ironed out. He said that he didn't have any problem filling out his logbook in the rain, and data collection is of utmost importance to the fishing industry. 4:04:21 PM DAVE GOGGIA, President, Kenai River Professional Guide Association, said he is an owner of a small guide service on the Kenai River, and supported SB 294. He said he tries to keep his logbook as dry as possible and that seems to work for him. Board of Fisheries members want accurate data, and to him that is important to making any kind of decisions that affect everybody in the state. 4:05:38 PM MS. YUHAS stated that the department is very happy with the version before them. Should the legislature decided to audit or repeal this program at any point in the future, they can do that without a sunset. MR. SWANTON said the logbook started out being 11.5X17 inches and those have been reduced to a standard 8.5X11 inches that is scanable. Access to that data will be reduced from eight to nine months down to one to two weeks. These were some of the major criticisms they had in the past from the public. They are planning to do the same thing with the fresh water logbook program starting this fall; that program will be scanable in 2011. He said this data collection program has been reviewed by national experts who found that Alaska sets the standards for quality and statistical precision. 4:08:00 PM CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI closed public testimony. He said he intended to hold the bill and asked for amendments by tomorrow at noon.