S-1485.2           _______________________________________________
                             SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5428
                   _______________________________________________
State of Washington               56th Legislature             1999 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation
(originally sponsored by Senators T. Sheldon, Swecker, Snyder,
McDonald, Oke, Morton, McAuliffe, Stevens, Deccio, Hargrove, McCaslin,
B. Sheldon, Zarelli, Bauer, Horn, Shin, Roach, Winsley, West,
Hochstatter and Sellar)Read first time 03/02/1999.
     AN ACT Relating to state purchase of privately grown trout for
planting in state waters; adding new sections to Title 77 RCW; creating
a new section; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
     {+ NEW SECTION. +}  Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that declining
opportunities to catch anadromous salmon and steelhead trout have
resulted in a need to improve trout fishing in order to satisfy the
public's demand for recreational fishing.  The legislature intends to
satisfy this need using as a model the 1998 trout stocking program, in
which a private Okanogan county fish farm supplied sixty thousand one
to two-pound rainbow trout to the department of fish and wildlife,
Colville confederated tribes, and volunteer groups.  These trophy trout
provided enhanced recreational fishing opportunities in central
Washington lakes.  Farmed rainbow trout have the potential to grow to
trophy size because they are sterile, feed aggressively, and continue
to grow through their life cycle.  This program will be called the
"trophy trout partnership act."
     A relatively small investment by the legislature for purchasing
privately grown trophy triploid trout has the potential to be a major
program for rural economic development.  Trophy-sized trout,
approximately one and one-half pounds each, can be produced by private
sector fish farmers for approximately two dollars per fish, delivered
to the release site.  Fish farmers can produce these fish in a triploid
genetic configuration for the purpose of certifying that the fish are
sterile and cannot interbreed with wild trout.  These privately
produced trophy trout are ideal for planting into public lakes and
ponds, to provide immediate recreational fishing at a reasonable cost.
     The effect of planting trophy trout will be increased fishing
license sales, increased angler participation, increased tourism
activities, and a boost to local economies.
     The state purchase of privately produced trophy trout is not
intended to replace trout produced by hatcheries of the department of
fish and wildlife.  Rather, the purchase is intended to supplement
existing department trout hatchery programs.
     {+ NEW SECTION. +}  Sec. 2.  (1) The fish and wildlife commission
may institute a program to purchase trophy trout from private fish
farmers in order to increase the recreational fishing opportunities
within state waters.  For purposes of this section, "trophy trout"
means trout weighing approximately one and one-half pounds.
     (2) The fish and wildlife commission may purchase up to one hundred
thousand trophy trout during the 1999 calendar year from private fish
farmers for the purpose of planting by the contractee into department-
identified public freshwater lakes and ponds, to improve recreationalfishing.
     (3) The fish and wildlife commission may purchase up to one million
trophy trout during the 2000 calendar year from private fish farmers
for the purpose of planting by the contractee into department-
identified public freshwater lakes and ponds, to improve recreationalfishing.
     (4) Insofar as permitted by law, the fish and wildlife commission
shall make the purchases authorized under this section from private
fish farmers located within Washington state.
     (5) The fish and wildlife commission shall not make purchases of
trophy trout under this section unless the department of fish and
wildlife hatchery system is funded at the fiscal year 1997 equivalentlevel.
     (6) The fish and wildlife commission shall not, because of the
purchase of trophy trout, reduce the appropriation for hatcheries
operated by the department of fish and wildlife or reduce the number of
hatchery employees.
     {+ NEW SECTION. +}  Sec. 3.  If specific funding for the purposes
of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not
provided by June 30, 1999, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act
is null and void.
     {+ NEW SECTION. +}  Sec. 4.  Sections 1 and 2 of this act are each
added to Title 77 RCW.
     {+ NEW SECTION. +}  Sec. 5.  This act is necessary for the
immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or
support of the state government and its existing public institutions,
and takes effect immediately.                                     --- END ---