"An Act relating to the Department of Fish and Game, the Board of Fisheries, and the Board of Game; relating to the taking of big game and to the disposition of a mount, trophy, or part of a fish or game animal; setting fees for certain trapping licenses and certain hunting licenses, permits, and tags; setting fees for the resident combined hunting, trapping, and sport fishing license and the resident combined hunting and sport fishing license; relating to the resident small game hunting license; setting application fees for certain hunting permits and stamps; establishing a surcharge on hunting, trapping, and sport fishing licenses; relating to certain hunting, trapping, and sport fishing licenses, tags, permits, and stamps; relating to the fish and game fund; relating to violations of fish and game laws; relating to state management of wildlife; relating to endangered fish and wildlife; and providing for an effective date. "

Senate Bill 170 addresses several areas of Title 16 - the Fish and Game statutes.

It provides for the sale of legally taken trophy mounts and certain parts of legally harvested game animals. This solves the current nonsensical situation where a person cannot buy a trophy mount in Alaska but the seller can take the mount to Seattle, conduct the transaction with the buyer there who then returns to Alaska with the mount.

It provides for a "small game" hunting license as differentiated from a general hunting license. This license will be sold for $25.

It provides for uniform application fees for certain hunting permits, drawings and stamps. This fee will be $7.50. Currently these fees range between $5.00 and $10.00.

It establishes a higher degree of accountability for the use of the fish and game fund. This fund is dedicated to uses directly benefiting those who purchase hunting and fishing licenses.

It assures Alaskans that no fish or game policy will be established in the absence of the public hearing process currently utilized by the Boards of Fish and Game.

It provides that the "reasonable person" legal standard be applied to decisions made by Board of Game members when adopting regulations to provide for intensive management. A reasonable person acts sensibly, does things without serious delay, and takes proper but not excessive precautions.

It provides for new fees for hunting licenses, trapping licenses and tags and requires that the increases be used to maximize management for an abundance of animals for human consumption.

It provides for certain predator control (not hunting) regulations for bears in areas under intensive management where the Board of Game has determined that bear predation is a cause of the problem and a reduction in bears would reasonably help cure the problem.

It provides for a new "deferral fee" limited to certain areas adjacent to or near state wildlife sanctuaries or national parks. When the Board authorizes permits to hunt bear or wolf in these areas, a person can take a permit "off the table" by paying to the fish and game fund the maximum market value a hunt would otherwise have contributed to the state economy.

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