"An Act relating to the dive fishery management assessment."

House Bill 341 is a housekeeping measure requested by the Southeast Alaska Dive Fishery Association (SARDFA) to provide more flexibility in its operations.

SARDFA was formed in 1998, under AS 43.76.150-210. SARDFA works in partnership with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the Department of Environmental Conservation in developing its Annual Operating Plan. The Annual Operating Plan determines how the dive assessments, a self-imposed tax on the value of harvested dive resources, will be spent. The creation of SARDFA provided an innovative approach to the development of biologically and economically sustainable fishery resources. SARDFA partners industry, government, and local communities in successful fishery resource development.

The association has been extremely successful managing existing dive fisheries and at working to develop new fisheries in southeast Alaska using revenues collected from the self-imposed tax of its members. Under AS 43.76.150 and AS 43.76.160, association members elect to tax themselves by species at a rate of one percent, three percent, five percent or seven percent of the value of their landings in a particular dive fishery. HB 341 would give association members the option to elect to tax themselves at the two percent, four percent or six percent rates. The additional rates provide flexibility for the association members to determine what rate is necessary for a particular species. HB 341 does not alter any other portions of AS 43.76.150-210. The election and management process remains the same.

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