To amend licensing provisions for charter fishing boats. The bill would exempt people fishing for albacore tuna from charter fishing licensing requirements.   Official Text and Analysis.

To require the Department of Fish and Wildlife is to develop and implement a program that will research and conduct a stock assessment of the rockfish populations in the state. The required rockfish research is funded through a series of surcharges on fishing licenses. Surcharges on commercial licenses are set at $35. Surcharges on recreational licenses are set at 50 cents. The revenue generated from the surcharges is to be deposited into the newly created rockfish research account. The account is a nonappropriated account and expenditures may only be authorized by the director of the department. The revenue in the account may be used only for rockfish research, including assessment of stocks.