OCR Text |
Show According to brine shrimp harvesters, 40 percent of the total harvest consists of debris. The remaining 60 percent, which is referred to by the Tax Commission as " Net Weight," is multiplied by the unit price established by the Tax Commission for unprocessed brine shrimp eggs harvested during the current season to ascertain the royalty value. In the 1997- 1998 season, the unit price equaled $ 0.4453 per pound. The royalty value is then multiplied by the royalty rate, which is equal to 3.5 percent. Brine shrimp harvesters paid $ 60,790.81 in royalties for the 1997- 1998 season. It should be noted that since the statute regarding the royalty first came into effect in this season, the data reported by the companies regarding gross proceeds reflected only proceeds accrued as of January 31, 1998 ( Bath, 1998). Additional Research More data on harvests and market price would be useful. Access and Impacts Commercial brine shrimping is regulated by DWR and the Wildlife Board to guard against over- harvesting and ensure compliance with operational rules. The shrimping season generally begins on October 1st of each year, and continues until January 31st of the following year by rule. However, the division may close the season early if it determines that the harvestable surplus of brine shrimp cysts has been collected. The 1998- 99 season was closed early and the 1999- 2000 season was delayed. A sufficient number of cysts are left unharvested to leave an overwintering supply to ensure a viable brine shrimp population in GSL the following spring, and to provide forage for birds. Ongoing research by the division is focused on developing a better understanding of the life cycles of, and environmental stressors on, brine shrimp. The conduct of commercial brine shrimping requires both access to navigable harbors on the lake, an area for staging, maintenance and storage of materials. Current access is from both the public marina at Antelope Island and a number of privately constructed and operated harbors around the lake. The policy of DFFSL is that new harbor facilities constructed on sovereign land must be made available to all users. Current plans are to provide access to GSL at dispersed strategic locations where water depth is suitable, access is reasonably available and conflicts with other public trust resources are minimized. The south arm sites determined to satisfy these criteria are Black Rock, Stansbury Island/ Magcorp dike, Lakeside, Promontory Point and Antelope Island. The Antelope Island marina will be available for commercial uses until DPR determines commercial use to be in significant conflict with recreational use of the marina, and that adequate alternative access for brine shrimping exists. Permitting and Classification Processes Land use authorizations issued by DFFSL include materials permits ( usually sand and gravel), mineral leases, special use leases ( classified as commercial, industrial, agricultural or recreational) easements, rights of entry, grazing permits, general permits and exchanges. Permits, leases and other authorizations are issued following two general 151 |