JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Tourists pay dearly to ride on a dogsled or hike on a glacier. But will they put up cash for the experience of pulling sockeye salmon out of a commercial fishing net?

A bill that passed the House Special Committee on Fisheries on Monday assumes they will.

Currently, tourists cannot do any work on a commercial fishing operation without a crew member fishing license. For nonresidents, those cost $180 a year. House Bill 458 would create one-day licenses costing $30 and three-day licenses costing $50.

Adam Berg, an aide to Rep. Carl Moses, D-Unalaska, said the change could make it affordable for fishermen to offer tours on Alaska commercial fishing trips.

"There's all sorts of extreme tourism options for them when they come up right now, and this is just another one," Berg said.

Moses is pitching the bill as a way to help commercial fishermen who have been hit hard by low salmon prices, and in some parts of the state, smaller catches.

"The whole idea of the bill is to give permit-holders the option of another possible avenue to raise money," Berg said.

"In essence, it seems like we're setting up dude fishing," said Rep. Dan Ogg, R-Kodiak. "Is that like dude ranching - dude fishing?"

The bill seems to have generated the most interest so far from the Kenai Peninsula, where representatives of two Cook Inlet fishing groups testified in favor of it.

Paul Shadura, president of the setnet group Kenai Peninsula Fishermen's Association, said it could help fishermen diversify their income and provide a service to tourists.

"There's those thrill-seekers out there who just basically want to touch a fish," Shadura said.

Roland Maw, executive director of the United Cook Inlet Drift Association, said he believes there will be a demand for the trips.

Two years ago, he said, his son advertised a commercial fishing trip on the online auction site eBay, and had 1,200 hits within 12 hours.

The change could also help out a fisherman who needs to hire a temporary crew to fill in for an injured worker, Maw said.

Rep. Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, questioned whether the change could hurt the Fishermen's Fund, a fund that provides for medical care when fishermen are hurt on the job. Wilson said inexperienced crew members probably will be more prone to injury than seasoned workers.

Guy Bell of the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said 39 percent of commercial fishing license fees go to the fund, so it would be unfair to deny coverage to some of those paying the fees. The fund is in good shape financially, Bell said.

Fisheries Committee members generally were enthusiastic about the bill. They voted to move up the effective date to this July 1, instead of Jan. 1, 2005. They also added the three-day license option for fishermen wanting to offer trips longer than a day.

But the bill's chances for passage are uncertain because it is sponsored by a Democrat in the Republican-dominated Legislature. It next goes to the House Resources Committee.