Maine Seafood Alliance, representing and advocating for all aspects of the Maine seafood industry.

Legislative Update

January 22, 2010

SOURCE: MSA

Bills of Interest to MSA – January 2010

LD 932 An Act To Establish Area Management of Maine's Scallop Fishery
Summary: This bill seeks to establish area management of the State's scallop fishery.
Status 1-22-09 Voted Ought Not to Pass (ONTP) in Committee on 1/20. Not Reported Out –still under discussion

LD 1331 An Act Regarding Saltwater Recreational Fishing
Summary: This bill establishes a saltwater recreational fishing license, dedicates the fees from licensing to the Marine Recreation Fishing Conservation and Management Fund and gives the Commissioner of Marine Resources authority to make expenditures from the fund for purposes such as fisheries management research and education and outreach. The bill also removes the exemptions from the commercial license requirements for certain methods of fishing for personal use.
The bill also establishes the Marine Recreational Fisheries and Habitat Advisory Council. It repeals the Marine Recreational Fishing Advisory Council and the Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat Advisory Council. The bill also corrects cross-references due to the repealing of the 2 councils.
Status 1-22-2010 Voted Ought Not to Pass (ONTP) in Committee on 1/20. Not Reported Out –still under discussion

LD 1432 An Act To Create a Saltwater Recreational Fishing Registry
Summary: This bill creates the saltwater recreational fishing registry to register persons engaged in saltwater recreational fishing to be administered by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife through the department's existing program to issue fishing licenses. The bill directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to negotiate a memorandum of agreement with the United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to exempt the State from a federal registry if the State submits data from the saltwater recreational fishing registry created by this bill. This bill deappropriates $12,000 from the Department of Marine Resources recreational fishing program to fund the saltwater recreational fishing registry.
Status 1-22-2010 Voted Ought Not to Pass (ONTP) in Committee on 1/20. Not Reported Out –still under discussion

LD 1567 An Act To Correct Errors and Inconsistencies in Marine Resources Laws
Summary: This bill corrects irregularities in the laws governing marine resources.
Status 1-22-09 Public hearing scheduled 1-27 1:00 PM

Additional information from David Etnier: On Wednesday January 27th at 1:00 the Marine Resources Committee will be having a public hearing on DMR's bill: LD 1567: An Act to Correct Errors and Inconsistencies in Marine Resources Laws
I wanted you to be aware that I will be bringing forward some additional language for the Committee to consider as they address this legislation. Of particular importance to the shellfish industry will be the proposed change to 12 MRSA 6856, Shellfish sanitation and depuration certificate, found below. This change eliminates the word "downgraded" and replaces it with "reclassified". It came to our attention within the last couple weeks that because of the word "downgraded" a municipality that had working to improve the water quality within its authority and had been successful in raising the water quality from "Prohibited" to "Restricted" would not be able to avail itself of the "consultation and approval" aspects of law below.

In fairness to those communities it would seem that this law should be amended to make it more consistent with the intent and purpose of the original law from 2007. The law in 2007 arose from the reclassification "downgrade" in the Cousins River (Yarmouth/Freeport) from "Approved" to "Restricted "which then opened up the area to depuration harvesting without the "approval" of the affected municipality.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.
David

LD 1584 An Act To Require That Marine Resources Dealers Purchase Only from Licensed Harvesters
Summary: This bill creates a requirement that seafood and marine worm dealers, when buying directly from a harvester, purchase marine organisms only from a properly licensed person. It also creates a requirement for harvesters, upon a dealer's request, to show their licenses to the dealer.
Status 1-22-2010 Public hearing Jan 25, 2010, 10:00AM,- Work Session Feb 1, 2010, 10:00AM, Room 214, Cross Building

LD 1593 An Act To Amend the Lobster Meat Laws and Expand Economic Opportunity for Maine's Lobster Industry
Summary: This bill implements some of the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on the Economic Sustainability of Maine's Lobster Industry. It changes existing laws governing the handling of lobster parts and tails in order to improve the markets for the lobster industry. It eliminates the lobster tail permit and fee and creates a new lobster processor license to allow for increased market flexibility through the rule-making process.
Status 1-22-2010 Public hearing Jan 25, 2010, 10:00AM,- Work Session Feb 1, 2010, 10:00AM, Room 214, Cross Building

LD 1604 An Act To Clarify the Marine Resources Laws To Provide for the Protection of Public Safety and Welfare
Summary: This bill clarifies that the Commissioner of Marine Resources has the regulatory authority to close an area to fishing should it be necessary to protect the public safety and welfare.

Status 1-22-2010 Public hearing scheduled 1-27 1:00 PM - Feb 3, 2010, 1:00PM