An Act To Sustain the Elver Fishery
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§1, ¶¶C and D, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. F, §11 and affected by Pt. X, §2, are amended to read:
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§1, ¶E is enacted to read:
Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§2, ¶C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 615, §15, is further amended to read:
Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§2, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 615, §15, is amended to read:
Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§2, ¶F is enacted to read:
Sec. 6. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§2-B is enacted to read:
The commissioner shall adopt rules no later than December 31, 2012 to implement the elver license lottery system. The rules must include provisions for the method and administration of the lottery. The lottery must be set up in a way that the total number of elver fishing licenses does not exceed 600. The lottery must be set up by zones corresponding with the lobster management zones pursuant to section 6446, and the commissioner shall determine the number of elver fishing licenses to be issued in each zone. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 7. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2009, c. 213, Pt. G, §6, is further amended to read:
Fifty dollars of each license fee collected under this subsection accrues to the Eel and Elver Management Fund established in section 6505-D. Ninety-five dollars of each license fee collected under this subsection must be deposited in the Elver Fishery Enforcement Fund established under subsection 9.
Sec. 8. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 7, §5, is repealed.
Sec. 9. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§8, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 421, Pt. B, §29 and affected by Pt. C, §1, is amended to read:
Sec. 10. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§9 is enacted to read:
Sec. 11. 12 MRSA §6505-B, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 536, Pt. A, §8, is amended to read:
Sec. 12. 12 MRSA §6505-B, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 421, Pt. B, §30 and affected by Pt. C, §1, is amended to read:
Sec. 13. 12 MRSA §6575, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1999, c. 7, §7, is further amended to read:
Sec. 14. 12 MRSA §6575-A, as amended by PL 1999, c. 7, §8, is repealed.
Sec. 15. 12 MRSA §6575-D, sub-§2, as repealed and replaced by PL 2001, c. 421, Pt. B, §34 and affected by Pt. C, §1, is amended to read:
summary
This bill lifts the moratorium on the issuance of new elver fishing licenses and increases the total number of licenses available to 600. New licenses are geographically distributed and issued by a lottery system overseen by the Commissioner of Marine Resources. The bill also increases the cost of licenses; increases the number of allowable elver fyke nets for residents to 3; increases the fines for elver gear molestation, failure to pay elver gear fees and fishing without a license to up to $5,000; changes the open season to April 1st to June 20th; and allows elver fishing 7 days per week during the open season.