Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6505-A, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1997, c. 297, §2, is further amended to read:

5. Gear. A person issued a license under this section may utilize one elver fyke net, one Sheldon eel trap or one dip net to fish for or take elvers without paying the fee required for a first net or trap pursuant to section 6505-B. A license issued under this section must identify the number and types of nets or traps that the license holder may use pursuant to this section and section 6505-B.

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §6505-B, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1997, c. 297, §§3 and 4, is further amended to read:

1. Elver fyke net prohibition and Sheldon eel trap fee. It is unlawful for a person to submerge an elver fyke net in the coastal waters of the State to fish for or take elvers. It is unlawful for a person to submerge an elver fyke net or a Sheldon eel trap in the coastal waters of the State to fish for or take elvers unless the net or trap owner pays annually the following fees:

A. Fifty dollars per net or trap for the use of a first or 2nd elver fyke net or Sheldon eel trap, except that the fee under this paragraph does not apply to an elver fyke or a Sheldon eel trap a person utilizes pursuant to section 6505- A, subsection 5. For the purposes of assessing fees under this subsection, an elver fyke net or a Sheldon eel trap utilized pursuant to section 6505-A, subsection 5 is the first net or trap;

B. One hundred dollars per net or trap for the use of a 3rd elver fyke net or Sheldon eel trap; and

C. Two hundred dollars per net or trap for the use of a 4th and 5th elver fyke net or Sheldon eel trap.

Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §6505-B, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1997, c. 575, §2, is further amended to read:

2. Tags for Sheldon eel trap. It is unlawful for a person to submerge an elver fyke net or a Sheldon eel trap in the coastal waters of the State to fish for or take elvers unless a tag issued by the department is affixed to the shoreside wing of the net or trap and is clearly visible. The department may issue a replacement tag when an owner issued a tag documents that a net or trap has been damaged or lost.

Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §6575, as amended by PL 1997, c. 91, §4, is further amended to read: