Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6447, sub-§5-A is enacted to read:

5-A.__Eligibility for zone entry by apprentices and transferees.__Notwithstanding any other provision in this subchapter, upon approval in a referendum under subsection 6, a lobster management policy council may propose to the commissioner rules for a zone that:

A.__Increase the length of time an apprentice must be enrolled in the apprentice program to a maximum of 5 years.__ A proposal to increase the length of enrollment must establish the ability for apprentices enrolled in the program to be grandfathered;

B.__Require a sponsor of an apprentice to have held a Class I, Class II or Class III lobster and crab fishing license for at least 5 years;

C.__Require an apprentice training program that consists of course work on safety training, current laws and rules and principles of fishing;

D.__Require that an apprentice may only enter a zone if the apprentice apprenticed in that zone; and

E.__Establish a one-year, 2-year or 3-year waiting period for transferees to transfer into a zone.

SUMMARY

This bill allows a lobster management policy council to propose to the Commissioner of Marine Resources rules for a zone that increase the minimum length of time an apprentice must be enrolled in the lobster apprentice program; require a sponsor of an apprentice to have held a lobster and crab fishing license for at least 5 years; add a course work requirement to the apprentice program; allow apprentices to only enter the zone if they apprenticed in that zone; and require a one-year, 2-year or 3- year delay in transfers into the zone from other zones.