Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §224 is enacted to read:

§224. State heritage fish

The state heritage fish is the eastern brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis.

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §12461 is enacted to read:

§12461.__Unstocked brook trout waters

A water listed in the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife report of March 1996 entitled "Administrative Policy Regarding Native Salmonid Management" as a Maine lake or pond with a native brook trout population with no record of having been stocked since 1937 may not be stocked with interspecific or__ intraspecific predator, prey or competitor fish species from__any hatchery or wild source without legislative approval.

SUMMARY

This bill names the eastern brook trout as the State's heritage fish and forbids without legislative approval the stocking of any brook trout water listed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife as having not been stocked since 1937.