An Act To Permit the Commercial Harvesting of Illegal and Nuisance Fish Species

Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §12405  is enacted to read:

§ 12405.  Inland waters commercial fishing license; illegally stocked and nuisance fish species

The commissioner shall create an inland waters commercial fishing license that permits the harvest of illegally stocked fish or nuisance fish species from inland waters and allows the license holder to sell those fish or use those fish for commercial purposes. The commissioner shall adopt rules to administer the license, identify nuisance fish species and set the license fee. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

For purposes of this section, "illegally stocked fish" means fish that were introduced into the inland waters without a valid permit issued under section 12510.

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §12609-A, sub-§1,  as enacted by PL 2003, c. 655, Pt. B, §271 and affected by §422, is amended to read:

summary

This bill directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to create an inland waters commercial fishing license that allows the holder to harvest illegally introduced and nuisance fish species from the inland waters of the State for commercial purposes.