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An Act Implementing a Fisheries Permit Banking Program
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §6022, sub-§17  is enacted to read:
 
17.  Permit banking program.     The commissioner may administer a permit banking program in which the department holds federal limited access fishing permits and distributes the rights associated with those permits to eligible residents of the State with the goal of restoring and preserving access to federally managed fisheries. The commissioner may lease fisheries allocations, as required, to fund the costs associated with the permit banking program.
 
SUMMARY
The purpose of this bill is to administer a permit banking program for the groundfish industry for which the State has received a federal appropriation. This bill allows the Department of Marine Resources to lease to industry members fisheries allocations from the permits owned by the State to fund the permit banking program.