Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6001, sub-§15-B is enacted to read:

15-B.__Fish pump.__"Fish pump" means a mechanical device designed to pump fish from one location to another.

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §6131, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 1977, c. 661, §5, is amended to read:

5. Leasing of rights. When the commissioner decides to manage or lease any alewife fishing rights where a municipality has had those rights and has failed to act as provided in subsection 1, he the commissioner shall so notify the clerk of the municipality in writing. After the notice, the commissioner may lease any of those rights to any person, as he the commissioner feels to be in the best interest of the State. All leases shall must be in writing, signed by the commissioner and the lessee and shall must set forth in detail the exact conditions under which the alewives may be taken, all in accordance with good conservation practices. Alewives may be harvested using trap nets, dip nets, spears or fish pumps.

Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §7001, sub-§10-B is enacted to read:

10-B.__Fish pump.__"Fish pump" means a mechanical device designed to pump fish from one location to another.

Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §7153, sub-§1, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 536, Pt. B, §2, is amended to read:

B. Alewives, suckers and yellow perch may be harvested in inland waters using trap nets, dip nets or, spears or fish pumps.

SUMMARY

This bill authorizes the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Marine Resources to issue permits for the harvesting of alewives using fish pumps.