Bill > H1013

This bill aims to regulate the conservation of striped bass in Massachusetts. The key provisions are: 1) Commercial harvesting and sale of wild striped bass will be prohibited, except for existing commercial license holders who can demonstrate they have averaged over 1,000 pounds of annual striped bass landings and sales over the past 5 years. The director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) can provide hardship relief if a license holder has landed less than 1,000 pounds on average. 2) The DMF director will calculate a commercial catch limit based on the 5-year average annual landings and sales of the qualified commercial fishermen. If a commercial license holder retires, the total commercial take will be reduced by the average landings of that individual. 3) No new commercial striped bass licenses will be granted, and existing licenses cannot be transferred or sold. Licenses will not be renewed if a fisherman reports no catch or no striped bass caught for 2 consecutive years. 4) All commercial fishermen must annually report their catch to the DMF within 90 days after the season, or face non-renewal of their license, with potential waivers for legitimate hardships. 5) The DMF director or Marine Fisheries Advisory Board can limit, curtail or suspend recreational or commercial striped bass fishing if the fishery is in jeopardy. 6) The issuing of new commercial striped bass licenses will cease as of January 1, 2025.