Bill > HB389

This bill directs the Marine Resources Commission, in partnership with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), to create and regularly update a fisheries climate adaptation plan. This plan will use the latest scientific understanding to assess how climate change, such as shifts in water temperature and acidity, affects Virginia's fishing and aquaculture industries. It will also identify strategies for managing these fisheries adaptively and pinpoint areas where more research is needed to protect the economic and environmental well-being of these vital resources. To help develop this plan, the Commission will assemble a technical advisory committee composed of various stakeholders, including representatives from VIMS, seafood industry groups, environmental organizations, and academic institutions. The plan will detail climate-related environmental changes, review past management actions, analyze the impacts of climate change on fish, habitats, ecosystems, and coastal communities, and identify knowledge and funding gaps. It will also offer recommendations for the Commission to better prepare the fishing and aquaculture sectors and coastal communities for these impacts, identify fisheries likely to change due to climate change, and include a socioeconomic assessment of Virginia's fishing industries and coastal communities. Finally, the bill mandates that the plan be updated at least every three years and that a report detailing the plan be submitted to relevant state officials and legislative committees by December 1, 2026, and subsequently by December 1 of any year the plan is updated.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB389