O F F I C E O F L E G I S L A T I V E R E S E A R C H
P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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PA 21-12—sHB 6384
Environment Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING AQ UATIC INVASIVE SPECIES EFFECTS ON
LAKES AND RELATED FU NDING, CERTAIN GROUP FISHING
EVENTS AND ELIMINATING THE SEAS ON LIMITATION FOR TH E
TAKING OF TROUT
SUMMARY: This act primarily does the following:
1. provides for a longer six-foot draw down period of Lake Beseck in odd-
numbered years;
2. requires the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)
commissioner to report to the Environment Committee on (a) the Aquatic
Invasive Species (AIS) fee revenue and (b) grants from the Connecticut
Lakes, Rivers and Ponds Preservation account;
3. increases the number of participants allowed under a group fishing license
from 50 to 100 people per event; and
4. prohibits the state from having a closed trout sport fishing season.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage, except the Lake Beseck draw down
provision is effective October 1, 2021.
LAKE BESECK DRAW DOW N
The act provides for a longer six-foot draw down period of Lake Beseck in
odd-numbered years. By law, in these years the draw down must be achieved by
November 1. The act requires it to be maintained until January 31, instead of
December 31 as under prior law.
The act requires DEEP to enter into an agreement by November 1, 2021, with
Middlefield and the Lake Beseck Association about the lake’s annual water level
draw downs.
REPORTING FROM DEEP
The act requires the DEEP commissioner to submit a report to the
Environment Committee by October 1, 2021, on the (1) amount of revenue
collected from the AIS fee (see BACKGROUND) and (2) number, value, and
purpose of any grants to municipalities and nonprofit organizations from the
Connecticut Lakes, Rivers and Ponds Preservation account. The commissioner
may include recommendations for additional ways to fund municipalities’ and
lake authorities’ AIS control or eradication projects.
The act requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) commissioner to
give the DEEP commissioner any information necessary to complete the report.
GROUP FISHING LICENSE O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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The act increases the number of participants allowed under a group fishing
license from 50 to 100 people per event. By law, DEEP may issue a group fishing
license to a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization to conduct up to 50 group fishing
events per year for qualified individuals (e.g., disabled veterans and certain people
receiving services from the departments of Children and Families, Developmental
Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Social Services).
TROUT FISHING
The act prohibits the state from having a closed trout sport fishing season.
(DEEP regulations previously closed trout fishing in most lakes, ponds, rivers,
and streams from March 1 to 6:00 a.m. on the second Saturday in April (Conn.
Agencies Regs. § 26-112-45(m)).) The act does not limit DEEP’s existing
authority to regulate the method and manner of taking trout (CGS §§ 26-111 &
26-112).
BACKGROUND
AIS Fee
By law, owners of registered vessels (i.e., generally, any type of watercraft
except a seaplane) must pay an annual AIS fee. The fee is $5 for in-state vessels
(payable to DMV when registering a vessel) and $20 for out-of-state vessels
(payable to DEEP) (CGS § 14-21bb). DMV and DEEP must deposit the fee
proceeds in the Connecticut Lakes, Rivers and Ponds Preservation account. DEEP
must use the account for various purposes, including allocating grants to state and
municipal agencies and nonprofit organizations to conduct research and provide
public education on managing the state’s lakes, rivers, and ponds (CGS § 14-
21aa).