Researcher: JKL Page 1 3/25/21
OLR Bill Analysis
SB 840
AN ACT CONCERNING CONNECTICUT'S SHELLFISH
RESTORATION PROGRAM AND THE CONNECTICUT SEAFOOD
COUNCIL.
SUMMARY
This bill expands Connecticut’s shellfish restoration program by
allowing the Department of Agriculture (DoAg) to do the following:
1. acquire, in addition to purchase as under existing law, shell or
other cultch material to deposit on state shellfish beds;
2. contract to use a shell recovery vessel to collect and deposit
shell on the beds; and
3. receive and deposit on the beds cultch from oyster shell
recycling programs DoAg administers or authorizes.
The bill requires private, state, or federal grants and other direct
funding for the shellfish restoration program to be deposited in the
Shellfish Fund, which DoAg uses to operate the program. It explicitly
allows DoAg to use the fund for an oyster shell recycling program it
administers with any other person.
Lastly, the bill reconstitutes the Connecticut Seafood Advisory
Council and renames it the Connecticut Seafood Development Council.
By law, the council, which is within DoAg, must help promote
Connecticut seafood products and examine market opportunities.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2021
CONNECTICUT SEAFOOD DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
The bill increases the council’s membership from 11 to 13 members.
Current law includes four nonvoting members representing DoAg, the
Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the 2021SB-00840-R000144-BA.DOCX
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Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and the
UConn Sea Grant Program. The bill instead includes, as voting
members, the DoAg, DECD, and DEEP commissioners and the Sea
Grant Program’s director, or their designees.
Under the bill, various authorities appoint the remaining nine
members, who must meet specified qualifications. The below table
compares the appointments under the bill with those under current
law.
Connecticut Seafood Development Council Appointments
Appointing
Authority
Current Law The Bill
Governor One freshwater fish producer One freshwater finfish producer
House speaker One finfish, shellfish, or lobster
harvester or harvester
organization representative
One aquaculture finfish producer
House majority
leader
One finfish, shellfish, or lobster
harvester or harvester
organization representative
One commercial marine finfish
harvester
House minority
leader
One finfish, shellfish, or lobster
processor or processor
organization representative
One commercial lobster harvester
Senate president
pro tempore
One retailer who serves
restaurants or represents a
restaurant organization
One small scale aquaculture
producer
Senate majority
leader
One member-at-large One seaweed aquaculture
producer
Senate minority
leader
One finfish, shellfish, or lobster
processor or processor
organization representative
One shellfish harvester
DoAg
commissioner
None One shellfish wholesale dealer 2021SB-00840-R000144-BA.DOCX
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Connecticut
Restaurant
Association
None One representative of the
association
The bill requires the DoAg commissioner or his designee to serve as
council chairperson.
By law, the council may use federal, state, or other funds and may
enter into contracts to carry out its purposes. The bill specifically
allows the council to receive state, federal, or municipal funds and
funds from any nonprofit or nongovernmental organization and spend
those funds to perform its duties. It also allows the council to seek
funding for and provide financial support to organizations for
activities directly related to seafood production and related products.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Environment Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 31 Nay 1 (02/26/2021)