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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3175 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 911
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
William M. Straus
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act authorizing permitting by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:William M. Straus10th Bristol1/20/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3175 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 911
By Representative Straus of Mattapoisett, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 911) of
William M. Straus relative to capturing and trapping furbearing mammals. Environment and
Natural Resources.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1016 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act authorizing permitting by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 131 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby
2amended by striking section 80A in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following
3section:-
4 Section 80A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a person shall not use,
5set, place, maintain, manufacture or possess any trap for the purpose of capturing furbearing
6mammals, except nets, box or cage type traps, or quick kill traps as otherwise permitted by law.
7A box or cage type trap is one that confines the whole animal without grasping any part of the
8animal, including Hancock or Bailey’s type live trap for beavers. Traps designed to capture and
9hold a furbearing mammal by gripping the mammal’s body, or body part are prohibited,
10including steel jaw leghold traps, padded leghold traps, and snares. 2 of 2
11 No person shall, after September 1, 2024, use, set, or place a trap unless such person has
12received training in their proper use, as prescribed by the director in regulation, unless such
13person has completed a trapper training course and been issued a certificate of completion of
14such training, or unless such person has been issued a resident or non-resident Massachusetts
15trapping license or trap registration certificate and shall prove the same to the satisfaction of the
16Director.
17 The Director shall establish regulations on the size, placement, and use of traps as
18described in the Best Management Practices established by the Association of Fish and Wildlife.
19 The division shall provide a report annually to the joint committee on natural resources
20and agriculture on the creation, implementation and efficiency of such animal problem plans.
21 Whoever violates any provisions of this section, or any rule or regulation made under the
22authority thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $300 nor more than $1,000, or by
23imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment for each trap
24possessed, used, set, placed, maintained, or manufactured. Each day of violation shall constitute
25a separate offense. A person found guilty of, or convicted of, or assessed in any manner after a
26plea of nolo contendere, or penalized for, a second violation of this section shall surrender to an
27officer authorized to enforce this chapter any trapping license and problem animal control permit
28issued to such person and shall be barred forever from obtaining a trapping license and a problem
29animal control permit.