Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1133 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1133
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1133
8	8	M2 2lr2525
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Otto, Adams, Clark, Hartman, Jacobs, Mautz, and Szeliga
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Oysters – Tributary–Scale Sanctuaries 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of repealing provisions of law that include the Manokin River Oyster 3
21	21	Sanctuary in the network of tributary–scale oyster sanctuaries in the Chesapeake 4
22	22	Bay and including the Severn River Oyster Sanctuary in the network; and generally 5
23	23	relating to tributary–scale oyster sanctuaries in the Chesapeake Bay. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
26	26	Article – Natural Resources 8
27	27	Section 4–1014 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
32	32	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
33	33
34	34	Article – Natural Resources 14
35	35
36	36	4–1014. 15
37	37
38	38	(a) There is established a network of oyster sanctuaries in the five tributaries 16
39	39	identified by the Department for large–scale restoration in accordance with the 2014 17
40	40	Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. 18
41	41
42	42	(b) In accordance with subsection (a) of this section: 19
43	43
44	44	(1) There is an oyster sanctuary in Harris Creek that includes all of the 20
45	45	waters of Harris Creek enclosed by a line beginning at a point on the east shore of Tilghman 21
46	46	Island defined by Latitude 38 degrees 42.241 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 19.997 22
47	47	minutes west; then running northerly to a point on the south shore of Knapps Narrows, 23
48	48	defined by Latitude 38 degrees 42.925 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 19.709 minutes 24 2 HOUSE BILL 1133
49	49
50	50
51	51	west; then running 49 degrees true to a point on the north shore of Knapps Narrows, 1
52	52	defined by Latitude 38 degrees 43.035 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 19.547 minutes 2
53	53	west; then running northerly along the west shore of Harris Creek to its headwaters and 3
54	54	then southerly along the east shore of Harris Creek to a point on the shore of Change Point 4
55	55	defined by Latitude 38 degrees 43.008 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 17.656 minutes 5
56	56	west; then running 247 degrees true to the point of beginning; 6
57	57
58	58	(2) There is an oyster sanctuary in the Little Choptank River that includes 7
59	59	all of the waters of the Little Choptank River upstream of a line beginning at a point on the 8
60	60	shore of Susquehanna Point defined by Latitude 38 degrees 30.642 minutes north, 9
61	61	Longitude 76 degrees 15.492 minutes west; then running 329 degrees true to a point on 10
62	62	shore at the south end of Ragged Point Island, defined by Latitude 38 degrees 31.886 11
63	63	minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 16.440 minutes west; 12
64	64
65	65	(3) There is an oyster sanctuary in the Tred Avon River that includes all of 13
66	66	the waters of the Tred Avon River north and east of a line beginning at a point on the shore 14
67	67	on the east side of Town Creek, defined by Latitude 38 degrees 41.835 minutes north, 15
68	68	Longitude 76 degrees 9.923 minutes west; then running 255 degrees true to a point defined 16
69	69	by Latitude 38 degrees 41.823 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 9.981 minutes west; 17
70	70	then running 0 degrees true to a point on the shore of the east side of Plaindealing Creek, 18
71	71	defined by Latitude 38 degrees 42.576 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 9.978 minutes 19
72	72	west; 20
73	73
74	74	(4) There is an oyster sanctuary in the St. Mary’s River that includes all of 21
75	75	the waters of the St. Mary’s River beginning at a point on the shore southwest of Deep Point 22
76	76	defined by Latitude 38 degrees 11.279 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 26.639 minutes 23
77	77	west; then running 89 degrees true to a point on the shore at Church Point defined by 24
78	78	Latitude 38 degrees 11.286 minutes north, Longitude 76 degrees 26.263 minutes west; and 25
79	79
80	80	(5) There is an oyster sanctuary in the [Manokin River that includes all of 26
81	81	the waters of the Manokin River upstream of a line beginning at a point on the shore of 27
82	82	Hazard Point defined by Latitude 38 degrees 4.571 minutes north, Longitude 75 degrees 28
83	83	52.694 minutes west; then running 306 degrees true to a point on the shore at Pin Point on 29
84	84	Little Deal Island, defined by Latitude 38 degrees 6.750 minutes north, Longitude 75 30
85	85	degrees 56.552 minutes west; and east of a line beginning at a point on the shore at the 31
86	86	north end of Little Deal Island, defined by Latitude 38 degrees 7.695 minutes north, 32
87	87	Longitude 75 degrees 56.816 minutes west; then running 209 degrees true to a point on the 33
88	88	shore on the west side of Lower Thorofare, defined by Latitude 38 degrees 7.652 minutes 34
89	89	north, Longitude 75 degrees 56.847 minutes west; and southeast of a line beginning on the 35
90	90	shore on the east side of Laws Thorofare, defined by Latitude 38 degrees 8.904 minutes 36
91	91	north, Longitude 75 degrees 55.964 minutes west; then running 251 degrees true to a point 37
92	92	on the west side of Laws Thorofare, defined by Latitude 38 degrees 8.873 minutes north, 38
93	93	Longitude 75 degrees 56.077 minutes west] SEVERN RIVER THAT INCLUDES A LL OF 39
94	94	THE WATERS OF THE SEVERN RIVER UPSTREAM OF A L INE BEGINNING AT A P OINT 40
95	95	AT THE SOUTHERLY TIP OF GREENBURY POINT DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 DEGREES 41
96	96	58.470 MINUTES NORTH, LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 27.255 MINUTES WEST; THEN 42 HOUSE BILL 1133 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	RUNNING 180 DEGREES TRUE TO THE OLD GREENBURY POINT LIGHTHOUSE, 1
100	100	DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 DEGREES 58.087 MINUTES NORTH , LONGITUDE 76 2
101	101	DEGREES 27.253 MINUTES WEST ; THEN RUNNING 157 DEGREES TRUE TO A “NO 3
102	102	SHELLFISHING” BUOY, DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 DEGREES 57.692 MINUTES 4
103	103	NORTH, LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 27.038 MINUTES WEST ; THEN RUNNING 136 5
104	104	DEGREES TRUE TO A “NO SHELLFISHING” BUOY, DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 6
105	105	DEGREES 57.118 MINUTES NORTH , LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 26.320 MINUTES WEST ; 7
106	106	THEN RUNNING 222 DEGREES TRUE TO TOLLEY POINT, DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 8
107	107	DEGREES 56.497 MINUTES NORTH , LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 7.040 MINUTES WEST . 9
108	108
109	109	(c) (1) This subsection does not apply to a person who engages in aquaculture 10
110	110	activities within an oyster sanctuary in accordance with a valid lease issued under Subtitle 11
111	111	11A of this title. 12
112	112
113	113	(2) A person may not catch oysters in or remove oyster seed from an oyster 13
114	114	sanctuary: 14
115	115
116	116	(i) Described in subsection (b) of this section; or 15
117	117
118	118	(ii) Established by the Department in regulation. 16
119	119
120	120	(d) (1) The Department, in coordination with the Oyster Advisory 17
121	121	Commission, the Oyster Interagency Workgroup, and interested stakeholders, shall 18
122	122	develop and implement restoration plans for each of the oyster sanctuaries described in 19
123	123	subsection (b) of this section. 20
124	124
125	125	(2) Each restoration plan shall: 21
126	126
127	127	(i) Establish acreage targets that exceed 50% of the currently 22
128	128	restorable oyster habitat in the sanctuary, as defined by the Oyster Interagency 23
129	129	Workgroup; 24
130	130
131	131	(ii) For reef construction, require the use of substrate that has been 25
132	132	demonstrated in previous tributary–scale oyster restoration projects to maximize oyster 26
133	133	density; 27
134	134
135	135	(iii) Establish a project implementation timeline that demonstrates 28
136	136	how restoration targets will be achieved by 2025, in accordance with the 2014 Chesapeake 29
137	137	Bay Watershed Agreement; and 30
138	138
139	139	(iv) Include plans for continued monitoring of the sanctuary and 31
140	140	corrective actions to be taken by the Department if future monitoring indicates that a 32
141	141	sanctuary is no longer meeting the following minimum requirements: 33
142	142
143	143	1. On restored reefs: 34
144	144	4 HOUSE BILL 1133
145	145
146	146
147	147	A. A minimum density of 15 oysters per square meter; 1
148	148
149	149	B. A minimum biomass of 15 grams dry weight per square 2
150	150	meter; 3
151	151
152	152	C. A minimum of at least 2–year classes of oysters; and 4
153	153
154	154	D. Substrate or oysters present on at least 30% of the reef 5
155	155	area; and 6
156	156
157	157	2. Within the whole sanctuary, a minimum of 50% of reef 7
158	158	habitat, constituting at least 8% of historic oyster habitat, meeting the requirements of 8
159	159	item 1 of this item. 9
160	160
161	161	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 10
162	162	1, 2022. 11