Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB492 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	sb0492
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 492
8	8	M2 3lr2509
9	9	CF 3lr2499
10	10	By: Senators Carozza, Hershey, Mautz, and Bailey
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 3, 2023
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Oysters – Rotational Harvest – Pilot Program 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of establishing a rotational harvest pilot program for oysters to be 3
21	21	implemented by the Department of Natural Resources; requiring the Department to 4
22	22	open certain areas of the Chesapeake Bay to the rotational harvest of oysters in 5
23	23	certain manners; requiring a certain replacement of oyster shells on the bar where 6
24	24	they were caught under the pilot program; requiring the Department, before opening 7
25	25	an area to oyster harvesting under the pilot program, to survey and investigate the 8
26	26	area to collect certain baseline data and, after closing the area, to continue to monitor 9
27	27	the area to collect certain additional data; and generally relating to a rotational 10
28	28	harvest pilot program for oysters. 11
29	29
30	30	BY adding to 12
31	31	Article – Natural Resources 13
32	32	Section 4–1011 14
33	33	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
34	34	(2018 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 16
35	35
36	36	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 17
37	37	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 18
38	38
39	39	Article – Natural Resources 19
40	40
41	41	4–1011. 20
42	42
43	43	(A) THERE IS A 5–YEAR ROTATIONAL HARV EST PILOT PROGRAM FO R 21
44	44	OYSTERS TO BE IMPLEM ENTED BY THE DEPARTMENT . 22
45	45
46	46	(B) THE PILOT PROGRAM SHA LL APPLY TO TWO DESI GNATED AREAS OF THE 23
47	47	CHESAPEAKE BAY, AS FOLLOWS: 24 2 SENATE BILL 492
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(1) THE LITTLE CHOPTANK ROTATIONAL HARVEST AREA, WHICH 1
52	52	CONSISTS OF ALL OF T HE WATERS OF THE LITTLE CHOPTANK RIVER UPSTREAM OF 2
53	53	A LINE BEGINNING AT A POINT ON THE SHORE OF SUSQUEHANNA POINT DEFINED 3
54	54	BY LATITUDE 38 DEGREES 30.642 MINUTES NORTH , LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 4
55	55	15.492 MINUTES WEST ; THEN RUNNING 329 DEGREES TRUE TO A PO INT ON SHORE 5
56	56	AT THE SOUTH END OF RAGGED POINT ISLAND, DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 DEGREES 6
57	57	31.886 MINUTES NORTH , LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 16.440 MINUTES WEST ; AND 7
58	58
59	59	(2) THE LOWER MAIN STEM CHESAPEAKE BAY ROTATIONAL 8
60	60	HARVEST AREA, WHICH CONSISTS OF AL L OF THE WATERS OF T HE AREA ENCLOSED 9
61	61	BY A LINE BEGINNING AT A POINT DEFINED B Y LATITUDE 37 DEGREES 58.800 10
62	62	MINUTES NORTH , LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 4.680 MINUTES WEST ; THEN RUNNING 11
63	63	283 DEGREES TRUE TO A PO INT DEFINED BY LATITUDE 37 DEGREES 59.798 12
64	64	MINUTES NORTH , LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 9.965 MINUTES WEST ; THEN RUNNING 13
65	65	342 DEGREES TRUE TO A PO INT DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 DEGREES 8.366 MINUTES 14
66	66	NORTH, LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 13.580 MINUTES WEST; THEN RUNNING 81 15
67	67	DEGREES TRUE TO A PO INT DEFINED BY LATITUDE 38 DEGREES 9.181 MINUTES 16
68	68	NORTH, LONGITUDE 76 DEGREES 6.720 MINUTES WEST ; THEN RUNNING 171 17
69	69	DEGREES TRUE TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING . 18
70	70
71	71	(C) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL OPEN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF THE 19
72	72	LITTLE CHOPTANK RIVER ROTATIONAL HARVEST AREA IN THE FOLLOWING 20
73	73	SEASONS: 21
74	74
75	75	(I) FOR THE 2023–2024 OYSTER SEASON , BROOKS CREEK AND 22
76	76	HUDSON CREEK; 23
77	77
78	78	(II) FOR THE 2024–2025 OYSTER SEASON , PHILLIPS CREEK 24
79	79	AND BECKWITH CREEK; 25
80	80
81	81	(III) FOR THE 2025–2026 OYSTER SEASON , WOOLFORD CREEK 26
82	82	AND MADISON BAY; 27
83	83
84	84	(IV) FOR THE 2026–2027 OYSTER SEASON , BROOKS CREEK AND 28
85	85	HUDSON CREEK; AND 29
86	86
87	87	(V) FOR THE 2027–2028 OYSTER SEASON , PHILLIPS CREEK 30
88	88	AND BECKWITH CREEK. 31
89	89
90	90	(2) OF THE THREE OYSTER B ARS LOCATED WITHIN T HE LOWER MAIN 32
91	91	STEM CHESAPEAKE BAY ROTATIONAL HARVEST AREA, THE DEPARTMENT IN ITS 33
92	92	DISCRETION SHALL : 34 SENATE BILL 492 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	(I) OPEN ONE DIFFERENT OY STER BAR FOR EACH OF THE 1
97	97	2023–2024, 2024–2025, AND 2025–2026 OYSTER SEASONS ; 2
98	98
99	99	(II) REOPEN THE SAME OYSTE R BAR FOR THE 2026–2027 3
100	100	OYSTER SEASON THAT IT HAD OPENED FOR THE 2023–2024 OYSTER SEASON ; AND 4
101	101
102	102	(III) REOPEN THE SAME OYSTE R BAR FOR THE 2027–2028 5
103	103	OYSTER SEASON THAT I T HAD OPENED FOR THE 2024–2025 OYSTER SEASON . 6
104	104
105	105	(D) (1) A TIDAL FISH LICENSEE WHO HOLDS AN OYSTER AUTHORIZATION 7
106	106	MAY CATCH OYSTERS IN ARE AS OF THE LITTLE CHOPTANK RIVER ROTATIONAL 8
107	107	HARVEST AREA AND THE LOWER MAIN STEM CHESAPEAKE BAY ROTATIONAL 9
108	108	HARVEST AREA THAT ARE OPEN FO R HARVEST. 10
109	109
110	110	(2) A TIDAL FISH LICENSEE WHO CATCHES OYSTERS UNDER THE 11
111	111	PILOT PROGRAM SHALL ENSURE THAT THE OYSTER SHELLS AR E REPLACED ON THE 12
112	112	BAR WHERE THEY WERE CAUGHT IN AN AMOUNT OF BUSHELS EQUAL TO THE 13
113	113	AMOUNT OF BUSHELS OF OYSTERS CAUGHT . 14
114	114
115	115	(E) UNDER THE PILOT PROGR AM, THE DEPARTMENT : 15
116	116
117	117	(1) SHALL, IN ITS DISCRETION, MANAGE THE OYSTER HA RVEST; AND 16
118	118
119	119	(2) MAY: 17
120	120
121	121	(I) ADJUST CATCH LIMITS ; 18
122	122
123	123	(II) LIMIT THE HOURS AND D AYS FOR HARVEST ; AND 19
124	124
125	125	(III) RESTRICT THE GEAR THA T MAY BE USED. 20
126	126
127	127	(F) (1) BEFORE OPENING AN ARE A TO OYSTER HARVESTI NG UNDER THE 21
128	128	PILOT PROGRAM , THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SURV EY AND INVESTIGATE THE AREA 22
129	129	TO COLLECT BASELINE DATA ON: 23
130	130
131	131	(I) WATER QUALITY; 24
132	132
133	133	(II) HABITAT QUALITY , INCLUDING THE PRESEN CE OF FINFISH 25
134	134	SPECIES AND OTHER SH ELLFISH SPECIES ; 26
135	135
136	136	(III) THE PRESENCE OF : 27
137	137	4 SENATE BILL 492
138	138
139	139
140	140	1. SILT AND SEDIMENT ON THE OYSTER BAR ; 1
141	141
142	142	2. SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION ON OR NEA R THE 2
143	143	OYSTER BAR; AND 3
144	144
145	145	3. DISEASED OR DEAD OYST ERS ON THE OYSTER BA R; 4
146	146	AND 5
147	147
148	148	(IV) ANY OTHER RELEVANT MA TTER IN THE DISCRETI ON OF THE 6
149	149	DEPARTMENT . 7
150	150
151	151	(2) AFTER CLOSING AN AREA IN THE ROTATIONAL HA RVEST AREAS 8
152	152	TO OYSTER HARVESTING UNDER THE PILOT PROGRAM , THE DEPARTMENT SHALL 9
153	153	CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE AREA TO COLLECT ADDITIONAL DATA ON T HE MATTERS 10
154	154	DESCRIBED IN PARAGRA PH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 11
155	155
156	156	(G) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2028, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REPO RT 12
157	157	TO THE GOVERNOR AND , IN ACCORDA NCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE 13
158	158	GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON ITS FINDI NGS AND 14
159	159	RECOMMENDATIONS UNDE R THE PILOT PROGRAM . 15
160	160
161	161	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 16
162	162	1, 2023. It shall remain effective for a period of 6 years and, at the end of June 30, 2029, 17
163	163	this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 18
164	164	of no further force and effect. 19
165	165