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| 3 | 3 | | *sj0002* |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 2 |
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| 6 | 6 | | M2 3lr2143 |
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| 7 | 7 | | SJ 6/22 – EHE |
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| 8 | 8 | | By: Senator Bailey |
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| 9 | 9 | | Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2023 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment |
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| 11 | 11 | | |
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| 12 | 12 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A Senate Joint Resolution concerning 1 |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – Atlantic Menhaden – Prohibition 2 |
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| 17 | 17 | | on Commercial Reduction Fishing 3 |
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| 18 | 18 | | |
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| 19 | 19 | | FOR the purpose of requesting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to 4 |
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| 20 | 20 | | consider prohibiting the commercial reduction fishing of Atlantic menhaden, 5 |
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| 21 | 21 | | including the use of purse seines and spotter planes, in the Chesapeake Bay; and 6 |
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| 22 | 22 | | generally relating to Atlantic menhaden. 7 |
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| 23 | 23 | | |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Atlantic menhaden are ecologically and economically important to the 8 |
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| 25 | 25 | | Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic coast; and 9 |
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| 26 | 26 | | |
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| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Atlantic menhaden create a vital connection between the bottom and 10 |
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| 28 | 28 | | top of the food chain by eating plankton and, in turn, becoming a rich food source for many 11 |
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| 29 | 29 | | predators, including rockfish, osprey, and bald eagles; and 12 |
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| 30 | 30 | | |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, The Atlantic menhaden commercial fishery consists of a bait fishery and 13 |
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| 32 | 32 | | a reduction fishery in which fish are “reduced” into fish meal, fish oil, and fish solubles; and 14 |
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| 33 | 33 | | |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, The Atlantic menhaden fishery is managed under a plan developed and 15 |
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| 35 | 35 | | adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which represents all coastal 16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | states from Maine to Florida; and 17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Despite the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s cap on the 18 |
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| 39 | 39 | | commercial harvest of Atlantic menhaden, the cap was exceeded in 2019; and 19 |
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| 40 | 40 | | |
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| 41 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Spotter planes and purse seines are used in the commercial reduction 20 |
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| 42 | 42 | | fishery to locate and catch Atlantic menhaden; and 21 |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | WHEREAS, Atlantic menhaden have been the highest or among the highest 22 |
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| 45 | 45 | | poundage landings of any fish species on the East Coast for many years, with the poundings 23 |
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| 46 | 46 | | predominantly occurring by the use of purse seines; now, therefore, be it 24 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 2 |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That, in order to 1 |
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| 51 | 51 | | maintain a sustainable Atlantic menhaden fishery, the General Assembly requests the 2 |
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| 52 | 52 | | Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to consider prohibiting the commercial 3 |
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| 53 | 53 | | reduction fishing of Atlantic menhaden, including the use of purse seines and spotter 4 |
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| 54 | 54 | | planes, in the Chesapeake Bay; and be it further 5 |
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| 55 | 55 | | |
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| 56 | 56 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be forwarded by the Department of 6 |
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| 57 | 57 | | Legislative Services to the Honorable Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland; the Honorable 7 |
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| 58 | 58 | | William C. Ferguson, IV, President of the Senate of Maryland; and the Honorable Adrienne 8 |
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| 59 | 59 | | A. Jones, Speaker of the House of Delegates. 9 |
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