| 8 | | - | Sponsors: Representatives Harrison, Ball, Belk, and Morey (Primary Sponsors). |
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| 9 | | - | For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site. |
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| 10 | | - | Referred to: Agriculture and Environment, if favorable, Commerce and Economic |
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| 11 | | - | Development, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House |
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| 12 | | - | March 6, 2025 |
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| 13 | | - | *H293 -v-1* |
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| 9 | + | Sponsors: Representative Harrison. |
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| 10 | + | Referred to: |
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| 11 | + | |
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| 12 | + | *DRH30143 -NM-17A* |
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| 14 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 15 | 14 | | AN ACT TO PROHIBIT AQUACULTURE OF ANY SPECIES OF OCTOPUS FOR 2 |
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| 16 | 15 | | PURPOSES OF HUMAN CONSUMPTION . 3 |
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| 17 | 16 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4 |
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| 18 | 17 | | SECTION 1. Article 16A of Chapter 113 of the General Statutes is amended by 5 |
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| 19 | 18 | | adding a new section to read: 6 |
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| 20 | 19 | | "ยง 113-219. Aquaculture of any species of octopus unlawful. 7 |
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| 21 | 20 | | (a) For the purposes of this section, the term "octopus" means a cephalopod mollusk with 8 |
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| 22 | 21 | | a soft body and eight limbs belonging to the order Octopoda and does not include wild caught 9 |
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| 23 | 22 | | octopuses or octopuses propagated, cultivated, maintained, reared, or harvested only for research 10 |
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| 24 | 23 | | purposes unrelated to commercial production. 11 |
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| 25 | 24 | | (b) No person shall engage in the aquaculture of any species of octopus in the State for 12 |
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| 26 | 25 | | the purpose of human consumption. 13 |
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| 27 | 26 | | (c) No business entity shall sell, possess, or transport any species of octopus in the State 14 |
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| 28 | 27 | | that is the result or product of aquaculture. 15 |
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| 29 | 28 | | (d) A person who violates any provision of this section, or any rule or regulation adopted 16 |
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| 30 | 29 | | pursuant thereto, shall be subject, upon order of a court, to a civil penalty not to exceed one 17 |
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| 31 | 30 | | thousand dollars ($1,000) per day of the violation, and each day during which the violation 18 |
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| 32 | 31 | | continues shall constitute an additional, separate, and distinct offense. 19 |
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| 33 | 32 | | (e) The Department may adopt rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this 20 |
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| 34 | 33 | | section." 21 |
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| 35 | 34 | | SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law. 22 |
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