HB 6733 Summary

• Establishes comprehensive commercial fishery licensing system effective January 1, 2016, creating new license types including principal commercial fishing, general commercial fishing, commercial lobster pot fishing, commercial bait fishing, commercial blue crab fishing, commercial shad fishing, restricted commercial fishing, and environmental tourism vessel permits.

• Implements limited access licensing for principal commercial fishing, general commercial fishing, and commercial lobster pot fishing licenses, restricting issuance to persons who held such licenses between June 1, 1995, and December 31, 2003.

• Creates quota-managed species endorsements (fifteen dollars per species) required for possessing certain regulated species, with the commissioner authorized to lease not more than twenty percent of available harvest of quota-managed species.

• Requires annual license renewal by March 31st application deadline, with permanent forfeiture of renewal privileges for failure to renew, though forfeited license holders may obtain new licenses through commissioner-established procedures.

• Establishes reporting requirements for commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, and party/charter vessel operators; makes falsification of quota-managed species landing reports a Class D misdemeanor while other reporting violations constitute infractions.