HB 343 Summary

• Establishes a new Chapter 29 in Title 7 of Delaware Code allowing transfer or assignment of permits and licenses for fisheries that are closed to new entrants, including finfish, eel fishing, and shellfish permits.

• Eligible recipients for transferred permits must be: apprentices with at least 150 days of commercial fishing experience, alternates/designees with at least one calendar year of actual fishing experience, or existing permit holders with at least two calendar years of fishing experience.

• Permits may be transferred upon death by will or written designation, or by the estate executor within two years of the permit holder's death; if the recipient is ineligible, they have two years to transfer to an eligible person or the permit is relinquished.

• Allows transfer of permits in cases of mental incapacity (by guardian or attorney-in-fact) or physical disability of the permit holder, with a two-year timeframe for transfers in incapacity cases.

• Requires written notification to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), which must approve or deny transfers within 30 days, with transferred permits including all associated catch allotments and entitlements.