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An Act To Allow Municipalities To Establish Shellfish Conservation Areas
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6671, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 2007, c. 494, §1, is further amended to read:
 
A. Within any area of the municipality, a shellfish conservation ordinance may:
 
(1) Regulate or prohibit the possession of shellfish;
 
(2) Fix the amount of shellfish that may be taken;
 
(3) Provide for protection from shellfish predators;
 
(4) Authorize the municipal officials to open and close flats under specified conditions; and
 
(5) Specify areas of the intertidal zone in which the dragging of mussels may be limited to the degree necessary to support a municipal shellfish conservation program.; and
 
(6) In accordance with paragraph D, designate conservation areas where harvesting any marine organisms is prohibited.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §6671, sub-§3, ¶D  is enacted to read:
 
D.  A municipality or a regional shellfish management committee established pursuant to subsection 7 may designate conservation areas where harvesting any marine organism is prohibited that do not exceed, in aggregate, 10% of the total harvestable area in the intertidal zone. A designated conservation area where harvesting any marine organism is prohibited must be clearly marked with signs that identify the municipality or regional shellfish management committee that designated the area and indicate the purpose of the area.
 
SUMMARY
This bill allows municipalities or regional shellfish management committees to designate conservation areas where harvesting any marine organism is prohibited. In aggregate the conservation areas may not exceed 10% of the total harvestable area in the intertidal zone. A designated conservation area must be clearly marked with signs that identify the municipality or regional shellfish management committee that designated the area and indicate the purpose of the area.