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An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Issuance of Wholesale Seafood Licenses with Lobster Permits
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6851, sub-§2-A, as amended by PL 2009, c. 523, §8, is further amended to read:
 
2-A. Wholesale seafood license with lobster permit.  AtExcept as provided in paragraph A, at the request of the applicant, the commissioner shall issue a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit. A person holding a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit may engage in all the activities in subsection 2 and may buy, sell, process or ship lobster or properly licensed or lawfully imported lobster meat or parts. A person holding a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit may transport lobster or properly licensed or lawfully imported lobster meat or parts anywhere within the state limits. A license under this subsection does not authorize a person to possess or transport lobster that person has taken unless that person is in possession of a license issued under section 6421, subsection 3-A, paragraph A, B, C or E. A license under this subsection does not authorize a person to remove lobster meat from the shell unless a license under section 6851-B is held.
 
A.  Until April 1, 2023, the commissioner may not issue a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit to an individual unless that individual landed at least 1,000 pounds of lobster under a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit held by that individual at some point during the period of April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020.
 
SUMMARY
This bill establishes a moratorium until April 1, 2023 on the issuance of new wholesale seafood licenses with lobster permits. Under this bill, the Commissioner of Marine Resources may not issue a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit to an individual unless that individual landed at least 1,000 pounds of lobster under a wholesale seafood license with a lobster permit held by that individual at some point during the period of April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020.