Chapter 430
2004 -- S 3146
AS AMENDED
Enacted 07/03/04
A N A C T
RELATING
TO FISH AND WILDLIFE -- SHELLFISH AND AQUACULTURE
Introduced
By: Senator Walter S. Felag
Date
Introduced: May 27, 2004
It
is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. Section 20-6-11 of the General Laws in Chapter 20-6 entitled
"Shellfish" is
hereby
amended to read as follows:
20-6-11.
Minimum size of shellfish -- Penalty. – (a) No person shall take
and/or possess
any
quahogs less than one inch (1") shell thickness (hinge width). In
addition, no person shall
take
and/or possess soft shell clams, taken from the free and common soft shell clam
fisheries, of
a
diameter less than one and one half inches (1 1/2") taking the maximum
shell diameter, or any
oysters,
taken from the free and common oyster fisheries, measuring less than three
inches (3")
measured
parallel to the long axis of the oyster, unless greater minimum sizes are
established by
the
director, in consultation with the marine fisheries council. Any person who
takes and/or
possesses
shellfish of less than the minimum size, as delineated above, upon conviction,
shall be
fined
not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00) for
each and every
fifteen
(15) shellfish taken. Additionally, any person who takes and/or possesses
shellfish of less
than
the minimum size commingled and/or otherwise stored or contained with shellfish
of not less
than
the minimum size, where the percentage of the less than minimum size shellfish
is not less
than
ten percent (10%) of the total piece count of the commingled and/or otherwise
stored or
contained
package, shipment, or container, shall be subject to seizure and/or forfeiture
of the
entire
commingled and/or otherwise stored or contained package, shipment, or
container, in
accordance
with the provisions of sections 20-1-8(e) and (f) and 20-1-8.1.
(b)
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 20-6-11(a) above, the director of
the
department
of environmental management is authorized to promulgate regulations
establishing a
special
exemption permit that would exempt department of health licensed food
processing
facilities
from the one inch (1") minimum size restriction governing bay quahogs. The
exemption
permit
may only apply to frozen, packaged, cultured bay quahog products shipped into
Rhode
Island
for redistribution outside of the state. The regulations shall prescribe the
procedures to
apply
for the exemption permit and the standards to be employed by the director in
his or her
consideration
of the application. The regulations shall prescribe rules governing the conduct
and
operation
of the facility and may include restrictions on product forms, sizes,
possession
requirements,
and other provisions in order to maintain the protection of the quahog resource
and
enforcement
of the provision of this chapter.
SECTION
2. Section 20-10-13.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 20-10 entitled
"Aquaculture"
is hereby amended to read as follows:
20-10-13.1.
Cultivated plants or animals -- Exemption from certain wild fishery
restrictions.
--
(a) Aquaculture activities conducted in a manner consistent with permit and
license
conditions and in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated
pursuant to this
chapter,
and aquaculture products harvested for sale as a result of those activities,
shall be exempt
from
the following statutory and regulatory restrictions governing wild fisheries:
seasons; bag
limits;
methods of harvest; and, except for quahaugs (Mercenaria mercenaria), minimum
sizes.
(b) The possessor of aquaculture products subject to these exemptions shall
have the
burden
of proof that the products were legally acquired and possessed. In accordance
with
applicable
rules and regulations governing aquaculture products, proper tags and bills of
sale shall
constitute
the primary means for satisfying this burden of proof.
(c) Aquaculturists are prohibited from harvesting for sale to a shellfish
dealer for human
consumption
quahaugs (Mercenaria mercenaria) with a hinge width of less than one inch
(1").
(d)
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections 20-10-13.1(a) and (c) above, the
director
of the department of environmental management is authorized to promulgate
regulations
establishing
a special exemption permit that would exempt department of health licensed food
processing
facilities from the one inch (1") minimum size restriction governing bay
quahogs,
pursuant
to subsection 20-6-11(b).
SECTION
3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC03490
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