HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3481        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 764

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to conserving bluefin tuna..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Resolved, there is hereby created a special commission to study the existing bluefin tuna fishery in Massachusetts coastal waters, to promote the continued viability of the species, to restore a significant population of giant bluefin tuna, to examine the economic and biological impacts of different fishing techniques, such as hook and line, traditional harpooning and purse seining and to examine the interaction of commercial and recreational bluefin tuna fisheries.  Said special commission shall compile and evaluate historical data on the frequency, location and size distribution of bluefin tuna taken in Massachusetts waters and the fishing techniques used.  Said special commission shall be comprised of three members of the house of representatives, to be appointed by the speaker, two members of the senate, to be appointed by the senate president, and seven members to be appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be representative of commercial purse seine tuna fishing interests, one of whom shall be representative of commercial traditional harpooning of tuna interests, one of whom shall be representative of commercial hook and line tuna fishing interests, one of whom shall be representative of recreational tuna fishing interests, one of whom shall be representative of the division of coastal zone management, one of whom shall be representative of the division of marine fisheries and one of whom shall be representative of the marine trades industry.  Said special commission may conduct its meetings at facilities of the commonwealth located in coastal communities and shall report its findings to the committee on natural resources, the division of marine fisheries and the division of coastal zone management no later than November 30, 2010.