Amendment #3 to H3951

DMF study

Representatives Straus of Mattapoisett and Peake of Provincetown move to amend the bill by adding the following section at the end thereof:-

SECTION XX.  The Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game, shall conduct a study of the current lobster fishery and provide a recommendation as to the advisability of enacting statutory and or regulatory changes to allow the processing of lobster parts for sale in the commonwealth.  The study report and recommendation shall be submitted to the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture and the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means on or before Feb 1, 2018.

The study shall include an economic and market analysis of potential impacts and benefits, assessment of potential state and federal law enforcement issues associated with a change in legislation or regulations, an assessment on the impacts of such changes on inter-jurisdictional fisheries management and a review and analysis of the potential biological and population dynamics  of the American lobsters as a result of such changes.