Purpose


The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission adopted rules that would have implemented the final effort management plan for the commercial blue crab fishery on July 1, 2007. The purpose of these rule amendments is to continue the moratorium on issuance of new blue crab endorsements until July 1, 2008, and to delay until that date the implementation of the Blue Crab Limited Entry Program, if legislation implementing appropriate penalties and fees is not passed in the 2007 Legislature. Otherwise, if such legislation is passed, the rules will be amended to make minor changes to aid in the program’s implementation. The effect of these rule amendments, depending on the passage of legislation, will be to maintain the commercial fishery in its current regulatory state until appropriate penalties and fees are established or provide for the smooth implementation of this limited entry program. A secondary purpose of this rule development effort is to revise a definition of the term “folding trap” to allow for traps with other than those shaped as a pyramid. The effect of this change is to allow additional gear for the recreational harvest of blue crabs.