HD52 - The Living Resources Roundtable
Executive Summary: The impetus for HJR 384 was the withdrawal of House Bills 286 (delayed entry) and 288 (seafood sellers) in the 1991 session after a year of study by a subcommittee of the House Committee on Chesapeake and its Tributaries. These bills, dealing with a delayed entry scheme for commercial watermen and a seafood seller's license, were attempts to add greater certainty and knowledge to the Commonwealth's fisheries management programs. HJR 384 provided a forum for continued consideration of these issues. The Roundtable was also requested by HJR 384 to look at parallel initiatives related to recreational fisheries, such as a saltwater recreational fishing license, in order to address questions of equity between user groups that were raised during consideration of HB 286. The Roundtable was also charged with examining sources of funding for fisheries management. |