HOUSE BILL No. 5866

 

 

April 24, 2018, Introduced by Reps. Bellino, Barrett and Noble and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

 

     A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled

 

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"

 

by amending sections 48703, 48703a, 48705, 48710, 48711, 48712,

 

48721, 48727, and 48735 (MCL 324.48703, 324.48703a, 324.48705,

 

324.48710, 324.48711, 324.48712, 324.48721, 324.48727, and

 

324.48735), section 48703 as amended by 2012 PA 471, section 48703a

 

as amended by 2016 PA 382, sections 48705 and 48710 as amended by

 

2018 PA 36, sections 48711, 48712, and 48727 as added by 1995 PA

 

57, section 48721 as amended by 2010 PA 30, and section 48735 as

 

amended by 2003 PA 270; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 48703. (1) A person An individual shall not take, catch,

 

or kill or attempt to take, catch, or kill a fish in the waters of

 


this state with a grab hook, snag hook, or gaff hook, by the use of

 

a set or night line or a net or firearm or an explosive substance

 

or combination of substances that have a tendency to kill or

 

stupefy fish, or by any other means or device other than a single

 

line or a single rod and line while held in the hand or under

 

immediate control, and with a hook or hooks attached, baited with a

 

natural or artificial bait while being used for still fishing, ice

 

fishing, casting, or trolling for fish, which is a means of the

 

fish taking the bait or hook in the mouth. A person An individual

 

shall not use more than 3 single lines or 3 single rods and lines,

 

or a single line and a single rod and line, and shall not attach

 

more than 6 hooks on all lines. The department shall have the

 

authority to commission may decrease the number of rods per angler.

 

However, the department commission shall not reduce the number of

 

rods per angler to less than 2. For the purposes of this part, a

 

hook is a single, double, or treble pointed hook. A hook, single,

 

double, or treble pointed, attached to a manufactured artificial

 

bait shall be is counted as 1 hook. The department commission may

 

designate waters where a treble hook and an artificial bait or lure

 

having more than 1 single pointed hook shall must not be used

 

during the periods the department commission designates. In the

 

Great Lakes or recognized smelt waters, any numbers of hooks,

 

attached to a single line, may be used for the taking of smelt,

 

alewife, or other bait fish.

 

     (2) A person An individual shall not set or use a tip-up or

 

other similar device for the purpose of taking fish through the ice

 

unless the name and address of the person individual owning the


tip-up or other similar device is marked in legible English on the

 

tip-up or other similar device or securely fastened to it by a

 

plate or tag.

 

     (3) The department commission may issue an order to regulate

 

the taking of fish with a spear, bow and arrow, or crossbow in the

 

waters of this state.

 

     (4) The department commission may issue an order to regulate

 

the taking of fish with nets in the waters of this state.

 

     Sec. 48703a. (1) The legislature finds and declares that

 

aquatic invasive species, including Asian carp, represent a

 

significant threat to the state's fisheries, aquatic resources,

 

outdoor recreation and tourism economies, and public safety.

 

     (2) The commission has the exclusive authority to regulate

 

sport fishing under this part. The commission shall, to the

 

greatest extent practicable, utilize principles of sound scientific

 

management in making decisions regarding the regulation of sport

 

fishing under this part. The commission may take testimony from

 

department personnel, independent experts, and others, and review

 

scientific literature and data, among other sources, in support of

 

the commission's duty to use principles of sound scientific

 

management. The commission shall issue orders regarding the

 

regulation of sport fishing under this part following a public

 

meeting and an opportunity for public input. Not less than 30 days

 

before issuing an order, the commission shall provide a copy of the

 

order to each of the following:

 

     (a) Each member of each standing committee of the senate or

 

house of representatives that considers legislation pertaining to


conservation, the environment, natural resources, recreation,

 

tourism, or agriculture.

 

     (b) The chairperson of the senate appropriations committee and

 

the chairperson of the house of representatives appropriations

 

committee.

 

     (c) The members of the subcommittee of the senate

 

appropriations committee and the subcommittee of the house of

 

representatives appropriations committee that consider the budget

 

of the department of natural resources.

 

     (3) For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, there is

 

appropriated for the department the sum of $1,000,000.00 to

 

implement management practices necessary for rapid response,

 

prevention, control, or elimination of aquatic invasive species,

 

including Asian carp. Any portion of the amount under this section

 

that is not expended in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017

 

shall not lapse to the general fund but shall be carried forward in

 

a work project account that is in compliance with section 451a of

 

the management and budget act, 1984 PA 431, MCL 18.1451a.

 

     Sec. 48705. (1) Reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, and

 

crustaceans may only be taken in a manner and during those times

 

prescribed by the commission. An individual taking, trapping,

 

catching, or fishing for reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, or

 

crustaceans for their his or her personal use shall have a valid

 

fishing license issued under part 435.

 

     (2) An individual shall not take, trap, catch, or fish for

 

reptiles or amphibians for commercial purposes.

 

     (3) The department may , pursuant to part 13, issue permits


under part 13 to take amphibians and reptiles at any season of the

 

year for scientific or educational purposes. The department may

 

revoke a permit issued under this subsection.

 

     Sec. 48710. This part does not prohibit the use of a gaff,

 

except on or along trout streams, or a landing net to assist in

 

landing fish already caught by a lawful device. This part does not

 

apply to a person an individual engaged in the business of

 

propagating fish under part 459 or to fish caught by a device for

 

which a lawful permit or license is obtained from the department

 

under this part.

 

     Sec. 48711. A person An individual shall not have in his or

 

her possession any net, set lines, jack or other artificial light

 

of any kind, dynamite, giant powder, or other explosive substance

 

or combination of substances, hook and line, or any other

 

contrivance or device to be used for the purpose of taking fish in

 

violation of this part or any other act or part. Any such property,

 

contrivance, or device found in the possession of a person an

 

individual or found in a boat, boathouse, or any other place on any

 

of the waters of this state or along the shores of the waters of

 

this state shall must be confiscated and disposed of in the manner

 

provided by law. A person An individual shall not have a gaff in

 

his or her possession on or along any trout stream in this state or

 

use, except from June 1 to Labor Day, on any trout stream a single

 

hook of any kind that is more than 3/8 inches between the point of

 

the hook and the shank. This section does not prohibit the use or

 

possession of minnow seines, minnow traps, or dip nets as provided

 

in section 48730 or the use and possession of seines, nets, spears,


or artificial lights for the use of which a lawful permit or

 

license has been issued by the department. A person may have in his

 

or her possession an artificial light of any kind for taking white

 

bass. Commercial anglers who have licenses to take fish in the

 

Great Lakes may have in their possession nets or hook lines for

 

that purpose only. In prosecutions for the violations of this

 

section, and in proceedings for the confiscation of the property

 

described in this section, the possession of any such property,

 

contrivance, or device or, when not found in possession of any

 

person, individual, the presence of any such property in a boat,

 

boathouse, or any other place on the waters of this state or along

 

the shores of the waters of this state is prima facie evidence that

 

the property is owned, possessed, or used for the purpose of

 

violating this part. The possession of any such property,

 

contrivance, or device on the waters of this state that are closed

 

to all fishing during the closed season on or along those waters is

 

prima facie evidence that the property is owned, possessed, or used

 

for the purpose of violating this part. This act or any other act

 

does not apply to the department in its program in fisheries

 

management or in the control of aquatic vegetation by individuals

 

under permit issued by the department when, in the opinion of the

 

department, that control is not inimical to the public interest.

 

     Sec. 48712. A person An individual shall not catch any fish or

 

attempt to catch any fish in any manner in any lake, stream, or

 

pond or portion of any lake, stream, or pond that is used by the

 

state or federal government for the propagation of fish, except in

 

the portion or portions of the lake, stream, or pond as may be


designated by the department commission as open to fishing.

 

     Sec. 48721. (1) The department commission shall issue an order

 

under part 411 establishing possession limits of fish consistent

 

with this section. A person An individual shall not possess more

 

than the daily possession limit or aggregate daily possession

 

limit, as applicable, of fish at the place where the fish were

 

taken or in route from that place to either of the following:

 

     (a) His or her automobile or other principal means of land

 

transportation.

 

     (b) His or her residence or temporary place of lodging.

 

     (2) In addition to 1 day's possession limit of fish, a person

 

an individual may possess an additional 2 days' possession limit of

 

fish that are processed by any of the following methods:

 

     (a) Canning in a sealed container.

 

     (b) Curing by smoking or drying.

 

     (c) Freezing in a solid state.

 

     (3) A person's An individual's processed fish aboard a vessel,

 

on the water or at dockside, shall be are considered to be in the

 

person's individual's possession for the purposes of subsection

 

(2).

 

     (4) A person An individual shall not possess a fish illegally

 

taken.

 

     Sec. 48727. (1) On and after October 26, 1993, the snagging of

 

fish is illegal in this state.

 

     (2) The department shall manage fisheries on the Pere

 

Marquette river at or above the site of the lamprey blocking weir.

 

     Sec. 48735. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a person an


individual shall not take from any of the inland waters of this

 

state any fish in any manner for the purpose of fish culture or

 

scientific investigation without first obtaining a permit from the

 

department. , except that a person who is operating a private fish

 

pond may take fish from his or her own pond for the purpose of

 

propagation, scientific investigation, or sale under part 459.

 

     (2) The Subject to subsection (5), the department may issue

 

permits to possess live game fish in public or private ponds,

 

pools, or aquariums under rules and regulations as the department

 

prescribes. This subsection is subject to subsection (5).

 

     (3) The department may cause to be taken from the inland

 

waters of this state any species of fish for the purpose of

 

obtaining spawn for fish culture or scientific investigation or for

 

the protection of the inland waters from ecological damage or

 

imbalance. In addition, the department may cause to be taken from

 

the inland waters of this state species of fish that are not

 

required to maintain the fishery resources of the inland waters.

 

All fish taken under this subsection shall must be taken under the

 

supervision of a deputy of the department appointed for that

 

purpose and in accordance with the regulations of the department of

 

agriculture, and the fish may be sold or transferred by the

 

department.

 

     (4) A person Subject to subsection (5), an individual shall

 

not import or bring any live game fish, including viable eggs of

 

any game fish, from outside of this state except under a permit

 

from the department or under part 459 and the rules promulgated in

 

accordance with that part. A person An individual shall not plant


any spawn, fry, or fish of any kind in any of the public waters of

 

this state or any other waters under the jurisdiction of this state

 

without first obtaining a permit from the department that states

 

the species, number, and approximate size or age of the spawn, fry,

 

or fish to be planted and the name and location of the waters where

 

the spawn, fry, or fish shall are to be planted. A permit is not

 

required to plant spawn, fry, or fish furnished by the federal or

 

state government. This subsection is subject to subsection (5).

 

     (5) A permit under subsection (2) or (4) does not include a

 

genetically engineered variant of a fish species identified in the

 

permit unless the genetically engineered variant is specifically

 

identified in the permit. A permit under subsection (2) or (4) may

 

be limited to a genetically engineered fish.

 

     (6) A permit under this section shall must be exhibited upon

 

the request of any law enforcement officer.

 

     (7) The department shall annually report to the legislature

 

all fish sold or transferred pursuant to under this part.

 

     Enacting section 1. Sections 48704, 48708, 48714, 48715,

 

48716, 48717, 48718, 48719, 48720, 48725, and 48733 of the natural

 

resources and environmental protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL

 

324.48704, 324.48708, 324.48714, 324.48715, 324.48716, 324.48717,

 

324.48718, 324.48719, 324.48720, 324.48725, and 324.48733, are

 

repealed.