What's happening
This bill allows Schuylerville to hold up to two fishing tournaments per year on a section of the Hudson River, exempting them from "catch and release" rules.
Why it matters
Allows Schuylerville to temporarily override statewide "catch and release" rules. , giving local organizers flexibility to hold events that attract more anglers and visitors, potentially boosting the area’s tourism and local economy.
Imposes strict safety and environmental requirements on tournament participants. , such as mandatory aerated live wells, use of only artificial bait, and immediate release of undersized fish, to minimize ecological impact and protect fish populations.
Limits the scale and frequency of tournaments. by capping the number of events (maximum two per year), restricting tournament hours, and limiting participation to 50 boats, which helps balance community interests with conservation needs.
Mandates proof of liability insurance for all participants and sponsors. , ensuring that risks associated with holding such tournaments are addressed and that both the public and organizers are protected from potential claims.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Schuylerville Fishing Tournaments
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.276
- Referred to local government
- Referred to rules
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6906
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
October 11, 2017
Introduced by Sen. MARCHIONE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to allow the village of Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York, to conduct up to two fishing tournaments per calendar year in the fourteen mile stretch of the Hudson River between Champlain Canal Lock C5 and Champlain Canal Lock C4 and to exempt such tournaments from "catch and release" orders
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law, rule, order or regulation to the contrary, the village of Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York, may conduct up to two fishing tournaments per calendar year in the fourteen mile stretch of the Hudson River between Champlain Canal Lock C5, just north of Schuylerville, and Champlain Canal Lock C4, just north of the town of Mechanicville. Such tournaments shall be exempted from any "catch and release" order issued by the department of environmental conservation and shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(b) Each tournament shall be conducted between the hours of 6:00 am and 2:00 pm, and shall be limited to a maximum of 50 boats. All participating boats shall be outfitted with fully functional live wells, which shall be checked before the tournament by the tournament operators to assure that they are clean and empty. The live wells will only be filled in the designated section of the Hudson River between Lock C5 and Lock C4. All live wells in the boats shall be aerated.
(c) Only artificial bait will be used at each tournament. Live bait is prohibited. No fish caught during the tournament shall be consumed or used for bait.
(d) Only largemouth and smallmouth bass shall be entered into the tournament. All fish brought to the judges to be weighed must be a minimum of 12 inches in length. Fish smaller than 12 inches shall be
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13594-01-7
S. 6906 2
released immediately upon being caught. At weigh-in, all fish caught shall be placed in special fish bags with water in them and shall be promptly carried to the weigh-in scales area. A water tank containing water from the Hudson River tournament area will be available at the weigh-in area to protect fish prior to weigh-in. Each fish caught shall be released back into the Hudson River at the weigh-in area immediately following weigh-in of that fish.
(e) The operator of each boat shall drain the water from the live well or wells on his or her boat back into the Hudson River at the tournament site following the weigh-in or at the conclusion of his or her participation in the tournament.
(f) Sponsors of the tournament and all boaters shall provide the department of environmental conservation with proof of liability insurance covering participation in the tournament not less than ten days prior to the date of the tournament. Participating boaters shall provide such proof to the sponsors of the tournament who shall, in turn, provide it to the department of environmental conservation.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to allow the village of Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York, to conduct up to two fishing tournaments per calendar year in the fourteen mile stretch of the Hudson River between Champlain Canal Lock C5 and Champlain Canal Lock C4 and to exempt such tournaments from "catch and release" orders
Purpose
To allow the Village of Schuylerville to conduct two bass fishing tour- naments per calendar year.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 provides an exemption from any DEC "catch and release" orders for a fourteen mile stretch of the Hudson River between Champlain Canal Lock C4, just north of Schuylerville and Canal Lock C5, just north of Mechanicville for two fishing tournaments per calendar year conducted by the Village of Schuylerville. Specific rules are set to ensure the safe- keeping of live fish aboard tournament boats until weigh-in, and the absolute release of those fish after weigh-in.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
Justification
The Village of Schuylerville has long desired to conduct a bass fishing tournament in the Hudson River. Such events are very popular and draw large numbers of participants making them excellent generators of busi- ness for small communities like Schuylerville. Due to the PCB contam- ination in the Hudson River, there is currently a DEC regulation with a "catch and release" order, which makes it impossible to stage a fishing tournament.
This bill would allow the Village to conduct two tournaments per calen- dar year along a 14 mile stretch of the River by exempting the tourna- ments from the "catch and release" order so long as: all boats are outfitted with aerated live wells which are checked by tournament opera- tors before the tournament to assure they are clean and empty; the wells are filled in the designated tournament area of the Hudson; only artifi- cial bait is used; no fish caught during the tournament is consumed or used for bait; only largemouth and smallmouth bass are entered into the tournament; fish smaller than 12 inches are released immediately upon being caught; at weigh-in, all caught fish are placed in special fish bags with water in them and promptly carried to the weigh-in scales area; a water tank containing water from the Hudson River tournament area is available at the weigh-in area to protect fish prior to weigh- in; each fish is released back into the Hudson River immediately follow- ing its weigh-in; the operator of each boat drains the water from the live will on the boat into the Hudson River at the conclusion of their participation in the tournament.
All of the above-mentioned rules for the tournament are measures taken in the spirit of DEC's "catch and release" order. The "catch and release" order is simply modified to extend the length of time for the safe weighing-in of a fish before it is released.
Legislative history
This is a new bill.
Fiscal implications
None to the State, however, this will generate business in the Village of Schuylerville.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.