What's happening
This bill extends the Department of Environmental Conservation's authority to manage alewife in New York until December 31, 2022.
Why it matters
Maintaining Conservation Efforts. By extending the Department of Environmental Conservation’s authority, the bill ensures that active management and protections for the alewife—a key forage fish—continue, which is vital for the health of aquatic ecosystems and predatory fish populations.
Supporting Fishery Stability. Ongoing state management helps stabilize alewife populations, which can benefit commercial and recreational fisheries dependent on balanced fish communities in New York’s waters.
Adapting to Environmental Change. The extension allows the state to respond to environmental changes (such as climate shifts or invasive species) that may impact alewife populations, providing flexibility to adjust regulations as needed.
Preventing Regulatory Gaps. Without this extension, there could be a lapse in management authority, potentially leading to overharvesting or inadequate protection for alewife, which could have cascading effects on the broader ecosystem.
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Who cares
Department of Environmental Conservation
The bill would extend its authority to manage alewife through December 31, 2022, rather than December 31, 2019.
Commercial alewife fishers
The bill would continue DEC’s management authority over the species they harvest for three more years.
Recreational alewife anglers
The bill would extend DEC’s authority to manage alewife without specifying new fishing restrictions.
Headline styles
Extend Alewife Protections
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Signed chap.230
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.220
- Substituted for A8043
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 60–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.1227
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Extend Alewife Protection Authority
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Mathylde Frontus
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6174
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 21, 2019
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- (at request of the Department of Environmental Conservation) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to extending the authority of the department of environmental conservation to manage alewife
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph f of subdivision 1 of section 13-0339-a of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 141 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
f. alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) until December thirty-first, two thousand [nineteen] twenty-two,
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09116-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to extending the authority of the department of environmental conservation to manage alewife
Purpose of the bill
The purpose of this bill is to extend the authority of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to manage alewife.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of this bill would amend Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) § 13-0339-a(1)(f) to extend, until December 31, 2022, DEC's authority to fix by regulation measures for the management of alewife (Alosa pseudo- harengus).
Section 2 of this bill provides that the bill shall take effect imme- diately.
Statement in support
DEC's regulatory authority for alewife is necessary in order to preserve the current regulatory program. Failure to extend the existing regula- tory authority by December 31, 2019 will result in the loss of regulato- ry protection for alewife.
Alewife (known collectively with blueback herring as "river herring") are managed pursuant to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Shad and River Herring adopted by Atlantic State Marine Fishery Commis- sion (ASMFC). This bill would extend DEC's regulatory authority for alewife for an additional three years, and ensure that DEC continues to maintain compliance with the FMP. ECL § 13- 0105, which sets forth the marine fisheries conservation and management policy, provides that one of the State's objectives shall be the management of the State's trans- boundary and migratory species consistent with any interjurisdictional management plans, interstate or state-federal. Moreover, failure to make necessary regulatory changes as may be required by an applicable FMP could result in the closure of New York's fishery for that species.
In 2010, ASFMC amended the Shad and River Herring FMP to prevent further declines in river herring populations, and to ensure sustainable fisher- ies. The regulatory authority provided by ECL § 13-0339-a allowed DEC to timely adopt measures needed to comply with changes to the FMP.
Prior legislative history
ECL § 13-1339-a was added by Chapter 196 of the Laws of 1999. This authority was last extended by Chapter 141 of the Laws of 2016.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This bill would take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.