Who's interested in a NH law for lobster diving?

[Bullswan]

Okay. Things have settled down a little so I can put a little time into the Lobster
Bill...... I looked up the last attempt and saw that if I were on the committee I probably would have voted against it as well. It was extremely vague and left all of the decisions up to the Exec Dir. of Fish and Game.

I just sent an email to all of you who PM'd me saying they are interested in helping. I included a sample of what we could start with for a piece of legislation. I would look for input from US first and then drop it on the lawyers desks in Legislative Services in Concord to "legal it up". We need to set the time for a meeting. Say at the Y in Manchester during a monthly meeting?

Don't know if we have a shot but I'll do my best.
Greg

 

[reefseal]

Those interested in supporting lobster bill, please come to the Finatics Dive Club Meeting scheduled Friday April 8th at the Atkinson Community Center
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

4 Main Street
Atkinson, NH 0381

 

[Cruisin Home]

Just saw this. I am a total proponent and have sent Rep Hill an email. I am willing to support the whole way. Lets do it!

 

[reefseal]

For those that couldn't make the April 8th meeting.. notes from meeting

Deadline for submitting House bill for next session: May 25th

We all agreed hould not come into this with antagonist approach, Lobsters are just as much as our resource as it is yours as we'll lose.

A few interested divers will meet with Glenn Normandeau, Exec director of Fish and Game in Concord. Greg has 3 other State Senators on board. Some of the Finatics Dive Club members also has Senator Morris on board so that makes 4 Senators on board.

Greg's recommendation is patterning lobster license much like moose permit.

Position as trial.. A small season (e.g. Sept), with limited # of licenses to determine the impact. Next year, we can show actual data and reinforce catch # with Data (Mass Lobster licenses require reporting catch by diving)

Also, idea of amending existing recreational lobstering RSA and adding a "divers endorsement". Much easier to amend existing than submit new

I'm optimistic with this approach. We have a good shot.

 

[reefseal]

Summary/recap of meeting w/ Exec Director of Fish & Game

We just had a meeting with the Fish and Game Exec Director at 1:30 today. He has a history in both the lobster industry and as a commercial diver but his recommendations, "see if you can get any (underlined) support over on the Seacoast before you file a bill and get swamped with opposition".

Our best hope, is to make our bill seem so darned reasonable that even the Seacoast lobsterman won't take issue. We are proposing a one month season and a limit of maybe 2-3 per day. This as an endorsement onto the Resident NON-Commercial 5 Pot license. One idea we have is to suggest in the bill to cap the Resident Pot licenses as well as these diving licenses so that we could offer the lobstermen a net reduction in overall catch on the Non-Commercial side. Currently there is no cap to the number of Non- Commercial 5 pot licenses and that is also how the industry gets around the issue of "equal access to the natural resource" argument. But it isn't really equal access because you have to have a registered boat to have the 5 pots.

To get support of folks on coast, Norm suggested starting with Doug Grout, the Marine Chief and get on agenda of upcoming Marine Advisory Committee meeting which is held in Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth

Doug Grout, Chief, Marine Division
NH Fish and Game Department
225 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824
603/868-1096
email: douglas.grout@wildlife.nh.gov

Also, get to Erik Andersen, head of NH Commercial Fisherman's association
603 431-1779

 

[veriqster]

Most of the "production" is represented by lobsters barely larger then minimum, setting up a higher minimum size for divers would appease a lot of commercial fishermen.
on the other hand i don't see why some say divers break into traps, i personally never seen it and from my diving experience one is better off just grabbing them from other places - way more of them and much more exciting.
p.s. off salisbury a knowing person can max out in about 15 min so the bugs are there and not as stupid as to get into most of the traps.

 

[reefseal]

May 27th, Greg Hil, NH State Rep submitted the bill to the Office of Legislative Services, the attorneys that do the actual drafting. Greg won't get a copy of the actual bill until sometime in August. He has until Nov 1 to sign off that he doesn't want any changes to the way the Attorney drafted it. It will be entered Nov 2nd and be distributed to the Fish and Game committee Jan 5th or so.

Stay tuned

 

[njdiver1]

Congratulations on getting this far. As soon as it gets posted, start getting Co-sponsors as well as a Primary and Co-sponsors in the other House of your legislature. You also need to approach the leadership in both Houses to get support. I wish you good luck with getting your bill on the docket.

 

[Bullswan]

Just to update those interested in the Lobster Diving Bill in NH.......
I am waiting for the actual bill to be drafted and sent to me STILL. It should be here within days since I have only till Nov 2nd to sign off on it. When I get it I can add all the co-sponsors I want up to 10 and I think at this point I have 4 or 5. I think we have maybe a 50/50 chance of success for the limited trial run season. The chairman of the committee who will hear it (ironically the last person to actually try to get it passed) says he would not give it a ghost of a chance so we need to make sure we have A TON of divers out to support the effort. I will be posting here whenever I get any news..... Stay tuned or email me at my legislative email.
gregory.hill@leg.state.nh.us

Good luck.

 

[reefseal]

Will post update to my FB Diver peeps interested.