Extends the authority of the department of environmental conservation to manage blackfish.
Summary
This bill extends the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s authority to regulate blackfish, also known as tautog, for three additional years, from December 31, 2025 to December 31, 2028. The bill preserves DEC’s ability to set rules by regulation governing blackfish management, including size limits, catch and possession limits, open and closed seasons, closed areas, gear restrictions, permit requirements, recordkeeping, and rules for transportation, possession, and sale.
The bill also requires that any DEC regulations remain at least as restrictive as existing statutory requirements and stay consistent with applicable fishery management plans adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and federal fishery management plans under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The measure takes effect immediately, ensuring there is no gap in the department’s regulatory authority.
Impact
The bill amends Environmental Conservation Law section 13-0340-d to extend the sunset date on DEC’s blackfish management authority by three years. In practical terms, it keeps in place the agency’s power to adjust fishery rules through regulation rather than statute, affecting commercial and recreational anglers, fish dealers, and others involved in the harvest, possession, transport, and sale of blackfish. It does not create a new management program, but it preserves existing regulatory flexibility and continuity in state fishery management.
Sentiment
The available record suggests the bill is routine and noncontroversial. It was introduced at the request of the Department of Environmental Conservation, which indicates agency support for continuing the existing management framework. No committee transcript or vote data is provided, and the bill text reflects a straightforward extension of current authority rather than a substantive policy change, suggesting general administrative support and limited public controversy in the materials available.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. The only implicit policy issue is the balance between regulatory flexibility for DEC and the interests of anglers, fishers, and the fishing industry who may be affected by size, season, and possession limits. Because the bill simply extends an existing sunset and preserves consistency with interstate and federal fishery plans, any disagreement would likely center on future blackfish management rules rather than on this extension itself.