An Act To Allow a Person 65 Years of Age or Older To Obtain a Lobster License without Completing the Apprentice Program
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0141
Committee: Marine Resources
Sponsors: RICHARDSON, PRESCOTT
Amends: 12 MRSA §6421, 12 MRSA §6422, 12 MRSA §6431-A

Legislative Document 
No. 141 
H.P. 120 
House of Representatives, January 15, 2009 
An Act To Allow a Person 65 Years of Age or Older To Obtain a 
Lobster License without Completing the Apprentice Program 
Reference to the Committee on Marine Resources suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative RICHARDSON of Warren. 
Cosponsored by Representative: PRESCOTT of Topsham. 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §6421, sub-§5, €ffC, as corrected by RR 2001, c. 2, Pt. A, §14, 
is amended to read: 
C. Meets the requirements of the apprentice program under section 6422 or section 
6475;Bf 
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §6421, sub-§5,~, as corrected by RR 2001, c. 2, Pt. A, §15, 
is amended to read: 
D. Did not possess a Class I, Class II or Class III lobster and crab fishing license in 
the previous calendar year because the commissioner had suspended the person's 
license privileges for a length of time that included the previous calendar year~; or 
Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §6421, sub-§5, Ejfl! is enacted to read: 
1. Is 65 years of age or older and previously possessed a Class 1, Class II or Class III 
lobster and crab fishing license. 
Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §6422, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2003, c. 468, §6, is further 
amended to read: 
I,. 
Program established; experience component. 
By July 1, 1996, the The 
commissioner shall establish by rule an apprentice program for entry into ~he lobster 
fishery. The program must include practical lobster fishing experience. A person must 
be 8 years of age or older and hold an apprentice lobster and crab fishing license or a 
student lobster and crab fishing license under section 6421 to enter the program. 
Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §6422, sub-§5 is enacted to read: 
5. 
Exception. The requirements of tIns section do not apply to a person who 
documents to the commissioner that the person is 65 years of age or older and has 
previously held a Class 1, Class II or Class III lobster and crab fishing license. 
Sec. 6. 12 MRSA §6431-A, sub-§l, as amended by PL 2007, c. 201, §12, is 
repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
1. Limit. Trap linlits are as established in this subsection: 
A. Except as provided in paragraph B, the holder of a Class 1, Class II or Class III 
lobster and crab fishing license or a nonresident lobster and crab landing pern1it 
issued under section 6421 may not submerge more than 800 traps. 
B. The holder of a Class 1, Class II or Class III lobster and crab fishing license issued 
under section 6421, subsection 5, paragraph I may not submerge more than 300 traps. 
C. If a lower trap linlit is adopted by rule for a zone pursuant to section 6446, a 
license holder who fishes in that zone may not submerge a number of traps that 
exceeds the lower linlit. 
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D. The number of traps fished from a vessel may not exceed the applicable trap limit 
established in this subsection, regardless of the number of license holders fishing 
from that vessel. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows a person 65 years of age or older who previously held a Class I, Class 
II or Class III lobster and crab fishing license to be issued a Class I, Class II or Class III 
lobster and crab fishing license without completing the apprentice program. The bill 
limits the number of traps such a license holder may submerge to 300 traps.