An Act To Require That Marine Resources Dealers Purchase Only from Licensed Harvesters ( ~)
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1584
Committee: Marine Resources
Sponsors: EATON
Amends: 12 MRSA §6851, 12 MRSA §6853, 12 MRSA §6864

Legislative Document 
No. 1584 
H.P. 1122 
House of Representatives, December 22, 2009 
An Act To Require That Marine Resources Dealers Purchase Only 
from Licensed Harvesters 
( ~) 
Submitted by the Department of Marine Resources pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
~~) 
Received by the Clerk of the House on December 18,2009. Referred to the Committee on 
Marine Resources pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. 
Presented by Representative EATON of Sullivan. 
Primcll Oil rccyckll p;Jpcr 
'17/~ frI· md£~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 12 MRS A §6803-A, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 283, § 1, is amended by 
adding at the end a new paragraph to read: 
A holder of a license issued under this section may buy only from a harvester who 
possesses a seaweed permit under section 6803. The harvester shall make the seaweed 
permit available for inspection upon the license holder's request. 
Sec. 2. 
MRSA §6851, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1999, c. 491, §6 and 
affected by §9, is further amended to read: 
2. 
License activities. 
The holder of a wholesale seafood license may, in the 
wholesale or retail trade: 
A. Within or beyond the state limits, buy, sell, process, ship or transpOJi any marine 
species or their parts, except lobsters, sea urchins and shrimp; 
B. Within or beyond the state :mits, buy, sell, shuck, pack, ship or, within the state 
limits, transport fresh or frozen 3hellfish, except lobsters, to the extent these activities 
are expressly authorized by a shellfish certificate issued under section 6856; or 
D. Buy, sell, process, ship or, within the state limits, transport crayfish. 
A holder of a wholesale seafood license when buying directly from a harvester may buy 
only from a harvester who possesses the license or permit for that species as required 
under this Part. The harvester shall make the applicable marine resources license or 
permit available for inspection upon the wholesale seafood license holder's request. 
Sec. 3. 12 MRS A §6852, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2005, c. 434, § 11, is fUIiher 
amended to read: 
2. License activity. The holder of a retail seafood license may, in the retail trade 
within the state limits, buy, sell, transport, ship or serve: 
A. Shellstock and shucked shellfish if they are bought from a wholesale seafood 
license holder certified under section 6856; 
C. Lobster parts or meat, if they are permitted under section 6857, or have been 
lawfully imported; 
D. Crayfish; or 
E. Lobsters. 
A holder of a retail seafood license when buying directly from a harvester may buy only 
from a harvester who possesses the license or permit for that species as required under 
this Part. The harvester shall make the applicable marine resources license or permit 
available for inspection upon the retail seafood license holder's request. 
Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §6853, as amended by PL 2009, c. 213, Pt. G, §39, is further 
amended by adding at the end a new paragraph to read: 
) 
) 
) 
. .-~~. 
( 
:.... 
G' 
A holder of a license required under this section when buying directly from a 
harvester may buy only from a harvester who possesses a marine wonn digger's license 
under section 6751. The harvester shall make the marine worm digger's license available 
for inspection upon the license holder's request. 
Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §6864, as amended by PL 2009, c. 213, Pt. G, §§44 and 45, is 
further amended by adding at the end a new paragraph to read: 
A holder of an elver dealer license when buying directly from a harvester may buy 
only from a harvester who possesses an elver fishing license under section 6505-A. The 
harvester shall make the elver fishing license available for inspection upon the elver 
dealer I icense holder's request. 
SUMMARY 
This bill creates a requirement that seafood and marine worm dealers, when buying 
directly from a harvester, purchase marine organisms only from a properly licensed 
person. It also creates a requirement for harvesters, upon a dealer's request, to show their 
licenses to the dealer.