V.I. Code tit. 7, § 199 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 7 - Agriculture|Chapter 13 - Farming and Fishing|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Native Aquatic Species Protection|§ 199. Established; definitions; subcommittee; funding; permits

 (a) This section may be cited as the “Virgin Islands Native Aquatic Species Protection Act”. (b) The “Virgin Islands Native Aquatic Species Protection Act” is hereby enacted to establish, maintain, and support by appropriations to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), efforts to develop strategies to protect Virgin Islands native aquatic species through control of invasive species and other methods, thus benefitting our aquatic ecosystem and our economy. (c) Definition. “Invasive Species”, as similarly defined in Executive Order 13112, means an alien species or species complex whose introduction does or is likely to have an adverse impact in the Territory, causing economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. (d) The Department of Planning and Natural Resources is instructed and given the authority to form and adopt rules, regulations and guidelines for the implementation of an Aquatic Nuisance Subcommittee. This subcommittee shall be formed within 90 days of this bill being signed into law, and initial rules, regulations and guidelines for the subcommittee shall be adopted within 90 days of the formation of the subcommittee. The subcommittee shall be comprised of the appropriate government personnel, including the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, representatives from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife, Coastal Zone Management, and Environmental Protection, and community members with relevant knowledge or expertise, to ensure a wide-ranging representation of the community. At a minimum, the guidelines, rules or regulations for the operation of the Aquatic Nuisance Subcommittee must address and include the following: (1) Implementing a Lionfish Response Management Plan that will include a strategy to: control lionfish populations through both targeted and opportunistic removal; implement a multi-tiered management approach that covers water depth below recreational diving limits and areas not frequented by water-based user groups such as recreational dive operators and spear fishermen; provide assistance and/or training for recreational and commercial fishermen, divers, and concerned citizens to encourage support in suppressing the lionfish population; and educate the public to increase public awareness of the lionfish threat; and (2) Conducting routine monitoring of aquatic ecosystems to detect aquatic invasive species before they become widespread; and (3) Proposing rapid response actions for other invasive species and preparing detailed rapid response plans that can be carried out quickly and effectively; and (4) Preventing further proliferation and/or minimizing the impact of harmful aquatic invasive species by ongoing control of established aquatic invasive populations, creative methods of control, and commercialization; and (5) Developing initiatives capable of building and expanding markets to control invasive aquatic species; and (6) Providing a recognition system for resource users participating in the program; and (7) Developing and implementing a sustainable long-term plan for the conservation of native aquatic species that includes immediate action to prevent the extinction of certain native aquatic species should government funds no longer be available; and (8) Developing criteria to provide assistance to concerned citizens who provide, within reasonable guidelines, the proof needed to receive incentives, grants, loans, in-kind assistance, or any other support for their assistance in managing aquatic invasive species. (e) The Department of Planning and Natural Resources is authorized to distribute, manage and operate the appropriations, grants, awards or other sources of funding provided, directly or indirectly related to this section, with the advice of the Aquatic Nuisance Subcommittee, to limit the proliferation of invasive aquatic species and to carry out the purpose and intent of this section. (f) The Department of Planning and Natural Resources or the Aquatic Nuisance Subcommittee is authorized to seek any additional funding to operate, manage and mitigate any environmental and economic damage caused by invasive aquatic species. (g) The Department of Planning and Natural Resources may issue permits to properly trained individuals to remove lionfish and other invasive species, as identified by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, from protected waters, such as Buck Island and East End Marine Park.