A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to authorize the marine fisheries commission to establish permits for gear used in a fishery for which observer coverage is required, as recommended by the joint legislative commission on seafood and aquaculture.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 113‑169.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 113‑169.1.  Permits for gear, equipment, and other specialized activities authorized.
(a)	The Commission may adopt rules to establish permits for gear, equipment, and specialized activities, including commercial fishing operations that do not involve the use of a vessel and transplanting oysters or clams.
(b)	The Commission may adopt rules to establish gear specific permits to take striped bass from the Atlantic Ocean and to limit the number and type of these permits that may be issued to a person. The Commission may establish a fee for each permit established pursuant to this subsection in an amount that compensates the Division for the administrative costs associated with the permit but that does not exceed ten dollars ($10.00) per permit.
(c)	The Commission may adopt rules to establish permits for gear used in a fishery for which observer coverage is required by State or federal law. The Commission may establish a fee for each permit established pursuant to this subsection in an amount that compensates the Division for the administrative costs associated with the permit and for the costs associated with implementing observer coverage for the fishery."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.