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April 6, 2011

Law changes fishing gear storage rules

By The Mainebiz News Staff

Gov. Paul LePage has signed into law a bill that limits environmental regulators' power over storage of fishing gear.

LePage on March 31 signed the bill, sponsored by Rep. Jonathan McKane, R-Newcastle, which prohibits the Maine Department of Environmental Protection from regulating the storage of gear on commercial fishing piers, according to the Bangor Daily News. The bill was prompted by the experience of South Bristol fisherman David Rice, who built a pier in 2007 but was told his fishing gear could not be stored on it because the gear's shadow would adversely impact nearby seaweed growth. The DEP said the stacked traps would block sunlight from reaching the rockweed and inhibit its growth. Rice appealed the decision to the Board of Environmental Protection, which overturned the DEP's decision.

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