Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §6446, sub-§1-A, as amended by PL 2003, c. 466, §2 and affected by §5, is further amended to read:

1-A. Declared lobster zone; authorized zones. A person shall declare on On an application for a Class I, Class II, Class III or noncommercial lobster and crab fishing license, a person shall declare the lobster management zone in which that person proposes to fish a majority of that person's lobster traps and shall list all other zones in which that person proposes to fish any of that person's lobster traps. A Class I, Class II, Class III or noncommercial lobster and crab fishing license must identify the declared lobster zone in which the person is authorized to fish a majority of that person's lobster traps and must identify all other zones in which a person is authorized to fish that person's traps. A person may not place any lobster traps in a zone that is not identified on that person's license.__ For the purposes of this subsection, the majority of a person's lobster traps must be determined from the number of trap tags issued to that person.

Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §6448, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2003, c. 510, Pt. A, §7, is further amended to read:

2. Rules for limited-entry zones. The commissioner may adopt rules establishing limits on new zone entrants to a lobster management zone. These rules must be adopted in accordance with this subsection.

A. After conducting a written survey in the zone, a lobster management policy council may propose to the commissioner an exit ratio to limit new zone entrants to the zone. The lobster management policy council may also propose to the commissioner a provision to exempt from the requirements of this section an individual who became eligible for but had not been issued a Class I, Class II or Class III license pursuant to section 6421, subsection 5, paragraph C or former paragraph H prior to January 1, 2000 and to allow that individual to declare the zone as that individual's declared lobster zone. The lobster management policy council is not required to submit the proposal to referendum and the proposed exit ratio does not need to receive approval through the survey in order to be forwarded to the commissioner.

B. The commissioner may initiate rulemaking under this subsection only upon receipt of a proposal under paragraph A. The commissioner shall hold a public hearing on the