Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Marine Resources To Contract for an Independent Analysis of the Limited Entry Lobster License System

Sec. 1. Independent analysis. Resolved: That the Commissioner of Marine Resources shall contract for an independent analysis of the limited entry lobster license system under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 6421. The analysis must include, but is not limited to, an evaluation of the limited entry system and determine whether the benefits, including the benefits of conservation, outweigh the costs, including the impact of restrictions on entry to the lobster fishing industry. The contract must be funded using existing resources of the Department of Marine Resources. The commissioner shall report on the analysis to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over marine resources matters by January 15, 2013.