SB 114
Department of Legislative Services
Maryland General Assembly
2020 Session
FISCAL AND POLICY NOTE
Third Reader
Senate Bill 114 (Chair, Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Committee)(By Request - Departmental - Natural
Resources)
Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Environment and Transportation
Natural Resources - Nuisance Organisms - Pilot Projects and Northern
Snakeheads
This departmental bill (1) authorizes the Secretary of Natural Resources to adopt
regulations to conduct pilot projects to demonstrate and evaluate new approaches for the
management and control of nuisance organisms and (2) modifies the “commercial northern
snakehead bowfishing license” by renaming it the “commercial northern snakehead
license,” and authorizing the license holder to catch for sale northern snakeheads in the
tidal waters of the State using either a bow and arrow attached to a retrieval line or
hook and line.
Fiscal Summary
State Effect: Federal fund revenues and expenditures may increase by corresponding,
indeterminate amounts in future years (dependent on the specifics of any pilot projects
conducted under the bill). Special fund revenues increase by a relatively minimal amount.
Local Effect: None.
Small Business Effect: The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has determined that
this bill has a meaningful impact on small business (attached). The Department of
Legislative Services concurs with this assessment.
 Analysis
Current Law:
Adoption of Regulations Regarding Nonnative Aquatic Organisms
The Secretary of Natural Resources is authorized to adopt regulations to:
 prohibit the importation, possession, or introduction into State waters of a nonnative
aquatic organism in order to prevent an adverse impact on an aquatic ecosystem or
the productivity of State waters; and
 manage the sale, transport, purchase, importation, possession, harvest, season, size
limits, open area, catch devices, and introduction of nuisance organisms.
“Nuisance organism” is defined as a nonnative aquatic organism that will foreseeably alter
and threaten to harm the ecosystem or the abundance and diversity of native or naturalized
fish and other organisms.
Commercial Northern Snakehead Bowfishing License
The commercial northern snakehead bowfishing license authorizes the holder to catch for
sale northern snakeheads in the tidal waters of the State using a bow and arrow attached to
a retrieval line. An applicant for a license does not need to hold a tidal fish license (DNR’s
traditional, limited entry commercial fishing license) to be eligible for the license. The
annual license fee is $15.
Background: DNR indicates that it currently uses pilot projects as an adaptive
management tool under fishery management plans but does not have authority to create
pilot programs to explore harvest methods for nuisance species control unless a
fishery management plan for each species is written and adopted. According to DNR,
pilot projects have proven to be effective as management tools and the department would
like to use them to control aquatic nuisance species, particularly the northern snakehead
and blue catfish.
The commercial northern snakehead bowfishing license was established in 2016
(Chapters 708 and 709), enabling the general public to use bow and arrow to commercially
harvest northern snakeheads. DNR issued 23 licenses in the 2018-2019 license season.
DNR indicates that, since 2016, northern snakeheads have rapidly colonized rivers with
more turbid (less transparent) water, where it is difficult to use a bow and arrow to harvest
them. Allowing for hook and line to be used under the renamed commercial northern
SB 114/ Page 2
snakehead license is expected to provide further incentive for the general public to harvest
northern snakeheads.
State Fiscal Effect: Federal fund revenues and expenditures may increase in future years
to implement pilot projects conducted pursuant to the bill. DNR indicates that it will
consider projects once the bill is adopted and does not know at this point what projects
might be implemented and whether increased expenditures would be incurred to implement
them. DNR is eligible for federal grant money for addressing aquatic nuisance species,
which may be used for any increased expenditures for pilot projects.
Special fund revenues increase relatively minimally from the collection of additional
license fees due to the commercial northern snakehead license being expanded to include
hook and line fishing. As mentioned above, the annual fee is $15 and there were
23 licensees in the 2018-2019 license season. DNR indicates that it is uncertain how many
additional people might purchase a license as a result of the bill.
Additional Information
Prior Introductions: None.
Designated Cross File: None.
Information Source(s): Department of Natural Resources; Department of Legislative
Services
Fiscal Note History: First Reader - January 16, 2020
rh/lgc Third Reader - February 11, 2020
Analysis by: Scott D. Kennedy Direct Inquiries to:
(410) 946-5510
(301) 970-5510
SB 114/ Page 3
 ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESSES
TITLE OF BILL: Natural Resources - Aquatic Nuisance Organisms
BILL NUMBER: SB 114
PREPARED BY: Sarah Widman, Division Manager, Fishing and Boating Service
PART A. ECONOMIC IMPACT RATING
This agency estimates that the proposed bill:
_ WILL HAVE MINIMAL OR NO ECONOMIC IMPACT ON MARYLAND SMALL
BUSINESS
OR
X WILL HAVE MEANINGFUL ECONOMIC IMPACT ON MARYLAND SMALL
BUSINESSES
PART B. ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS
There were 23 bow and arrow snakehead licenses issued for the 2018-2019 season. By adding
hook and line gear to this limited license, it would provide those individuals with great business
flexibility. It would also potentially allow more commercial licensees to participate as hook-and-
liners. The exact extent of the impact is unknown.
Similarly, the ability to create pilot projects for aquatic nuisance species control may also provide
an indeterminable positive impact to the commercial industry if their harvest of species is increased
from such programs.
SB 114/ Page 4


Statutes affected:
Text - First - Natural Resources - Nuisance Organisms - Pilot Projects and Northern Snakeheads: 4-205.1 Natural Resources, 4-701.1 Natural Resources, 4-701 Natural Resources
Text - Third - Natural Resources - Nuisance Organisms - Pilot Projects and Northern Snakeheads: 4-205.1 Natural Resources, 4-701.1 Natural Resources, 4-701 Natural Resources