
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 24, 1994                    TAG: 9406240540 
SECTION: LOCAL                     PAGE: B1    EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA  
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: 940624                                 LENGTH: RALEIGH

MORATORIUM ON FISHING LICENSES APPROVED

{LEAD} A two-year freeze on the sale of virtually all new commercial fishing licenses was approved by both the Senate and the House on Thursday following a series of parliamentary moves designed to speed passage of the proposal.

The action by both chambers of the state legislature means the moratorium has cleared its last major legislative hurdle and will become law in time for the moratorium to be effective July 1, according to the sponsors of two versions of the moratorium.

{REST} Meanwhile, the state's top-ranking fisheries regulator, who will serve as chairman of a study commission during the moratorium, said in an interview after the vote that he will make the moratorium and the accompanying study his first priority over the next two years.

``It's the most significant thing that has happen in fisheries since I have been chairman,'' said Robert V. Lucas, chairman of the state Marine Fisheries Commission, in an interview from his Selma law office. ``And it's the most significant thing that could happen in fisheries with regards to the future.''

Lucas also said he was surprised at the relative ease with which the moratorium legislation moved through the House and the Senate.

``I thought that there would be more controversy,'' he said.

The House and the Senate unanimously approved separate versions of a bill calling for the two-year freeze during nearly simultaneous debate on the proposals. The bills now face only minor adjustments by the two chambers before the moratorium becomes law.

``You can't get any better than that,'' said Rep. David Redwine, D-Brunswick, sponsor of the House bill of its approval by that chamber by a 94-0 vote.

Sen. Charles W. Albertson, D-Duplin, sponsor of the Senate bill, said, ``This is a bill that we desperately need. . . We've done a lot of work on this bill and we've gotten everybody to come together to agree on this.'' The Senate approved its version of the bill 42-0.

The operating rules of the House and the Senate were suspended to allow the bills to come to a tentative vote by the chambers and to allow the chambers to hold a final vote on the bills the same day.

Besides the moratorium, both bills also include a procedure for fishermen to appeal a denial of new licenses, mandate a study by the N.C. Sea Grant Program, an affiliate of the University of North Carolina, during the moratorium of the fishery resources and management structure, and establish a commission to oversee that study.

Both bills also include provisions for a new license that will be required for fishermen who ply coastal waters for crabs.

The license will cost $7.50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents for individual licenses and $22.50 for vessel crab licenses. Under the bill, the owner of a vessel and up to two crew members will be covered by the vessel crab license.

by CNB