SB-0229, As Passed House, August 13, 2003

HOUSE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 229

                                                                             A bill to amend 1996 PA 199, entitled                                             

"Michigan aquaculture development act,"                                     

by amending sections 2 and 4 (MCL 286.872 and 286.874).                     

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 2.  As used in this act:                                               

2       (a) "Aquacultural products" means any products, coproducts,                 

3   or by-products of aquaculture species.                                      

4       (b) "Aquaculture" means the commercial husbandry of                         

5   aquaculture species on the approved list of aquaculture species,            

6   including, but not limited to, the culturing, producing, growing,           

7   using, propagating, harvesting, transporting, importing,                    

8   exporting, or marketing of aquacultural products under an                   

9   appropriate permit or registration.                                         

10      (c) "Aquaculture facility" means a farm or farm operation                   

11  engaged in any aspect of aquaculture in privately controlled                

1   waters capable of holding all life stages of aquaculture species            

2   with a barrier or enclosure to prevent their escape into waters             

3   of the state.                                                               

4       (d) "Aquaculture facility registration" means a registration                

5   issued by the director allowing a facility to engage in                     

6   aquaculture.                                                                

7       (e) "Aquaculture research permit" means a permit issued by                  

8   the director to researchers to study and culture aquaculture                

9   species not included on the approved list of aquaculture species            

10  for the evaluation of aquacultural potential and to provide a               

11  scientific basis for including the aquaculture species on the               

12  approved list.                                                              

13      (f) "Aquaculture species" means aquatic animal organisms                    

14  including, but not limited to, fish, crustaceans, mollusks,                 

15  reptiles, or amphibians reared or cultured under controlled                 

16  conditions in an aquaculture facility.                                      

17      (g) "Aquaculturist" means a person involved in or engaged in                

18  any aspect of aquaculture.                                                  

19      (h) "Aquarium" means any park, building, cage, enclosure, or                

20  other structure or premises in which aquaculture species are kept           

21  for public exhibition or viewing, regardless of whether                     

22  compensation is received.                                                   

23      (i) "Confinement research facility" means a facility holding                

24  an aquaculture research permit,  and  enclosed in a secure                  

25  structure, and separated from other aquaculture facilities and in           

26  which aquaculture species are isolated and maintained in complete           

27  and continuous confinement to prevent their escape into the                 

1   environment and to prevent the release of any possible pathogens            

2   into the environment.                                                       

3       (j) "Department" means the Michigan department of                           

4   agriculture.                                                                

5       (k) "Director" means the director of the Michigan department                

6   of agriculture or his or her designee.                                      

7                                                                                (l) "Farm" or "farm operation" means those terms as defined                         

8   in the Michigan right to farm act,  Act No. 93 of the Public Acts           

9   of 1981, being sections 286.471 to 286.474 of the Michigan                  

10  Compiled Laws 1981 PA 93, MCL 286.471 to 286.474.                          

11  (m) "Genetically engineered" refers to an organism whose                    

12  genome, chromosomal or extrachromosomal, is modified permanently            

13  and heritably using recombinant nucleic acid techniques, or the             

14  progeny thereof.                                                            

15      (n)  (m)  "Law enforcement officer" means a person appointed                

16  by the state or a  legal local governmental unit who is                    

17  responsible for the enforcement of the criminal laws of this                

18  state.                                                                      

19  (o)  (n)  "Person" means an individual, corporation, limited                

20  liability  corporation company, partnership, association, joint            

21  venture, or other legal entity.                                             

22  (p)  (o)  "Privately controlled waters" means waters                        

23  controlled within ponds, vats, raceways, tanks, and any other               

24  indoor or outdoor structure wholly within or on  the land of an             

25  owner or lessor land owned or leased by an aquaculturist and               

26  used with an aquaculture facility or confinement research                   

27  facility.  Privately controlled waters includes those waters                

1   diverted for use in an aquaculture facility by an aquaculturist             

2   exercising his or her riparian rights.                                      

3   (q) "Recombinant nucleic acid techniques" means laboratory                  

4   techniques through which genetic material is isolated and                   

5   manipulated in vitro and then inserted into an organism.                    

6       (r)  (p)  "Retail bait outlet" means a facility that sells                  

7   directly to the consumer any live or dead organism, edible or               

8   digestible material, organic or processed food, or scented                  

9   material each of which may be used to attract fish, including,              

10  but not limited to, worms, leeches, aquatic insects, crayfish,              

11  amphibians, fish eggs, minnows or other fish, marshmallows,                 

12  cheese, pork rinds, or any part thereof.  , directly to the                 

13  consumer.

14  (s)  (q)  "Retail ornamental fish facility" means a facility                

15  in which a person sells, imports or exports at wholesale or                 

16  retail, leases, or loans ornamental species of aquatic organisms            

17  that may live in fresh, brackish, or saltwater environments to              

18  the general public for home or public display purposes.                     

19  (t)  (r)  "Waters of the state" means groundwaters, lakes,                  

20  rivers, and streams and all other watercourses and waters within            

21  the jurisdiction of the state and also the Great Lakes bordering            

22  the state.                                                                  

23  (u)  (s)  "Zoo" means any park, building, cage, enclosure, or               

24  other structure or premises in which a live animal is kept for              

25  public exhibition or viewing, regardless of whether compensation            

26  is received.                                                                

27      Sec. 4.  (1) Aquaculture is an agricultural enterprise and                  

1   is  considered to be  part of the farming and agricultural                  

2   industry of this state.  The director shall assure that                     

3   aquaculture is afforded all rights, privileges, opportunities,              

4   and responsibilities of other agricultural enterprises.                     

5       (2) Aquaculture is a form of agriculture.  Aquaculture                      

6   facilities and aquaculture uses are  considered to be  a form of            

7   agricultural facilities and uses.                                           

8       (3) Aquacultural products lawfully taken, produced,                         

9   purchased, possessed, or acquired from within this state or                 

10  imported into this state are the exclusive and private property             

11  of the aquaculturist.                                                       

12      (4) This act does not prohibit an aquaculturist from                        

13  exercising riparian rights for water diversion.   Water If water           

14  is discharged back into the waters of the state, the discharge

15  shall be pursuant to any appropriate permit issued by the                   

16  department of environmental quality, if such a permit is                    

17  required.                                                                   

18      (5) An aquaculturist harvesting aquaculture species from a                  

19  registered aquaculture facility or a permitted confinement                  

20  research facility is exempt from size, catch, and possession                

21  limits, closed seasons, and any other restriction imposed in                

22  parts 459  (propagation of game fish in private waters)  and 487            

23  (sport fishing)  of the natural resources and environmental                

24  protection act,  Act No. 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being              

25  sections 324.45901 to 324.45908 and 324.48701 to 324.48740 of the           

26  Michigan Compiled Laws 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.45901 to 324.45908             

27  and 324.48701 to 324.48740.                                                 

1       (6) This act does not give an aquaculturist authority to take               

2   wild species from the waters of the state and held in trust, in             

3   violation of  Act No. 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being                 

4   sections 324.101 to 324.90106 of the Michigan Compiled Laws the            

5   natural resources and environmental protection act, 1994 PA 451,            

6   MCL 324.101 to 324.90106, unless under a permit issued by the               

7   department of natural resources.                                            

8       (7) This act does not give an aquaculturist authority to                    

9   release any aquaculture species into any waters of the state that           

10  are not an aquaculture facility unless the aquaculturist first              

11  obtains an appropriate permit from the director of the department           

12  of natural resources.  It is intended that the department of                

13  natural resources shall consider a registration issued under this           

14  act as the equivalent of a game fish breeders license issued                

15  under part  487 of Act No. 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being            

16  sections 324.48701 to 324.48740 of the Michigan Compiled Laws

17  459 of the natural resources and environmental protection act,              

18  1994 PA 451, MCL 324.45901 to 324.45908.                                    

19      (8) Any movement, importing, or exporting of aquaculture                    

20  species shall be in compliance with the animal industry act,  of            

21  1987, Act No. 466 of the Public Acts of 1988, being sections                

22  287.701 to 287.747 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1988 PA 466,              

23  MCL 287.701 to 287.745, for purposes of obtaining a planting                

24  permit.                                                                     

25  (9) For the purposes of this act, each genetically engineered               

26  variant of an aquaculture species shall be considered a distinct            

27  aquaculture species.  A genetically engineered variant of an                

1   aquaculture species is not included on the list of approved                 

2   aquaculture species under section 5 unless specifically                     

3   identified on the list or specifically identified in a rule                 

4   promulgated under section 12 as being included on the list.  A              

5   genetically engineered organism that is a variant of an                     

6   aquaculture species is not covered by an aquaculture research               

7   permit under section 8 unless specifically identified in the                

8   permit.  An entry on the list of approved aquaculture species               

9   under section 5, a rule promulgated under section 12, or an                 

10  aquaculture research permit under section 8 may be limited to a             

11  genetically engineered organism.