Exempts traps set in water from the requirement that they be visited once every 24 hours; requires such traps shall be visited once every 48 hours or a shorter interval as determined by the department of environmental conservation.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4394
SPONSOR: Gunther TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
exempting traps set in water from the requirement of being visited every
twenty-four hours
PURPOSE:
Exempts traps set in water from the requirement that they be visited
once every 24 hours.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 11-1105 of Environmental Conservation law is amended to exempt
traps set in water from the requirement of being visited every twenty-
four hours.
JUSTIFICATION:
Trapping in New York State is not only a pastime for some, but is also a
method of animal population control and offers economic benefits to the
producers and consumers of food and products from the wild game indus-
try. Throughout New York State, there are fourteen species of furbearing
animals. When trapping animals such as mink, beaver, muskrat and otter,
water trapping is a method commonly used.
Trappers are bound by many rules and regulations to ensure the safety
and security of wildlife populations. These rules are regulated by New
York State's Department of Environmental Conservation. Included in the
regulations that trappers must abide by are rules governing the checking
of traps. In the Southern Zone, all traps must be checked once in each
24 hour period. The Northern Zone provides some leeway, allowing for
traps set in water, as well as several other types of traps, to be
checked once in each 48 hour period.
The proposed legislation would allow for underwater traps in all areas
of New York to be exempt from the requirement that they be visited once
in each 24 hour period. This would remove some of the burden placed on
trappers when checking their traps, in addition to achieving a consist-
ent regulation throughout the entire state, It would also have little to
no impact on the animal or environment, as animals expire within a short
period of time during underwater trapping.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: A5199 referred to Environmental Conservation
2019-2020: A3609 referred to Environmental Conservation
2017-2018: A264 referred to Environmental Conservation
2015-16: A1016 referred to Senate
2013-14: A1105 referred to Senate
2011-12: A9173 referred to Environmental Conservation
Environmental Conservation/S4038 passed Environmental Conservation/S3563
passed Environmental Conservation/S6166 referred to
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4394
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 14, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, HAWLEY -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
exempting traps set in water from the requirement of being visited
every twenty-four hours
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 11-1105 of the environmental
2 conservation law, as amended by chapter 279 of the laws of 2010, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 1. Traps set for taking wildlife shall bear the name and residence
5 address or the assigned identification number of the operator legibly at
6 all times, provided, that state, county and municipal law enforcement
7 agencies shall have access to the name, address and telephone number of
8 such operator who was assigned such identification number. They shall be
9 visited once in each twenty-four hours, except traps in the Northern
10 Zone [where they] and traps set in water which shall be visited once in
11 each forty-eight hours or a shorter interval of no less than twenty-four
12 hours as the department may, by regulation, require, and all wildlife
13 held captive shall immediately be removed from the traps.
14 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09034-01-3
