Assemblyman Burke’s Bill Extends DEC Oversight of Fishing in State Waters
Assemblyman Pat Burke (D-Buffalo) announced that legislation he sponsored to help protect freshwater resources in New York passed the Assembly (A.7689). The measure would allow the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to continue regulating fishing in state waters. DEC authority over fishing in the state is set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year if not extended.
“Fishing is a great way to spend the summer months, especially with wonderful Lake Erie right in our own backyard,” Burke said. “However, oversight is needed to protect our freshwater resources for future generations. My legislation will ensure that the state Department of Environmental Conservation can continue looking out for our bodies of water and the wildlife that call them home.”
Burke’s bill would extend the DEC’s authority to set open seasons, size and catch limits and manner of taking certain fish to help protect New York’s natural environment and fishery resources. Existing DEC regulations, which pertain to all species of fish except marine fish, are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2019. The legislation would allow the DEC to continue regulating fishing in New York until Dec. 31, 2022.
As a member of the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation and chair of the Assembly’s Subcommittee on Oversight of the Department of Environmental Conservation, Burke has been a strong environmental advocate. He fought for and helped pass a 2019-20 state budget that invests an additional $500 million in clean water infrastructure and $300 million for the Environmental Protection Fund. Burke is also fighting to protect Lake Erie’s ecosystem by allowing citizens to sue on its behalf (A.6313), and co-sponsored a new law prohibiting oil and natural gas drilling in New York’s coastal areas (Ch. 29 of 2019). As an Erie County legislator, he authored the first comprehensive municipal plastic microbeads ban in the nation, prohibiting microbeads that can slip though sewage filters and pollute our drinking water and harm ecosystems from being used in cosmetic products.