New York S 9304: Prohibits the use of trawling, gill nets, and trammel nets except for scientific purposes; repealer

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
S09304 Summary:

BILL NOS09304 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A10986

&nbsp

SPONSORSKOUFIS

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §§11-1321, 11-1503, 13-0341, 11-1521, 13-0329, 13-0339, 13-0343 & 13-0347, rpld §13-0329 sub 10, En Con L

&nbsp

Prohibits the use of trawling, gill nets, and trammel nets except for scientific purposes.

Go to top S09304 Actions:

BILL NOS09304 

&nbsp

02/27/2026REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Go to topS09304 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09304 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS09304 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9304

 IN SENATE

 February 27, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

 AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
 prohibiting the use of trawling, gill nets, and trammel nets except
 for scientific purposes; and to repeal provisions of such law relating
 thereto

 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 11-1321 of the environmental
 2 conservation law is amended to read as follows:
 3 1. No person shall take fish:
 4 (a) by use of explosives [or];
 5 (b) by shutting or drawing off water; or
 6 (c) by using a trawl, gill nets, or trammel netting.
 7 § 2. Section 11-1503 of the environmental conservation law, as amended
 8 by chapter 193 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
 9 § 11-1503. Nets; license required; power of department.
 10 The department may regulate the use of nets and other devices commonly
 11 used to take fish. No person shall use a net or device to take fish
 12 without first obtaining a license to do so. Gill nets, trammel nets,
 13 and trawls shall not be operated in [Lake Erie. No gill net license for
 14 use in Lake Ontario, including Chaumont Bay and all its other embay-
 15 ments, shall be issued except to holders of a gill net license valid on
 16 or prior to December 31, 1986, and all licenses issued on or prior to
 17 that date are non-transferable] or on any waters or within one-half mile
 18 thereof.
 19 § 3. Section 13-0341 of the environmental conservation law, as amended
 20 by chapter 546 of the laws of 1981, subdivisions 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 as
 21 amended, subdivision 8 as renumbered, and subdivision 9 as added by
 22 chapter 17 of the laws of 1994, subdivision 4 as amended by chapter 453
 23 of the laws of 2008, paragraph b of subdivision 7 as amended by chapter
 24 309 of the laws of 1997, and paragraph f of subdivision 7 as added by
 25 chapter 512 of the laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
 26 § 13-0341. Trawls; use prohibited in certain waters.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD14918-01-6

 S. 9304 2

 1 1. For the purposes of this chapter, a trawl shall be defined as a net
 2 which is towed or dragged through the water column, capturing fish by
 3 straining the water, but shall not include a seine which is used to
 4 encircle fish. The term trawl shall include but not be limited to the
 5 otter trawl, the beam trawl, the Paranzella or two-boat trawl, the pair
 6 trawl, the Danish seine and the Scottish seine.
 7 2. Trawls shall not be set or used in [the water areas of the marine
 8 district described in the following subdivisions:
 9 1. In the waters of the county of Richmond and in the counties of
 10 Kings or Queens, northerly and westerly of a line from the sea end of
 11 the breakwater at Rockaway Point to Romer Shoal lighthouse, including
 12 Jamaica Bay and its adjacent bays, inlets, creeks and basins.
 13 2. a. In the Atlantic Ocean within one-half mile of the coastline and
 14 in all connecting tidal waters inshore of the coastline, from Rockaway
 15 Inlet Jetty at Rockaway Point to the Town of Babylon bathing pavilion at
 16 Cedar Island Beach, and in all tidal waters inshore of a line from the
 17 Town of Babylon bathing pavilion to the sea buoy (BW S-I, Bell) at the
 18 entrance of Fire Island Inlet and thence to the seaward end of Fire
 19 Island Inlet Jetty at Democrat Point.
 20 b