S 6307: Relates to the prevention and mitigation of marine and coastal debris; defines terms; requires the department of environmental conservation to prepare and annually update a marine and coastal debris action plan.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6307 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- 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 the prevention and mitigation of marine and coastal debris The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Article 13 of the environmental conservation law is amended 2 by adding a new title 9 to read as follows: 3 TITLE 9 4 MARINE AND COASTAL DEBRIS PREVENTION AND MITIGATION 5 Section 13-0901. Declaration of policy. 6 13-0903. Definitions. 7 13-0905. Responsibilities of the department. 8 § 13-0901. Declaration of policy. 9 It is declared to be the public policy of this state to protect, 10 preserve and restore its marine and coastal waters and to prevent and 11 mitigate their despoliation by marine and coastal debris, in order to 12 maintain healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and the benefits they 13 provide to communities. 14 § 13-0903. Definitions. 15 1. "Marine and coastal debris" shall mean any persistent solid materi- 16 al that is manufactured or processed, and directly or indirectly, inten- 17 tionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned in the waters of 18 the marine and coastal district, including debris that has been dumped, 19 swept, or blown off commercial and fishing vessels, or stationary plat- 20 forms at sea, including but not limited to ghost gear, and debris that 21 has been generated on land and blown, swept, or washed out to marine and 22 coastal waters. 23 2. "Ghost gear" shall mean lost or abandoned fishing gear, including 24 fishing nets, fishing lines, crab pots, shrimp pots, lobster pots or 25 traps, fish or eel pots, and other commercial and recreational fishing EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03844-01-5 
 S. 6307 2 1 equipment, but shall not include lost or abandoned vessels or structural 2 components thereof. 3 3. "Eligible recipients" shall mean not-for-profit corporations 4 located within New York state with the purpose of promoting sport fish- 5 ing, increasing participation in recreational angling, increasing public 6 awareness and appreciation of aquatic natural resources, encouraging 7 conservation of fisheries resources, or promoting research related to 8 sport fishing, recreational angling, or aquatic natural resources. 9 § 13-0905. Responsibilities of the department. 10 1. The department shall prepare and annually update a marine and coas- 11 tal debris action plan. Such plan shall be developed in consultation 12 with relevant stake holders including, but not limited to, the depart- 13 ment of state and the office of parks, recreation and historic preserva- 14 tion, the marine resources advisory council established pursuant to 15 section 13-0350 of this article, local governments, eligible recipients, 16 holders of commercial and recreational fishing licenses, organizations 17 of sporting enthusiasts and persons concerned with environmental issues 18 and animal welfare. 19 2. Such plan shall include an assessment of the extent of marine and 20 coastal debris and its impact on resources in marine and coastal waters, 21 shall evaluate and prioritize measures to identify, prevent and mitigate 22 the impacts of such debris, and shall identify best practices in the 23 prevention, identification and mitigation of marine and coastal debris. 24 In addition, each annual update shall include information and data on 25 progress in accomplishing the objectives of the prior year's plan and on 26 activities undertaken or supported by the department pursuant to subdi- 27 visions three and four of this section and any pilot projects initiated 28 pursuant to subdivision five of this section. 29 3. The department shall: (a) to the extent feasible, make its facili- 30 ties in communities adjacent to or within marine and coastal waters 31 available to organizations and entities involved in identification, 32 prevention, mitigation and removal and recycling or other remediation of 33 marine debris to facilitate plan implementation; and (b) to the extent 34 funds are available therefor, support and assist such organizations and 35 entities in efforts to implement the plan. 36 4. The department shall, at a minimum, provide information on report- 37 ing the location of ghost gear when issuing any commercial license for 38 fishing in marine and coastal waters, shall publish such information in 39 any department-generated guide or map for saltwater fishing, and shall 40 include toll-free numbers and links to websites of organizations that 41 accept reports of such locations on its website and on any mobile appli- 42 cation for hunting, fishing and wildlife information supported by the 43 department. 44 5. To extent that funds are available for such purposes, the depart- 45 ment shall provide grants to eligible recipients to operate one or more 46 pilot projects in each of the following areas: (a) identification, 47 removal and, to the extent feasible, recycling of ghost gear; (b) mono- 48 filament fishing line recycling; and (c) beach debris cleanup. 49 § 2. Section 13-0503 of the environmental conservation law is amended 50 by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows: 51 5. The board may advise and assist the department in the exercise of 52 its responsibilities under title nine of this article. 53 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 11-0323 of the environmental conserva- 54 tion law, as amended by chapter 330 of the laws of 2014, is amended to 55 read as follows: 
 S. 6307 3 1 1. The department shall compile and index each year after the adjourn- 2 ment of the legislature the laws relating to fish and wildlife, as well 3 as invasive species (as defined in section 9-1703 and 9-1710 of this 4 chapter), as amended to date. In addition, information on reporting the 5 location of ghost gear, including toll-free numbers and website links, 6 shall also be included. Copies of the compilation shall be printed in 7 pamphlet form of pocket size in the number for which the legislature may 8 appropriate funds. 9 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 10 the initial marine debris action plan shall be issued not later than 15 11 months after the date on which this act shall have become a law.