H1030 - 2016 Appropriations Act. (SL 2016-94)

Overview: Sec. 14.11 of S.L. 2016-94, as amended by Sec. 6.1 of S.L. 2016-123, amends the shellfish leasing statutes as follows:

• Changes the date on which the rent for shellfish bottom leases must be paid from April 1 to July 1 of each year.
• Allows an amendment to a shellfish bottom lease to authorize use of the water column to be transferred with the shellfish superincumbent bottom lease.
• Extends the authorized period for demonstration or research aquaculture development projects from two to five years.
• Increases the threshold for being considered commercial production from $1,000 to $5,000.
• Increases the period for water column leases to perpetual franchises from five to 10 years.
• Allows a water column lease to a perpetual franchise to be transferred with the superincumbent perpetual franchise.

This section also directs the Chief Sustainability Officer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to convene a stakeholder working group to study how to ecologically restore oyster populations and habitats and achieve economic stability of the shellfish aquaculture industry. The results of this study must be reported to the Fiscal Research Division, the Environmental Review Commission, and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources by December 31, 2018.

This section became effective July 1, 2016.