GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1995

S	1 

SENATE BILL 1341

Short Title:  Fund Cooperative Fisheries/University Project.    	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senators Albertson, Conder, Martin of Pitt, Odom, Perdue, Rand; Dannelly, Winner, Hoyle, Kerr, Hobbs, Blackmon, Forrester, Cochrane, Shaw, Smith, Cooper, and Warren.

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Referred to:  Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources.

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May 27, 1996

BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A FISHERIES RESEARCH CENTER WITHIN THE COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AND TO REQUIRE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND NATURAL RESOURCES CREATE AN EMERGENCY FISH KILL RESPONSE TEAM TO RESPOND TO SIGNIFICANT FISH KILLS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina for  the Cooperative Institute of Fisheries Oceanography the sum of one hundred thirty-two thousand five hundred dollars ($132,500) in recurring funds for the 1996-97 fiscal year for graduate stipends, undergraduate internships, and visiting faculty, to initiate a cooperative effort between the Division of Marine Fisheries of the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources and The University of North Carolina System on fisheries and water quality management.
Sec. 2.  The Division of Marine Fisheries shall establish priorities for fisheries and water quality projects on an annual basis in cooperation with university fisheries scientists.  Funding shall be consistent with those priorities.
Sec. 3.  The Division of Marine Fisheries shall use existing funds to establish an Emergency Fish Kill Response Team consisting of staff from the Division of Marine Fisheries, the Division of Environmental Management, the Division of Environmental Health, and appropriate university scientists.  The Division of Marine Fisheries shall provide detailed procedures for the preparation and implementation of response efforts in the event of a fish kill.  The team shall respond to reported significant fish kills within 24 hours and shall adopt a strategy to determine if the fish kill threatens the environment or public health.  If the team determines that the fish kill threatens the environment or public health, the Secretary of the Department shall take immediate action.
Sec. 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1996.