A Boatload of Poaching Legislation in the House and Senate
Lawmakers rush to address issue may be leading to more problems.
A bevy of poaching bills is making its way through the House and Senate, highlighting divisions among lawmakers who are trying to address poaching problems in different ways. While some of the bills were already in the works at the beginning of the session, others were quickly drafted after nearly 13 tons of poached rockfish were discovered in illegally anchored nets in the Chesapeake Bay in February. But some worry that in the excitement the bills were drafted too quickly and overlap each other too much. "This is overkill," said House Minority Leader Anthony O'Donnell (R-Calvert) at Friday's Environmental Matters Committee meeting about a bill that would create enhanced penalties for oyster poaching. "This is just giving someone a bill to…
