Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Panel sends bill to appropriate committee to require recurring oyster stock assessments
Loading...
Summary
The subcommittee reported HB 599 (with substitute) 10–0 to refer to Appropriations; the substitute moves procurement for recurring oyster stock assessments to VMRC and establishes a predictable schedule to guide restoration and fisheries management.
Delegate Simon presented a substitute to HB 599 that shifts responsibility for recurring oyster stock assessments from VIMS to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, directing VMRC to contract surveying services through a competitive procurement process.
Supporters said oysters are critical to the seafood economy, water quality and shoreline resilience, and that a regular, science-based stock assessment will give fisheries managers and restoration practitioners current data to better target efforts. Chris Moore (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) and other witnesses said the assessment would help the Commonwealth meet Bay restoration acreage goals and make more efficient use of restoration funds.
The substitute was adopted and the committee voted 10–0 to report HB 599 with substitute and refer it to Appropriations. The procurement process and cost estimates were discussed but not finalized; the bill was sent forward for funding review.
