§ 13-0342. Marine fisheries data.

1. a. The department is authorized to adopt regulations which require
reporting of catch, effort, area fished, gear used, by-catch, and volume
and value of product purchased from fishermen, by holders of all
categories of commercial food fish, lobster, and crab fishing and
landing licenses, marine and coastal district food fish and crustacea
dealers and shippers licenses, marine and coastal district party and
charter boat license, menhaden licenses, shellfish shippers permits and
diggers permits.

b. Beginning May first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine and every May
first thereafter, the department shall submit a report to the
legislature on the data collected pursuant to this section. Such report
shall include the catch, effort, area fished, gear used, by-catch, and
volume and value of product purchased from fishermen, by holders of all
categories of commercial food fish, lobster, and crab fishing and
licenses, marine and coastal district party and charter boat licenses,
menhaden licenses, shellfish shippers permits and diggers permits.

2. The department may, by rule and regulation, provide that data
collected by the department or available to the department shall be
confidential and shall not be disclosed except when required under court
order. The department may, by rule and regulation, prescribe such
procedures as may be necessary to preserve such confidentiality except
that the department may release or make public any statistics in an
aggregate or summary form which does not directly or indirectly disclose
the identity or business of any person who submits such statistics.