Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program (MASGLP) received funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to develop model regulatory language for use by Gulf and South Atlantic states to limit the spread of invasive species through the live bait pathway. Additionally, MASGLP created a database of aquatic invasive species statutes and regulations for Gulf and Southeastern states. MASGLP researched the laws and regulations of the Gulf and South Atlantic states, considering any rule addressing invasive plants and animals, as well as laws addressing bait. A summary of those rules with links is provided below.

Significant Laws and Regulations Addressing Invasive Species and Bait

Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
Puerto Rico
South Carolina
Texas

Model Bait Regulation

Additional research was conducted by reviewing bait laws in other states, and a draft Model Bait Regulation was produced from the combined research. The draft was shared with state fish and wildlife experts, including lawyers, requesting comments. The comments were incorporated into the final version, which is attached below. The document includes a discussion of the process and an analysis of the findings.

Download Model Regulation to Control the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species via Bait

FAQs

Model Bait Regulations FAQs

Publication No.: MASGP-21-013

This project was funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, and supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under NOAA Award NA18OAR4170080 and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of any of these organizations.