Massachusetts "Whale Safe Fishing" Initiative (2016)
| Massachusetts "Whale Safe Fishing" Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Hunting and fishing | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The "Whale Safe Fishing" Initiative was not on the ballot in Massachusetts as an indirect initiated state statute on November 8, 2016.
The measure was designed to prohibit the authorization or licensure of the commercial use of fishing gear known to endanger whales or sea turtles.[1][2]
Text of measure
Petition name
The petition name was as follows:[2]
| “ | The Whale Safe Fishing Act[3] | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for the version of the initiative targeting the ballot for 2016 was as follows:[4]
| “ | This proposed law would have prohibited the Director of the state Division of Marine Fisheries from authorizing or licensing the commercial use of fishing gear known to cause the entanglement of whales or sea turtles. The state Secretary of Environmental Affairs would have been required to make an annual scientific determination whether any kind of fishing gear licensed by the Director would cause the entanglement of any whale or sea turtle. The Director could license only that fishing gear determined not to cause such entanglements.
The proposed law would have prohibited the Director from permitting the use of any type of gill net or other fishing gear that suspends a curtain of mesh material in the ocean to capture fish without being actively towed.[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the measure was as follows:[2]
|
Path to the ballot
In order to qualify initiated state statutes for the ballot in Massachusetts, petitioners submit signatures in two rounds. One round is submitted to the legislature for review, and the other round is submitted if the legislature does not act on the initiative by a certain date. Submission for initiated constitutional amendments follows a similar but slightly different process in which approval of the initiative petition by at least one-quarter of the state legislature during two joint session votes replaces the second round of signatures.
Supporters had until December 2, 2015, to submit at least 64,750 valid signatures. If the supporters had gathered the required amount of signatures, the proposal would have been put before the Legislature. The initiative, however, did not meet the signature requirement.[5]
Related measures
See also
- 2016 ballot measures
- Massachusetts 2016 ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mass.gov, "15-28," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mass.gov, "16-02," accessed December 8, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mass.gov, "15-28 summary," accessed December 4, 2015
- ↑ Official Website of the Attorney General of Massachusetts, "Current petitions filed," accessed January 13, 2016
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