HB315 Alabama 2010 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Spencer Collier
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2010
Title: Oysters and certain other seafood, harvesting regulated by Marine Resources Division of Conservation and Natural Resources Department, oyster management stations provided for, regulation of sacking by Health Department, certain fees further provided for, penalties, Secs. 9-12-28, 9-12-32, 9-12-33, 9-12-35, 9-12-37, 9-12-42, 9-12-67, 9-12-121 am'd.; Secs. 9-12-34, 9-12-38, 9-12-39, 9-12-43, 9-12-44 repealed
Summary: HB315 tightens Alabama's oyster and seafood harvesting rules by creating management stations and ports of entry, adding tagging and record-keeping, expanding size and culling rules, and funding reef restoration through shell fees.
What This Bill Does
It designates specific ports of entry and oyster management stations for landing oysters, requires harvest records, and limits sales to state-certified dealers with penalties for violations. It also imposes requirements on private reef owners to survey and mark bottoms, maintain permits, and obtain dredge licenses, while giving the Department authority to manage closed-season cultivation and reef restoration. It establishes a requirement to replant half of removed oyster shells or pay a fee funded into a new Oyster Management Fund to support reef culture and resource management, with enforcement and potential license consequences for noncompliance.

Who It Affects
Commercial oyster harvesters, vessel operators, seafood dealers, and licensed oyster processors: must land at designated ports, follow management-station procedures, keep harvest records, and sell only to certified/licensed buyers; face penalties for violations.
Owners, lessees, and permittees of private oyster reefs/beds/bottoms: must conduct surveys, mark boundaries, maintain permits, obtain dredge licenses, and either replant shells or pay shell fees to support reef management; face penalties for noncompliance and potential license action.

Key Provisions
Designates ports of entry and oyster management stations and requires landing, check-out/in procedures, harvest records, and restricted sale to state-certified dealers with penalties for violations.
Replaces the shell-removal process with a 50% replanting requirement for shells removed from public reefs, creates a per-sack shell fee to fund replanting and reef management, deposits fees into an Oyster Management Fund, and provides enforcement mechanisms for nonpayment or nonreplanting.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Conservation and Natural Resources Department