Sen. Hickman bill strengthening the right to hunt and fish signed into law by Governor

AUGUSTA — On April 6, the Governor signed into law a bill introduced by Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, which strengthens Mainers’ right to food. The bill, LD 1343, “An Act to Protect the Right to Harvest Fish and Wildlife,” establishes a statutory right to hunt and fish pursuant to Maine’s Constitution.

“I am most grateful to the Governor and my colleagues for seeing the value in strengthening the constitutional right that Maine voters passed in 2021,” said Sen. Hickman. “We have made clear that harvesting food in all manners — including hunting and fishing — is a clearly protected constitutional and statutory right.”

LD 1343 establishes that, pursuant to the right to food as declared in the Constitution of Maine, Article I, Section 25, the people of this state have a right to harvest fish and wildlife by hunting, fishing or trapping for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health or well-being, subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations. 

The bill will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns.

Sen. Hickman represents Senate District 14, which includes the towns of Chelsea, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Monmouth, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, Wayne, West Gardiner and Winthrop in Kennebec County.

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