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.