Section 9-12-54.4 Catching, etc., of bait; restrictions.
Section 9-12-54.4
Catching, etc., of bait; restrictions.
Licensed live saltwater bait catcher boats may, except as otherwise provided by law or regulation, take or catch, or attempt to take or catch, bait shrimp of any size and other saltwater species of bait in waters of the state under the jurisdiction of the Marine Resources Division as defined by rule of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources not permanently closed to shrimping. Licensed live saltwater bait catchers may take or catch, or attempt to take or catch, live saltwater bait from 4:00 o'clock a.m. until 10:00 o'clock p.m. in areas temporarily closed to commercial shrimping, except as otherwise provided by law or regulation. The live saltwater bait shall not be taken with any seine or trawl having a width greater than 16 feet as measured at the cork line or main top line when any area, other than areas permanently closed to shrimping by statute or regulation, is closed to commercial shrimping and in designated exclusive bait areas. Lengths and widths of leadlines or footropes and trawl boards may be set by regulation. Dead shrimp must be packaged and sold with head attached in lots of no more than one pound. No holder of a live saltwater bait license shall have in his or her possession pursuant to such license more than one standard shrimp basket (measuring 17 inches in diameter at the top, 13.5 inches at the bottom and 14 inches in height) of shrimp live or dead per boat or truck and no more than three standard shrimp baskets per place of business and such shrimp shall be sold only as bait.
(Acts 1981, No. 81-853, p. 1531, §4; Acts 1994, No. 94-618, p. 1150, §1; Act 2000-737, p. 1613, §1.)