Sec. 26-212. Licensing and numbering of shellfish vessels. Fee.
Sec. 26-212. Licensing and numbering of shellfish vessels. Fee. No person shall
take or gather for commercial purposes oysters, clams, mussels or other molluscan shellfish from any natural shellfish bed in the state in any boat or vessel unless it is licensed
and numbered in the manner provided in this section. Any person desiring to use any
boat or vessel for such purpose may make written application to the Commissioner of
Agriculture, stating the name, owner, rig, general description and tonnage of such boat
or vessel and the place where it is owned, and the commissioner shall issue to the owner
of such boat or vessel a license to take and gather for commercial purposes oysters,
clams, mussels or other molluscan shellfish from the natural shellfish beds in the state
for the term expiring on the next succeeding twentieth day of July, unless sooner revoked,
upon the payment of fifteen dollars; provided, before such license is granted, the owner
or master shall prove to the satisfaction of the commissioner that such boat or vessel
may legally be used on work on the public beds of the state and that the dredges and
other contrivances do not weigh more than thirty pounds. Each boat or vessel so licensed
shall, while at work upon any of the natural shellfish beds of the state, display the number
of such license in black figures not less than one foot in length. No such license may
be transferred. The sale of any boat so licensed shall operate as a forfeiture and revocation
of the license, and the license certificate shall be surrendered to the commissioner.
(1949 Rev., S. 5044; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 350; 1972, P.A. 52, S. 20; P.A. 78-334, S. 1; P.A. 82-91, S. 28, 38; P.A. 99-169, S. 1, 7; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)
History: 1971 act replaced references to clerk of shellfisheries with references to environmental protection commissioner; 1972 act replaced environmental protection commissioner with commissioner of agriculture; P.A. 78-334 increased
license fee for boats 25 feet overall or less from $8 to $15 and deleted provisions requiring licensed boats to display license
number and Connecticut coat of arms on sails; P.A. 82-91 expanded the licensing requirements of this section to include
not only the taking of oysters from natural beds in the exclusive jurisdiction of the state, but also the taking, for commercial
purposes, of oysters, clams, mussels or other molluscan shellfish from any natural shellfish bed in the state, established
the license fee at $15 and repealed previous fee schedule of $15 for vessel or boat under five gross tons and over 25 feet
long, and for vessel or boat exceeding five gross tons, $3 for each additional gross ton, and for vessel or boat 25 feet or
less, $15; P.A. 99-169 deleted provisions limiting licenses under this section to residents of this state and provided that
such licenses may not be transferred, effective June 23, 1999; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of
Agriculture with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed
Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer
Protection, effective June 1, 2004.