No person shall possess for the purpose of sale, sell or offer for sale any bait species without first obtaining a bait dealer’s license from the commissioner, provided the provisions of this section shall not apply to persons issued a commercial hatchery license under § 26-149. Application forms for such license shall be furnished by the commissioner. Such license shall be nontransferable. The fee for each such license shall be sixty-three dollars annually. Each such license shall expire on the last day of December next after issuance. Each such licensed bait dealer may possess and sell only such bait species as shall be authorized under regulations issued by the commissioner, provided live carp and goldfish shall not be possessed for any purpose on premises used by licensed bait dealers. Each such licensee shall keep such records relating to the operation of such business as the commissioner determines on forms furnished by the commissioner and shall file such report with the commissioner within thirty days after the expiration of such license. No such report shall contain any material false statement. Failure to file such report shall be a violation of this section and the commissioner may refuse to reissue such license until the licensee complies with this requirement. Representatives of the commissioner may enter upon the premises of bait dealers at any time to inspect required records and the bait species possessed and to detect violations of this section and regulations issued hereunder by the commissioner, and such representatives may confiscate and dispose of any fish illegally possessed. Any person who violates any provision of this section or any such regulation issued by the commissioner shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor.

Attorney's Note

Under the Connecticut General Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class D misdemeanorup to 30 daysup to $250
For details, see Conn. Gen. Stat.53a-36

Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 26-45

  • Bait species: means all species of fish, frogs, crustaceans and insects listed as bait in the regulations issued by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection. See Connecticut General Statutes 26-1
  • Commercial hatchery: means an institution or place where legally acquired fish are held, hatched and reared for sale or where fish so acquired or hatched are reared or held for sale in waters which are under complete control of the owner. See Connecticut General Statutes 26-1