(A) It is lawful for enforcement officers to enter and inspect any and all premises, houses, sheds, or warehouses used in commercial fishing or any fishing industry; and to stop and search any boat or vessel used in fishing and in the fishing industry; and to stop and search any vehicle used in the commercial fishing industry; and to arrest, without warrant, all persons violating the natural resources or boating laws or regulations punishable by a criminal penalty.

(B) Failure or refusal to comply with any lawful order or direction or to obstruct or evade or interfere with any officer enforcing the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed a misdemeanor, and a person convicted thereof must be fined not less than five hundred dollars and not more than twenty-five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than thirty days.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 50-5-90

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Boat: means a vessel. See South Carolina Code 50-21-10
  • convicted: means adjudication at trial or civil hearing and includes the entry of a plea of guilty, or nolo contendere, or the forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure a defendant's appearance in court. See South Carolina Code 50-5-15
  • Fishing: means all activity and effort involved in taking or attempting to take fish. See South Carolina Code 50-5-15
  • Person: means an individual, a partnership, a firm, a corporation, an association, or other legal entity. See South Carolina Code 50-21-10
  • Vessel: means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane regulated by the federal government, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water. See South Carolina Code 50-21-10