Alabama Code 9-12-54.1. Live saltwater bait dealers license
Attorney's Note
Under the Alabama Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class A misdemeanor | up to 1 year | up to $6,000 |
| Violation | up to 30 days | up to $200 |
Terms Used In Alabama Code 9-12-54.1
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
- year: means a calendar year; but, whenever the word "year" is used in reference to any appropriations for the payment of money out of the treasury, it shall mean fiscal year. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
Before any person, firm, or corporation engages in the taking, catching, transporting, or selling of live saltwater bait and the transporting of dead saltwater bait for commercial purposes, he or she shall have in his or her possession a live saltwater bait dealers license. “Live saltwater bait” shall be defined by regulation promulgated by the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The license shall be sold and issued by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to any live saltwater bait dealer upon payment of a fee of one hundred dollars ($100), which shall entitle the person to sell live saltwater bait from a place of business and operate one designated live bait catcher boat and one transport truck, or two hundred dollars ($200) for the right to sell live saltwater bait from a place of business and operate two designated live bait catcher boats and two transport trucks. Detailed records of transactions involving shrimp shall be maintained at the place of business by seafood dealer licensees and by live saltwater bait dealers who are party to the transaction. The records shall include the name and address of the seller, the date and time of purchase, the amount of purchase (by poundage of purchase), price paid per pound, and shrimp size. Transactions on sales of purchased shrimp shall be totaled daily. These records shall be immediately available for inspection by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and shall be maintained for a minimum of 30 days. If the licensee or dealer fails to keep these records, the licensee or dealer is subject to the penalties set forth in Section 9-12-54.7. If the licensee or dealer is found to have kept fraudulent records, the licensee or dealer shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall not issue a live saltwater bait dealers license until the applicant has furnished to the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources information as the commissioner may prescribe showing that the applicant has the necessary equipment and facilities to properly keep shrimp and other saltwater species alive for sale as bait. The commissioner, before the issuance of a license, shall cause an inspection of the gear and equipment, place of business, truck, or vessel of the applicant to ascertain if they meet the requirements as set by regulation for keeping bait shrimp and other saltwater species of bait alive. The live saltwater bait dealers license privileges may be suspended at any time during the issuing year that an agent of the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources finds that equipment, gear, truck, or vessel of the licensee no longer meets the minimum requirements for keeping shrimp and other saltwater species alive for sale as bait. Any person who sells, exchanges, barters, or attempts to sell, barter, exchange, or otherwise dispose of live saltwater bait, shall be in violation of Sections 9-12-54.1 through 9-12-54.7 unless he or she first purchases the annual live saltwater bait dealers license.