1. A person shall not engage in the business of aquaculture until that person has applied for and has been issued an aquaculture unit license from the department. The application period extends from January 1, or the date of the application, through December 31. A license shall not be issued to operate an aquaculture unit on private or nonmeandered lakes and streams and ponds that may become stocked with fish from public waters or natural migration. A pond stocked by the department pursuant to section 481A.78 shall not be used for aquaculture purposes.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 481A.141

  • Aquaculture: means the controlled propagation, growth, and harvest of aquatic organisms, including, but not limited to fish, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans, gastropods, algae, and other aquatic plants, by an aquaculturist. See Iowa Code 481A.1
  • Aquaculture unit: means all private waters for aquaculture with or without buildings, used for the purpose of propagating, raising, holding, or harvesting aquatic organisms for commercial purposes. See Iowa Code 481A.1
  • Bait: includes but is not limited to minnows, green sunfish, orange-spotted sunfish, gizzard shad, frogs, crayfish, and salamanders. See Iowa Code 481A.1
  • Commercial purposes: means selling, giving, or furnishing to others. See Iowa Code 481A.1
  • Department: means the department of natural resources. See Iowa Code 481A.1
  • Fish: means a member of the class Pisces. See Iowa Code 481A.1
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Operate: means to navigate or otherwise use a vessel or motorboat. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Operator: means a person who operates or is in actual physical control of a vessel. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Owner: means a person, other than a lienholder, having the property right in or title to a motorboat or vessel. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Person: shall mean any person, firm, partnership, or corporation. See Iowa Code 481A.1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. The following persons must obtain an aquaculture unit license:

 a. A person who, for commercial purposes, rears or maintains live animals or plants for food, bait, or for stocking in waters of the state.
 b. An owner or operator of a pond where guests or customers are allowed to fish for a fee, or allowed to take fish without regard to angling licenses, seasons, gear restrictions, or bag limits.
 3. The cultivation and sale of tropical fish species or ornamental aquatic plants or animals, not utilized for human consumption or bait purposes, but maintained in closed systems and utilized by the pet industry or hobbyists are exempt from license requirements.
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