No person shall have in his possession any escallops other than adult escallops. For the purpose of this section, an adult escallop is defined as an escallop having a well-defined growth line. All seed escallops taken shall be immediately returned alive to waters having a depth of at least three feet at mean low tide, except that the selectmen of any town bordering on Long Island Sound may, on application, authorize such escallops to be removed and transplanted in waters along the sound. No person shall take any escallops from the first day of April to the first day of October or from sunset to sunrise, except that in the waters of Little Narragansett Bay no person shall take any escallops from the first day of April to the fifteenth day of September or from sunset to sunrise. No person shall use any rake, dredge, drag or other device which may be drawn along the surface of the bottom, except a device such as a scoop net which is attached to a pole and has an opening not more than sixteen inches wide and is used manually by the person engaged in taking escallops. No person shall open and return to the water the shell and entrails of any escallops after the eye or muscle has been removed, nor shall any starfish taken from the waters be returned thereto. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than two hundred fifty dollars.
(1949 Rev., S. 5092; September, 1950, S. 2566d; 1957, P.A. 32; P.A. 99-169, S. 5, 7; P.A. 12-80, S. 42.)
History: P.A. 99-169 deleted a restriction on nonresidents' ability to take escallops from waters of this state, effective June 23, 1999; P.A. 12-80 replaced penalty of a fine of not more than $50 or imprisonment of not more than 60 days or both with a fine of not more than $250.