The department may regulate the use of nets and other devices commonly used to take fish. No person shall use a net or device to take fish without first obtaining a license to do so. Gill nets shall not be operated in Lake Erie. No gill net license for use in Lake Ontario, including Chaumont Bay and all its other embayments, shall be issued except to holders of a gill net license valid on or prior to December 31, 1986, and all licenses issued on or prior to that date are non-transferable.