(A) Except for department personnel in their official capacity, it is unlawful for a person to fish, inspect, or use in any manner nongame fishing devices owned and tagged by another person or to remove any fish from a device unless under the immediate supervision of the owner. A person found guilty of a violation of this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for up to thirty days, or both.
(B) A person who steals any nongame fishing device or any fish in a device or who tampers with or damages a nongame fishing device or makes it ineffective for the purpose of taking fish is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction:
(1) for tampering with or damaging or making ineffective a device, must be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days; and
(2) for stealing a device or fish caught in the device, must be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.
HISTORY: 1981 Act No. 170, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1263; 1976 Code Sections 50-13-1191, 50-13-1197; 2012 Act No. 114, Section 4, eff July 1, 2012.
Effect of Amendment
The 2012 amendment renumbered and rewrote this section.