(a) Haul seines shall have no meshes smaller than one and one-half (1 ½) inches stretch measure; except that seines specifically used for the catching of bait fish may have smaller meshes; provided, that such bait seines and the use thereof shall otherwise conform to the provisions of this chapter and to the rules and regulations issued by the Commissioner.
(b) In fishing with haul seines or bait seines it is prohibited to take the seines up to the shore or otherwise remove them from the water to withdraw the fish. Every fish suitable for human consumption must be withdrawn from the seine while it is still in the water, and the fish which are too small for human consumption and which shall not be utilized as bait fish (specifically ballyhoo, mullet or sprat), shall be released unharmed into the sea.
(c) Fish pots may be constructed of any material; provided, that the entrance, or one side of the fish pot, or the door or the fastening of the door for the removal of fish shall be constructed of some material less durable than that used in the construction of the fish pot itself, such as twine, twine and bamboo or soft wood; the purpose being to permit the escape of fish in fish pots which have been lost accidentally at sea.
(d) No fish trap, fish pot or lobster pot constructed of wire or mesh, in part or in whole, and used within the inland or reef-protected areas of the territorial coastal waters, shall have a wire mesh opening less than one and one-quarter (1 ¼) inches in its largest vertical dimension, the purpose being to permit the escape of small and juvenile fish.
(e) No person shall use wooden or bamboo or metal buoys on any traps, pot or set in the inland or coastal waters of this territory after January 1, 1973.
(f) Any boat or vessel equipped with, or any person having in his possession, any gear, apparatus or other device or equipment contrary to the provisions of this chapter shall be considered to be in violation of those provisions.
(g) Any person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty ($50) dollars nor more than one hundred ($100) dollars or by imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) days on each count, or by both such fine and imprisonment.