29.523 Net licenses, Mississippi and St. Croix rivers.
(1) Licenses which authorize the use of nets in the Mississippi River and in that part of the St. Croix River downstream from the dam at St. Croix Falls shall be issued subject to s. 29.024 by the department to a resident who applies for a license. This subsection, as applicable to the St. Croix River, is not effective unless Minnesota has in effect similar legislation.
(2) Each net license authorizes the use of one or more of the following nets only:
(a) Seine nets.
(b) Gill nets.
(c) Bait nets used without leads.
(d) Buffalo nets.
(e) Frame nets.
(4)
(a) Except when lifting or setting a gill net, no person may use a seine, gill, bait, buffalo or frame net in the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers unless the net has the required number of tags stamped to designate the kind of net and number of the net license covering it securely fastened to it.
(b) The required number of tags is as follows:
1. For a seine net, one tag for each 500 lineal feet, or fraction thereof.
2. For a gill net, one tag for each 2,000 lineal feet, or fraction thereof.
3. For a bait, buffalo or frame net, one tag for each net.
(c) The department shall issue net tags to the licensee at the time of issuing the net license.
(5) Each licensee shall keep a strict record and account as to each variety of fish and the number of pounds of each variety that are taken by the licensee in gear licensed to the licensee and such other information as the department requires; and shall report thereon to the department on or before the 10th day of each month during the license period.
(6) No person who holds a net license may operate a fish farm that contains a variety of fish that the holder of the license is authorized to catch under this section.
History: 1975 c. 360; 1983 a. 27, 192; 1991 a. 316; 1997 a. 27; 1997 a. 248 ss. 478 to 481; Stats. 1997 s. 29.523.