§327.  Sale or purchase of freshwater or saltwater game fish prohibited; commercial sales and purchases, commercial license required; commercial fingerlings and certified mariculture and aquaculture fish excepted; penalties

A.(1)  No person shall purchase, sell, exchange, or offer for sale or exchange, or possess or import with intent to sell or exchange any game fish as defined in R.S. 56:8.

(a)-(c)  Repealed by Acts 2008, No. 23, §3, eff. July 1, 2008.

(2)  The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to regulate the importation, possession, or sale of game fish species. Red drum, hybrid striped bass, or any other game fish species approved by the commission, which are legally taken, possessed, or sold commercially outside of the state, and aquaculturally raised game fish, may be imported, sold, or purchased by properly licensed persons. Except those game fish being imported under a domesticated aquatic organisms license, prior  to each shipment into this state of any game fish for consumption, the buyer or handler of such shipment shall notify the secretary or his designated agent of its pending arrival and shall possess a bill of lading. The bill of lading shall state the species of fish contained in each shipment, the number of fish or parts thereof, the origin of the shipment, the destination of the shipment, the consignee and consignor, and where applicable, the grower's name and fish farmer's license number. Wholesalers, their agents, and commercial transporters delivering the shipment or portions thereof to retail dealers shall provide each dealer with a copy of their bill of lading and shall indicate thereon the date of delivery to the retailer, the species of fish delivered, and the number of fish or parts thereof delivered. Both wholesale and retail dealers shall maintain a file of such bills of lading which shall be open to inspection by the secretary, his agents, or any enforcement agents. Regulations adopted by the commission may utilize a confirmation number system in lieu of copies of bills of lading provided by wholesale/retail seafood dealers to retail seafood dealers.

B.  It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to offer to sell or to sell any shrimp, oyster, fish, or other seafood without having first obtained a valid commercial fishing, retail, or wholesale license as otherwise provided in this Subpart, or without having first obtained certification from the department that such seafood has been raised and taken in accordance with a certified aquaculture program or a valid experimental mariculture permit issued pursuant to R.S. 56:579.1.  It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation, including any restaurant or retail establishment, to purchase any shrimp, oyster, fish, or other seafood from any person who does not possess a valid commercial fishing, retail, or wholesale license lawfully issued in his name or his employer's name as provided in this Subpart, or possess certification from the department that such seafood has been raised and taken in accordance with a certified aquaculture program or a valid experimental mariculture permit issued pursuant to R.S. 56:579.1.  The commercial fishing license required herein shall be one which authorizes the bearer to sell his catch.  Such license or certification or a copy thereof shall be in the possession of the seller and conspicuously displayed at all times when transacting any sale.

C.(1)  Violation of Subsection A of this Section constitutes a class 5-B violation.

(2)  The provisions of Subsection B of this Section shall be enforceable by all law enforcement agencies throughout the state, in addition to agents of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and including but not limited to law enforcement officers of local governmental subdivisions.  Notwithstanding any of the provisions of R.S. 56:314 to the contrary, any tackle of any type or description, including without limitation such gear listed in R.S. 56:302, 302.5, or 305, which is used by a fisherman to take shrimp, oysters, fish, or other seafood for sale without possessing a valid commercial fisherman's license, in violation of Subsection B of this Section, shall be seized by the enforcing officer.  Notwithstanding Subsection F of this Section to the contrary, violation of Subsection B of this Section constitutes a class 5-B violation (R.S. 56:35(B)).

D.(1)  Recognizing that there are ever increasing numbers of both sport and commercial fishermen utilizing the waters of the state for recreational and commercial pursuits resulting in conflicts over limited space and competition for the same saltwater fish, and acknowledging that both the sport and commercial fishing industry are vital to the economy of the coastal region and the entire state, the provisions of this Subsection, being deemed fair and in the best interest of the state, are hereby declared.

(2)  The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission shall hold public hearings to determine areas in which the saltwater fish resources of the state must be allocated between the competing sport and commercial interests and shall promulgate rules and regulations defining such areas and the manner in which the saltwater fish resources shall be allocated, provided that the commission shall initially promulgate regulations setting out by clearly identifiable boundaries the waters within the Eleventh Ward, Jefferson Parish, and a procedure for allocation of the saltwater fish resource therein, such procedure to be based on a seasonal, hourly, daily, monthly, or total closure of said area to net fishing, whichever in the determination of the commission shall best accomplish the intent and purpose of this Subsection.

E.  The secretary shall have the authority to set seasons, regulate the type of gear used, and set possession limits for speckled trout and other estuarine fish where it is clearly demonstrated that intense fishing competition exists or if pollution levels exceed accepted standards or if biological studies indicate the need.

F.  Violation of any provision of this Section for which no penalty has been otherwise specifically provided constitutes a class one violation.

G.  With the exception of large mouth bass (Micropterus Salmoides), spotted bass (Micropterous punctulatus), shadow bass (Amblophlites ariommus), black or white crappie (Pomoxix Nigromaculatus, P, annularis), white bass (Morone chrysops), yellow bass (Morone mississippiensi), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and any species of bream (Lepomis supp. and Centrarchus sp.), the provisions of this Section shall not apply to research or other projects being conducted by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, or by other schools or programs specifically authorized by the Board of Regents with the concurrence of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, including but not limited to the sale or distribution of the research by-products, such as eggs, fingerlings, and fish, or other products grown under aquacultural conditions.

Acts 1974, No. 223, §1; Amended by Acts 1974, No. 633, §2; Acts 1976, No. 576, §1; Acts 1979, No. 287, §1; Acts 1981, No. 736, §1; Acts 1981, No. 837, §3; Acts 1982, No. 316, §1; Acts 1983, No. 522, §1; Acts 1985, No. 402, §1; Acts 1986, No. 660, §2; Acts 1987, No. 285, §1; Acts 1988, No. 778, §1; Acts 1988, No. 889, §1, eff. July 21, 1988; Acts 1988, No. 889, §4, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1989, No. 469, §1; H.C.R. 181, 1989 R.S.; Acts 1990, No. 78, §§1 and 2; eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 822, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 888, §1, eff. July 23, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 987, §2; Acts 1995, No. 1141, §1; Acts 1997, No. 204, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1022, §1; Acts 2003, No. 268, §1; Acts 2007, No. 316, §§1, 2; Acts 2008, No. 23, §§1, 3, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 220, §12, eff. June 14, 2008; Acts 2014, No. 286, §1.