Any owner of shellfish grounds, franchise or franchises lying within the exclusive jurisdiction of the state, on or before the first day of July, annually, shall deliver to the Commissioner of Agriculture a statement under oath of such franchise or franchises or grounds belonging to such owner on the first day of June next preceding. Such statement shall specify the lot or lots owned by such owner by numbers as appear upon the last official map published by said commissioner, or, if granted since the publication of such map, according to such number as may be furnished by said commissioner, and the location and number of acres of each lot. Blanks for such statement shall be prepared by said commissioner and furnished to each owner, but failure to receive such blanks shall not relieve any person from the obligation to furnish the statement herein provided for. The commissioner may issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of any person before him, with books of account, documents and maps, and may administer oaths to and examine any person for the purpose of ascertaining the amount and value of such property. Any person who fails to respond to any such subpoena or who, having responded, refuses to testify or who fails to produce any such book or books of account, documents or maps, upon application of said commissioner to the superior court for any judicial district bordering on the waters of Long Island Sound, may be punished for contempt. Said commissioner may exercise the authority of assessors of towns and add ten per cent of the value of the property as a penalty for failure to give in a list. Any person who discloses any information obtained from any such witness or from the books or records of any such owner provided for under the provisions of this section, otherwise than in carrying out the provisions hereof, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars.
(1949 Rev., S. 5035; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 345; 1972, P.A. 52, S. 15; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)
History: 1971 act replaced references to shellfish commissioners, commission and board of tax review and to clerk of shellfisheries with references to environmental protection commissioner; 1972 act replaced environmental protection commissioner with commissioner of agriculture; P.A. 78-280 replaced “county” with “judicial district”; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Agriculture with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 491 - State Shellfisheries
Section 26-192. - Exclusive jurisdiction of state.
Section 26-192a. - Lead agency.
Section 26-192b. - Standards for shellfish testing.
Section 26-192c. (Formerly Sec. 19a-96). - Inspection and regulations concerning shellfish. License.
Section 26-192f. (Formerly Sec. 19a-99). - Penalties.
Section 26-192g. (Formerly Sec. 19a-100). - Enforcement.
Section 26-192i. (Formerly Sec. 19a-95). - Shellfish; definition.
Section 26-192l. - Department of Agriculture's shellfish research and survey vessel.
Section 26-192m. - Aquaculture Advisory Council. Membership. Duties. Annual report.
Section 26-193. - Natural oyster beds: Map on file.
Section 26-195. - State ground; determination of disputed boundaries.
Section 26-196. - Determination of disputed boundaries in other cases.
Section 26-197. - Commissioners' fees on hearings.
Section 26-198. - Fees for recording or copying.
Section 26-199. - Recording of transfers.
Section 26-200. - Survey and staking; maps; fee.
Section 26-201. - Release to the state.
Section 26-202. - Leasing beacon ground.
Section 26-203. - Buoying of certain natural beds.
Section 26-205. - Wardens; appointment, duties and powers.
Section 26-206. - Shellfish police.
Section 26-207. - Taxation of shellfish grounds.
Section 26-208. - Laying of tax.
Section 26-210. - Collection of tax.
Section 26-211. - Taxes unpaid five years; reversion.
Section 26-212. - Licensing and numbering of shellfish vessels. Fee.
Section 26-213. - License to work on natural beds.
Section 26-214. - Nonresident oystermen. Foreign vessels prohibited.
Section 26-217. - Use of chain bags on natural oyster beds.
Section 26-218. - License forfeited on conviction.
Section 26-219. - License to take conchs.
Section 26-220. - Shellfish spawning beds.
Section 26-224. - Deposit of injurious substances in tidal waters or on oyster ground. Penalty.
Section 26-224a. - Depositing of shellfish in tidal waters. Regulations.
Section 26-225. - Stealing oysters.
Section 26-226. - Injury to enclosure.
Section 26-227. - Taking from designated but unmarked ground.
Section 26-228. - Taking shellfish between sunset and sunrise.
Section 26-229. - Injury to monuments.
Section 26-230. - Speculation in ground prohibited. Illegally staking ground.
Section 26-231. - Towing dredge prohibited.
Section 26-232. - Taking oysters from natural beds or the Housatonic or Saugatuck Rivers.
Section 26-233. - Taking oysters from Housatonic River.
Section 26-234a. - Daily limit on oysters.
Section 26-234b. - Taking of eastern oysters. Regulations.
Section 26-236. - Uncertified natural grounds.
Section 26-237a. - Deposit of cultch material on state shellfish beds.
Section 26-237b. - Shellfish Fund.
Section 26-237c. - License for the harvesting of oysters from state shellfish grounds.