Georgia Code
Part 1 - General Provisions
§ 27-4-133. Lawful Nets; Opening and Closing Waters; Identification on Boats Fishing for Shrimp

(a.1) (1) It shall be unlawful to fish for shrimp for human consumption with any trawl or trawls having a total foot-rope length greater than 220 feet, not including the foot-rope length of a single trawl not greater than 16 feet when used as a try net. Foot-rope shall be measured from brail line to brail line, first tie to last tie on the bottom line. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to vessels having a maximum draft of seven feet or less when fully loaded. The department is authorized to exempt trawls used by persons holding a valid scientific collection permit granted by the department.
(2) A vessel operator who violates the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $500.00 nor more than $2,500.00, imprisoned for not longer than 30 days, or both, and any trawl on board the vessel shall be contraband and forfeited in accordance with the procedures set forth in Chapter 16 of Title 9.
History. Ga. L. 1924, p. 101, § 34; Code 1933, § 45-512; Ga. L. 1952, p. 77, §§ 1-4; Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 491, §§ 1-7; Ga. L. 1955, p. 483, § 94; Ga. L. 1956, p. 590, §§ 12, 13, 20; Ga. L. 1964, p. 174, § 1; Ga. L. 1966, p. 270, § 1; Ga. L. 1968, p. 202, § 3; Ga. L. 1970, p. 961, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1971, p. 221, § 1; Ga. L. 1974, p. 1170, § 1; Ga. L. 1974, p. 1175, § 1; Code 1933, § 45-902, enacted by Ga. L. 1977, p. 396, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 1552, § 3; Ga. L. 1979, p. 678, § 36; Ga. L. 1981, p. 688, § 1; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 27; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1133, § 11; Ga. L. 2001, p. 1069, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 797, § 1; Ga. L. 2007, p. 93, § 11/HB 100; Ga. L. 2012, p. 739, § 22/HB 869; Ga. L. 2015, p. 693, § 3-20/HB 233.
Cross references.
Factors to be considered in opening and closing salt waters in accordance with current, sound principles of wildlife management and research, § 27-4-130 .
Opening and closing of salt waters for sport bait shrimping, § 27-4-170 .
Access of salt waters for shrimping by bait dealers, § 27-4-171 .
Numbering requirements for watercraft generally, § 52-7-5 et seq.
Code Commission notes.
Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2001, “30” was substituted for “thirty” in paragraph (a.1)(2).
Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2012, an extra comma was deleted following “management,” in the first sentence of subsection (f).
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 2002, p. 797, § 1, which amended this Code section, purported to amend paragraph (a)(1) but actually amended paragraph (a.1)(1).
Ga. L. 2015, p. 693, § 4-1/HB 233, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: “This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2015, and shall apply to seizures of property for forfeiture that occur on or after that date. Any such seizure that occurs before July 1, 2015, shall be governed by the statute in effect at the time of such seizure.”
Law reviews.
For article surveying Georgia cases dealing with environment, natural resources, and land use from June 1977 through May 1978, see 30 Mercer L. Rev. 75 (1978).
For article on the 2015 amendment of this Code section, see 32 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 1 (2015).