South Carolina Code of Laws
Chapter 5 - Marine Resources Act
Section 50-5-35. Notice of opening or closing of commercial fishing season; health and environmental protection.

South Carolina Code of Laws

Title 50 - Fish, Game and Watercraft

Chapter 5 - Marine Resources Act

Section 50-5-10. Citation of chapter.

Section 50-5-15. Definitions.

Section 50-5-17. Flounder Population Study Program.

Section 50-5-20. Jurisdiction of Department of Natural Resources.

Section 50-5-25. Powers and duties; deposit of revenues.

Section 50-5-30. Promulgation of regulations; civil offenses; penalties; suspension of permit.

Section 50-5-32. Closing salt water fishing seasons, areas, or activities in emergency; notice; penalty.

Section 50-5-35. Notice of opening or closing of commercial fishing season; health and environmental protection.

Section 50-5-40. Unauthorized tagging or marking and releasing of saltwater fish; penalty.

Section 50-5-45. Maintenance and publication of nonindigenous organisms list; introduction of organisms prohibited.

Section 50-5-50. Prosecutions for violations of chapter.

Section 50-5-55. Suspension of privileges; magistrates court jurisdiction; penalties and restitution orders.

Section 50-5-60. Conspiracy to violate provision of chapter.

Section 50-5-65. Seizure and disposition of contraband; separate offense defined.

Section 50-5-70. Sale of confiscated device; redemption by owner.

Section 50-5-75. Common areas for taking of fish.

Section 50-5-80. Dividing line between salt and fresh water on rivers.

Section 50-5-85. General Trawling Zone; subzones.

Section 50-5-90. Authority to enter and inspect buildings or stop and search fishing vessels; penalty for refusal to comply with order.

Section 50-5-95. Unlawful taking of saltwater fish; penalty.

Section 50-5-100. Knowingly obtaining saltwater fishery product taken or sold unlawfully.

Section 50-5-105. Unlawful activities affecting others; penalty.

Section 50-5-110. Use of poison, explosive, or bang stick to take marine resources; penalty.

Section 50-5-115. Responsibility for determining location of commercial fishing vessel.

Section 50-5-120. Boarding of vessel by law enforcement officers; penalty for failure to allow boarding and to cooperate.

Section 50-5-125. Use of vessel within 300 feet of public fishing pier; penalty.

Section 50-5-300. Commercial saltwater fishing license requirement for residents; fee; striker exception.

Section 50-5-305. Requirements for obtaining resident license; penalty.

Section 50-5-310. Commercial saltwater fishing license for nonresidents; fee; striker exception.

Section 50-5-315. Saltwater fishing without a license prohibited; penalty.

Section 50-5-320. State Shellfish Ground licenses; fees.

Section 50-5-325. Commercial equipment licenses and fees; specification of vessel on which used; tagging of equipment; penalties.

Section 50-5-330. Recreational fishing exceptions; minnow traps for commercial purposes; retrieving unattended recreational equipment.

Section 50-5-335. Channel net licenses; restrictions.

Section 50-5-340. Permits; use for commercial purposes and disposition of proceeds; violations and penalties.

Section 50-5-345. Commercial license a condition of permit; exceptions; revocation.

Section 50-5-350. Display of licenses, permits, and vessel's identification decal; transfer of licenses; penalty.

Section 50-5-355. Bait dealer licenses; fees; inspections; penalties.

Section 50-5-360. Wholesale seafood dealer, peeler crab, and molluscan shellfish licenses; display of license; roadside vendors; brood stock exception; penalties.

Section 50-5-365. Licensing requirements applicable to sale or transportation of live or fresh fish or saltwater fishery products; penalties.

Section 50-5-366. Documents required to be in possession of persons selling shrimp; exceptions; conspiracies; penalties.

Section 50-5-367. Sale, offer, or purchase of shrimp taken over bait; penalty.

Section 50-5-370. Purchase or removal from State for commercial purpose of saltwater fishery products not handled by licensed wholesale seafood dealer; penalty.

Section 50-5-375. Records of wholesale seafood dealers; inspection by department; penalties.

Section 50-5-380. Information or report by licensee or permittee to take saltwater fishery product for commercial or scientific purpose; confidentiality; penalties.

Section 50-5-385. Expiration of licenses and permits.

Section 50-5-390. Denial of or limitations on nonresident licenses.

Section 50-5-500. Use of nets; penalties.

Section 50-5-505. Net use requirements and restrictions; mariculture impoundment net use permit.

Section 50-5-510. Channel nets; season; observation of use by department; restrictions as to possession; requirements applicable to use of net and possession of license; penalties.

Section 50-5-515. Channel nets to be used only in designated areas; Turtle Excluder Device requirements; penalties.

Section 50-5-520. Channel net violations; forfeiture of license; seizure of equipment.

Section 50-5-525. Unlawful deployment of net; penalty.

Section 50-5-530. Placement of stationary and channel nets; time for setting and removal of channel nets; penalty.

Section 50-5-535. Placement of fishing equipment near public fishing pier or man-made jetty equipped with fishing walkway.

Section 50-5-540. Use of seine or gill net in state park; shrimp net exception.

Section 50-5-545. Commercial blue crab traps; escape vent requirements; peeler trap exemption.

Section 50-5-550. Trap buoy size, material, catch release feature and identification tag or other identifying information requirements; seizure of unmarked traps.

Section 50-5-555. Trap placement and attention requirements; department inspection, removal, seizure, and disposal.

Section 50-5-560. Blue crab traps on Cooper River.

Section 50-5-565. Time restrictions for placement of commercial traps.

Section 50-5-570. Use of live bait on lines with more than three hooks.

Section 50-5-575. Violation of provision for which no penalty provided; seizure and disposal of unlawful devices.

Section 50-5-580. Gigging for fish in saltwaters of Georgetown County.

Section 50-5-581. Gigging for flounder.

Section 50-5-700. Trawling prohibited.

Section 50-5-705. Trawling Zone established.

Section 50-5-710. Restrictions on trawling for shrimp in General Trawling Zone; prohibition on trawling outside General Trawling Zone; penalties; seizure and disposition of contraband.

Section 50-5-715. Trawling restriction areas within General Trawling Zone.

Section 50-5-720. Disposal of trawl bycatch; penalty.

Section 50-5-725. Trawling waters description references.

Section 50-5-730. Trawling near public fishing pier; penalty.

Section 50-5-735. Night trawling; finfish exception.

Section 50-5-740. Blue crab trawling season; penalty for trawling out of season; seizure and disposal of contraband.

Section 50-5-745. Blue crab taken by legal shrimp trawlers.

Section 50-5-750. Crab trawling equipment restrictions; penalty.

Section 50-5-755. Permits to trawl or dredge for finfish, blue crabs, whelks, and horseshoe crabs; limitations and conditions as to equipment; penalty.

Section 50-5-760. Illegal trawling.

Section 50-5-765. Use of turtle excluder devices; penalty.

Section 50-5-770. Shrimp trawl requirements; penalties.

Section 50-5-900. Commercial shellfish culture or mariculture permits; term.

Section 50-5-905. Permit applications; fee.

Section 50-5-910. Permit requirements; lottery; sworn statement as to distribution through properly licensed wholesale seafood dealer.

Section 50-5-915. Review of applications; permit requirements or conditions; revocation duties delegated to deputy director for Marine Resources.

Section 50-5-920. Mitigation of adverse impacts on shellfish bottoms and waters.

Section 50-5-925. Publication of notice of application.

Section 50-5-930. Preference.

Section 50-5-935. Fees; late payment penalty.

Section 50-5-940. Replanting for Shellfish Culture permittees; notice to department; revocation of permit or reduction of acreage for failure to replant.

Section 50-5-945. Permit to take shellfish for replanting or use in mariculture; conditions.

Section 50-5-950. Specification of other terms and conditions.

Section 50-5-955. Designation and maintenance of Public Shellfish Grounds; areas containing DHEC permitted structure; taking for commercial purpose prohibited.

Section 50-5-960. Rules governing recreational shellfish bottom harvests.

Section 50-5-965. Taking shellfish from bottoms designated for commercial harvest; individual harvester permits; written approvals; penalties.

Section 50-5-970. Mechanical harvest permits; penalties.

Section 50-5-975. Commercial and personal harvest limited to areas specified on permit; penalties; voluntary surrender of commercial permit.

Section 50-5-980. Erection and maintenance of signs; penalty.

Section 50-5-985. Setting season for taking shellfish; bringing shellfish into State during closed season; night harvests; penalties.

Section 50-5-990. Size limitations for hard clams of the genus Mercenaria; permits for possession and sale of undersized clams; penalties.

Section 50-5-995. Shellfish mariculture operation permits.

Section 50-5-997. Shellfish mariculture permittees; out-of-season harvest permits.

Section 50-5-1000. Wholesale seafood dealer prohibited from purchasing from unlicensed fisherman or dealer; maintenance of records; penalties.

Section 50-5-1005. Shellfish importation permits; conditions; penalties.

Section 50-5-1010. Shell removal permits; conditions; remedy in event of significant ecological perturbations; payment.

Section 50-5-1015. Unlawful removal of shell; penalty.

Section 50-5-1020. Possession of undersized whelk of genus Busycon taken for commercial purpose prohibited.

Section 50-5-1100. Lawful and unlawful taking of shrimp; penalties.

Section 50-5-1102. Persons who may not obtain or hold shrimp baiting license; penalty.

Section 50-5-1105. Catch limits; bait dealer taking and possession requirements; penalties.

Section 50-5-1110. Mesh size and stretch measure for shrimp cast nets.

Section 50-5-1300. Taking of sponge crabs prohibited; import permits; penalties.

Section 50-5-1305. Blue crabs; commercial taking at night prohibited; penalties.

Section 50-5-1310. Size limitations for blue crabs; peeler crab and clam mariculture exceptions.

Section 50-5-1315. Importation of undersize blue crabs; penalties.

Section 50-5-1320. Identification of vessels taking blue crabs by trap; buoy colors; penalty.

Section 50-5-1325. Stone crabs; claw size, removal and sale limitations; penalty.

Section 50-5-1330. Horseshoe crab permits, taking and handling requirements; penalty.

Section 50-5-1335. Use of blue crab traps in certain locations.

Section 50-5-1340. Repealed by 2012 Act No. 7, Section 12, March 22, 2013.

Section 50-5-1500. Regulation of devices for taking shad, herring, or eels.

Section 50-5-1505. Taking of shad, herring, or sturgeon.

Section 50-5-1506. Zones, seasons, times catch limits, size limits, methods, and equipment for taking shad.

Section 50-5-1507. Zones, seasons, times, catch limits, size limits, methods, and equipment for taking herring.

Section 50-5-1508. Zones, seasons, times, catch limits, size limits, methods, and equipment for taking sturgeon.

Section 50-5-1510. Special provisions as to shad and herring.

Section 50-5-1515. Shad hook and line catch limits.

Section 50-5-1520. Herring catch limits.

Section 50-5-1525. Unlawful taking of Atlantic sturgeon; penalties.

Section 50-5-1530. Receiving Atlantic sturgeon; record keeping requirements; penalties.

Section 50-5-1535. Taking of shortnose sturgeon prohibited; penalty.

Section 50-5-1540. Net placement.

Section 50-5-1545. Removal of nets during off times and periods; penalties.

Section 50-5-1550. Seizure of net or seine containing decomposed fish.

Section 50-5-1555. Commercial eel taking permits; conditions; penalty.

Section 50-5-1556. Striped bass.

Section 50-5-1557. Shad, herring, or eel sale requirements.

Section 50-5-1560. Penalty for offense for which no penalty prescribed; seizure and disposal of equipment.

Section 50-5-1700. Taking of saltwater game fish; importation by wholesale or retail seafood dealer of red drum or spotted seatrout.

Section 50-5-1705. Catch limits.

Section 50-5-1707. Repealed by 2009 Act No. 47, Section 1, eff June 2, 2009.

Section 50-5-1710. Size limits.

Section 50-5-1711. Repealed by 2007, Act No. 85, Section 4, eff June 15, 2007.

Section 50-5-1713. Cobia limits established.

Section 50-5-1715. Penalties.

Section 50-5-1900. Article title.

Section 50-5-1905, 50-5-1910. Repealed by 2009 Act No. 15, Section 10, eff July 1, 2009.

Section 50-5-1915. Charter fishing vessel and public pier logs; penalties.

Section 50-5-1920, 50-5-1925. Repealed by 2009 Act No. 15, Section 10, eff July 1, 2009.

Section 50-5-1930. Reciprocal recognition of recreational fisheries licenses issued by other coastal states.

Section 50-5-1935. Commemorative stamps authorized.

Section 50-5-1940. Creation and design of stamps, licenses, prints, and related articles.

Section 50-5-1945. Repealed by 2009 Act No. 15, Section 10, eff July 1, 2009.

Section 50-5-1950. Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Advisory Committee established; composition; compensation; term.

Section 50-5-2017. Repealed by 2010 Act No. 140, Section 3, eff March 31, 2010.

Section 50-5-2100. Mariculture permits; penalty for failure to acquire.

Section 50-5-2105. Permits for licensed wholesale seafood dealers to sell undersize fish grown in mariculture operation; identification of fish; penalty.

Section 50-5-2300. Taking and possessing diamond-backed terrapins; penalty.

Section 50-5-2305. Permit to remove live wild rock; penalty.

Section 50-5-2310. Display of dolphins and whales prohibited; penalty.

Section 50-5-2500. Point values for suspension of saltwater privileges; relation to other penalties.

Section 50-5-2505. Point system administration.

Section 50-5-2510. Suspension of saltwater privileges for accumulation of points.

Section 50-5-2515. Notice of suspension; request for review.

Section 50-5-2517. Mammalian dolphin or porpoise; prohibited activities; penalty.

Section 50-5-2520. Appeals.

Section 50-5-2525. Points cleared when suspension expires; concurrent running of suspensions.

Section 50-5-2530. Administering of article.

Section 50-5-2535. Engaging in prohibited activities while under suspension; penalties.

Section 50-5-2536. Other violations while under suspension.

Section 50-5-2540. Activities prohibited while under commercial suspension.

Section 50-5-2545. Prior points and suspensions.

Section 50-5-2700. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact; members; term; vacancies.

Section 50-5-2705. Powers of Compact Commission and commissioners.

Section 50-5-2710. State officials to cooperate and furnish information.

Section 50-5-2715. Records, reports, and recommendations.

Section 50-5-2720. Audits.

Section 50-5-2725. Shark catch limits; boat or vessel permit to take sharks for commercial purposes; equipment requirements and prohibitions.

Section 50-5-2730. Federal fishing regulations declared to be law of State; exceptions.

Section 50-5-2740. Penalty for violation of article.