No person shall take or gather for commercial purposes oysters, clams, mussels or other molluscan shellfish from any natural shellfish bed in the state and no person shall be permitted upon any boat, licensed pursuant to the provisions of section 26-212, while the boat is being used for such taking or gathering until the person has been licensed in the manner provided in this section. The person shall apply in writing, to the Commissioner of Agriculture upon blanks to be furnished by the commissioner, stating his name, residence and post-office address and such other information as may be required by said commissioner, and said commissioner, upon payment of a fee of twenty dollars, shall issue to the person a license for such purpose. All licenses so issued shall be revocable at any time by the commissioner and shall expire on the twentieth day of July in each year. The commissioner shall account to the Treasurer for all moneys received for licenses under the provisions of this section. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section relating to licensing shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor.

(1949 Rev., S. 5045; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 351; 1972, P.A. 52, S. 21; P.A. 78-334, S. 2; P.A. 82-91, S. 29, 38; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 304; P.A. 12-80, S. 88.)

History: 1971 act replaced references to shellfish commissioners and commission and to clerk of shellfisheries with references to environmental protection commissioner; 1972 act replaced environmental protection commissioner with commissioner of agriculture; P.A. 78-334 raised license fee from $5 to $10 and increased maximum fine from $50 to $100; P.A. 82-91 expanded the licensing requirements of this section to include not only persons on boats, licensed under Sec. 26-212, while the boat is being used for dredging, but also persons taking, for commercial purposes, oysters, clams, mussels or other molluscan shellfish from any natural shellfish bed in the state, and persons on any boat licensed under Sec. 26-212 while the boat is used for such taking; 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of Agriculture with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp.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; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 increased fee from $10 to $20 and made a technical change; P.A. 12-80 replaced penalty of a fine of not more than $100 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days or both with a class D misdemeanor and made technical changes.