Except as otherwise provided by division rule, no person shall draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net, except a seine, within one-fourth of a mile of any reef in Lake Erie between the first day of May and the tenth day of May, both dates inclusive, and within one-fourth mile of any island or the mainland bordering Lake Erie between the fifteenth day of June and the fifteenth day of September, both dates inclusive. No seine or net of any kind except a minnow net shall be placed, located, pulled, or maintained in Sandusky bay from one hour after sunset on Saturday until one hour before sunrise on the following Monday, or from one hour before sunset on the day before Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day until one hour before sunrise on the day following Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. No seine shall be set, placed, located, or maintained in Sandusky bay and the inland fishing district during the nighttime from one hour after sunset until one hour before sunrise. No person shall place, set, locate, pull, or maintain a seine, except a minnow seine, in the Lake Erie fishing district during the time from one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise, except that a licensee may place, set, locate, pull, or maintain a seine other than a minnow seine in any waters of the Lake Erie fishing district other than Sandusky bay at those times, upon prior notification to the chief of the division of wildlife, or the chief's designated agent, during not more than one week per notification. The notification shall be in writing and shall state the licensee's name and address, date and time of fishing, and location of fishing grounds.

No trap net, crib net, fyke net, or other fishing devices, except a seine which has been authorized to be hauled during the nighttime, shall be lifted, pulled, hauled, or set, nor shall fish be removed therefrom, except during the time from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Each net or other device set, maintained, placed, pulled, lifted, or hauled in violation of this section constitutes a separate offense.

All fish taken from a net or other fishing device, except a seine that has been authorized to be hauled during the nighttime, shall be brought ashore during the time from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

The chief may adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code providing that no person shall lay out, pull, lift, draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net or seine at any other place or places in the Lake Erie fishing district and in other waters wherein fishing with nets or seines is licensed by law wherein such a prohibition is needed for the protection, preservation, or propagation of fish.

No person shall leave a commercial fishing device in a slack manner, or torn parts thereof, in the waters of the Lake Erie fishing district for more than five consecutive days. For the purposes of this section, a fishing device is slack when the anchors to various parts of the device are not holding it in the normal extended manner.

No person shall set or use a net, trotline, or other fishing device, except a trap net or fyke net, in the Lake Erie fishing district without removing all of the fish therefrom at least once during a period of five consecutive days. A trap or fyke net shall have all of the fish removed from the crib or car at least once during such time.

Any net, gill net, or other fishing device set, lifted, pulled, hauled, or used in violation of this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule is a public nuisance and each wildlife officer, or other officer with like authority, may seize and safely keep such a fishing device or part thereof, and the illegal results therefrom, for evidence or forfeiture proceedings unless otherwise ordered by the chief.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant to it.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of two violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the second such conviction by operation of law for a period of five fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of three or more violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the third or subsequent such conviction by operation of law for a period of twenty fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

During any period of suspension, no person shall use or engage in fishing within commercial gear owned, used, or controlled at the time of conviction by the licensee whose license has been suspended.

Effective Date: 04-20-2000.