                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

REGISTRATION OF COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN REQUIRED; EXEMPTION; PENALTY (§ 28.2-241)

A. On and after January 1, 1993, holders of gear licenses, except those issued
pursuant to &#xA7; 28.2-402, issued January 1, 1992, through December 31, 1992,
shall register as commercial fishermen as provided for in regulation.

B. [Repealed.]

C. On and after January 1, 1993, fishermen not registered as commercial
fishermen but who desire to sell their catch shall apply to the Commission for
registration as commercial fishermen. The effective date of status as a
commercial fisherman shall be two years from the date the application is
approved by the Commission. A person whose registration as a commercial
fisherman is not effective shall not sell, trade, or barter his catch or give
his catch to another in order that it may be sold, traded, or bartered. The
Commission shall grant a preference, on a one-in, one-out basis, for an
exemption from the two-year waiting period for an immediate family member or
documented employee of a commercial fisherman who is retiring from the
commercial fishery.

D. For purposes of this section and &#xA7;&#xA7; 28.2-242, 28.2-243, and
28.2-244, &#8220;commercial fisherman&#8221; means any person who fishes in
tidal waters using any gear and who sells, trades, or barters his catch or gives
his catch to another in order that it may be sold, traded, or bartered. The
Commission shall provide, by regulation, for exemptions from the definition of
&#8220;commercial fisherman&#8221; those persons who independently sell, trade,
or barter minnows and who are not part of, hired by, or engaged in a continuing
business enterprise as may be defined by the Commission. Such regulation may
include, but is not limited to, limits on the quantity of minnows that may be
sold, traded, or bartered by a person that may be exempted from the definition
of commercial fisherman.

E. The cost of registration as a commercial fisherman shall be $150 annually,
due no later than the effective date of registration; however, the cost of
registration for a person 70 years of age or older shall be $75. All fees
collected from the registration of commercial fishermen shall be deposited in
the state treasury and credited to the Marine Fishing Improvement Fund as
established in &#xA7; 28.2-208. The Commission may subsequently revise the cost
of licenses in this section pursuant to &#xA7; 28.2-201.

F. Registrations of commercial fishermen shall not be transferable.

G. Whenever a court finds that a defendant has violated any of the provisions of
this section, the court shall assess a civil penalty of $500. All civil
penalties assessed pursuant to this section shall be paid into the Marine
Fishing Improvement Fund as established in &#xA7; 28.2-208.

H. Only commercial fishermen with valid registrations may purchase licenses
pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA7; 28.2-301, 28.2-501, and 28.2-702.

I. Persons who have obtained a recreational gear license pursuant to &#xA7;
28.2-226.1 or 28.2-302.1 are exempt from the provisions of this section.

HISTORY: 1992, cc. 493, 503; 1993, c. 219; 1994, c. 121; 1996, c. 277; 2009, c.
9; 2017, c. 339.