§303.6. Oyster harvester license

A.(1) Each captain of a vessel harvesting or possessing oysters in state waters must purchase an oyster harvester license at a cost of one hundred dollars for residents and four hundred dollars for nonresidents.

(2) This license shall be required in addition to any and all licenses otherwise required in this Part. The provisions of this Section shall apply to both commercial and recreational fishermen.

B. The revenues generated from this license shall be used by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries solely for the Oyster Strike Force and the Louisiana Department of Health for oyster water monitoring.

C. The provisions of this Section shall apply to commercial fishermen and shall not apply to recreational oyster fishermen taking no more than two sacks a day in accordance with R.S. 56:424(C).

D. Beginning in license year 2017 and thereafter, any person applying for an oyster harvester license shall have completed the oyster harvester education program within the previous three years. The oyster harvester education program shall be developed by the department, promulgated under the Administrative Procedure Act by the commission, and implemented by the department for the purpose of developing professionalism in the oyster harvest industry. The oyster harvester education program shall include training in the Louisiana Shellfish Sanitation Program, Chapter 3 of Part IX of Title 51 of the Louisiana Administrative Code, "Preparation and Handling of Seafood for Market". In addition, the oyster harvester education program shall include best practices for conservation of the species.

Acts 1989, No. 516, §2; Acts 1990, No. 874, §1; Acts 1991, No. 788, §1; Acts 1992, No. 638, §1; Acts 1997, No. 419, §1; Acts 2016, No. 276, §1, eff. May 27, 2016.