§ 49-15-81. Catching or transporting saltwater minnows for sale; license requirements; fees; tagging of minnow traps to mark ownership; exemptions

MS Code § 49-15-81 (2019) (N/A)
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(1) The term “saltwater minnow” as used in this section shall mean any species within the families Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae or Poeciliidae.

(2) Before beginning operations to catch or transport saltwater minnows for sale, fishermen must obtain a saltwater live bait license and pay a fee according to the following schedule: A resident shall pay a fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00), a nonresident shall pay a fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or if the nonresident’s domicile state charges more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) for residents of Mississippi to engage in a like activity, then that applicant shall pay the same fee or fees that the applicant’s domicile state charges residents of Mississippi.

(3) All minnow traps placed in or on the marine waters of the State of Mississippi shall have a corrosion resistant metal or plastic tag attached to the trap to permanently mark the minnow traps for ownership. The tag used to mark the traps shall be legibly and permanently stamped with letters containing the applicable licensed minnow fishermen’s full name. The minimum height of the letters shall be at least three-sixteenths (3/1) of an inch. The tags shall be supplied by the minnow fisherman.

(4) Licensed live bait catcher boats and licensed live bait dealers involved in the transporting of minnows are exempt from the commercial minnow licensing requirement in subsection (2) of this section.