A. No person may buy, transport out of state or export aquatic turtles from this state without having first procured a commercial turtle buyer's license from the Director.

B. The fee for an annual license under this section shall be Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for residents and Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for nonresidents. Prior to the issuance of such license the applicant shall file with the Department a good and sufficient surety bond by a surety company licensed to do business in this state in the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) conditioned upon the observance and compliance with the provisions of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Code, which bond will be forfeited to the Department upon conviction for the violation of any provision of this section, or Section 4-101 or 5-602 of this title or any rule of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission.

C. The Director shall not issue a commercial turtle buyer's license to residents of any other state which does not allow residents of Oklahoma the opportunity to purchase such license in their state.

D. Any person who buys or exports aquatic turtles from this state shall pay the Department as a severance fee an amount equal to three percent (3%) of the dollar value of turtles purchased or received from licensed commercial turtle harvesters. The payment shall be computed from the purchase records completed and maintained by the licensee for each and every purchase made. Such purchase records along with the fee and an accurate report of all turtles exported from this state for each month shall be submitted to the Department by the fifteenth day of the following month. The Wildlife Commission shall issue such rules and reporting requirements governing the purchases and exports and shall design all forms necessary for the operation of these provisions.

E. Any person convicted of violating any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment not to exceed thirty (30) days, or by both fine and imprisonment. In addition, such person shall forfeit his license and not be permitted to renew the license for a one-year period.

Added by Laws 1994, c. 318, § 5, emerg. eff. June 8, 1994. Amended by Laws 1996, c. 242, § 3, emerg. eff. May 28, 1996.