§9-11-153. Wholesale and retail freshwater nongame fish dealers' licenses; commercial paddlefish dealer’s license.

(a) Every person, firm, association, or corporation engaged in the buying, selling, or handling of freshwater nongame fish for the purpose of resale, whether handled on a commission basis or otherwise, and every person, firm, association, or corporation shipping freshwater nongame fish out of the State of Alabama on consignment or order shall be considered a wholesale dealer of freshwater nongame fish, and shall be required to pay a license of $25.00 per annum. Any person, firm, association, or corporation handling freshwater nongame, uncooked fish strictly at retail to the consumer shall be considered a retailer and must purchase a license and pay $10.00 per annum for the same. The revenue to be derived from such licenses shall be covered into the State Treasury to the credit of the Game and Fish Fund of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Wholesale and retail licenses as prescribed in this section shall be issued in the same manner and under the same provisions as provided for other licenses in this article.

(b) In addition to the above licenses, every resident person, firm, association, or corporation who buys, processes, sells, or ships paddlefish roe, flesh, or parts, other than a licensed paddlefish fisherman selling or shipping within the state fish or roe that the fisherman has caught to an Alabama licensed commercial paddlefish dealer, shall purchase a commercial paddlefish dealer's license and pay a license fee of seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) per license year. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or duly authorized designees of the department shall sell and issue commercial paddlefish licenses to residents of another state if the other state by reciprocal agreement or otherwise provides for the sale and issuance of a similar commercial paddlefish license to residents of this state to buy, process, sell, or ship paddlefish roe, flesh, or parts from the waters of the other state. The amount to be charged for a nonresident commercial paddlefish dealer's license shall be the same as the license fee charged a resident of this state for a license in the state of the nonresident, but in no event shall the amount be less than the license fee charged by the department for commercial fishing licenses for a resident of this state. Any person, firm, association, or corporation who engages in any activity without a license, for which the paddlefish dealer's license as provided in this subsection is required, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, except the minimum fine for the first offense shall be one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500), and for the second or any subsequent violation, the fine shall be not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

(Acts 1953, No. 784, p. 1069, §12; Act 2012-471, p. 1300, §1.)