§9-11-375. Charge for buying or otherwise obtaining freshwater mussels; disposition of revenues; violation as a misdemeanor.

(a) Any person, firm, or corporation who purchases or otherwise obtains freshwater mussels taken from Alabama waters shall pay to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries the amount equal to $0.05 per pound of mussel shells, with or without meat, purchased or obtained.

(b) The payment to the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries shall be calculated from receipts filled out by the buyer for each transaction. A copy of each receipt shall be given to the seller and a copy retained by the buyer, and shall be made available by the buyer for inspection by agents of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries for a period of two years. When mussels are exported without first going through a buyer, the method of payment shall be as described in the rules and regulations promulgated by the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. For purposes of this section, a buyer is any person, firm, or corporation who buys, or otherwise obtains, mussels from mussel harvesters or mussel buyers from Alabama.

(c) Payments from buyers shall be made monthly and shall be received by the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries no later than the 15th day of the month following payment.

(d) Revenue from this section shall be used for mussel management, research, enforcement, and administration. However, no more than 50 percent of the total revenue shall be spent on enforcement.

(e) Violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class A misdemeanor.

(Acts 1993, No. 93-638, p. 1094, §2.)