The Florida Senate

370.1535  Regulation of shrimp fishing in Tampa Bay; licensing requirements.--

(1)  No person shall operate as a dead shrimp producer in any waters of Tampa Bay unless such person has procured from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission a dead shrimp production permit.

(2)  The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is authorized to issue a dead shrimp production permit to persons qualified pursuant to the following criteria:

(a)  The person has submitted an application designed by the commission for such permit.

(b)  One permit is required for each vessel used for dead shrimp production in the waters of Tampa Bay. A permit shall only be issued to an individual who is the principal owner of the vessel or of the business entity owning the vessel and utilizing the permit. No more than three permits shall be issued to any individual.

(c)  Each application for a permit shall be accompanied by a fee of $250 for each resident of the state and $1,000 for each nonresident of the state. The proceeds of the fees collected pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund to be used by the commission for the purpose of enforcement of marine resource laws.

(d)  No person shall be issued a permit or be allowed to renew a permit if such person is registered for noncommercial trawling pursuant to s. 370.15(4).

(e)  Each applicant shall make application prior to June 30, 1992, and shall hold any other license or registration required to operate a commercial fishing vessel in Tampa Bay on the date of application.

(3)  Each permit issued in the base year of 1992 shall be renewable by June 30 in each subsequent year upon application meeting the requirements for issuance for an initial permit pursuant to subsection (2). The number of permits outstanding in any one year shall not exceed the number issued for 1992. No permit shall be transferable by any method, including devise or inheritance, and a permit shall be renewable only by the initial holder thereof. All permits not renewed for any reason shall expire and shall not be renewable under any circumstances.

(4)  No person harvesting dead shrimp from Tampa Bay shall sell such shrimp to any person unless such seller is in possession of a dead shrimp production permit issued pursuant to this section. Except for purchases from other wholesale dealers, no wholesale dealer, as defined in s. 370.07(1)(a)3., shall purchase dead shrimp harvested in Tampa Bay, unless the seller produces his or her dead shrimp production permit prior to the sale of the shrimp.

(5)  The operator of any vessel used in Tampa Bay for dead shrimp production shall possess while in or on the waters of the bay and produce upon the request of any duly authorized law enforcement officer a current dead shrimp production permit issued for the vessel pursuant to this section.

(6)  Each person harvesting shrimp in Tampa Bay pursuant to the permit required by this section shall comply with all rules of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulating such harvest.

(7)  For purpose of this section, "Tampa Bay" means all the waters of the bay east and north of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (U.S. 19 and Interstate 275).

History.--s. 1, ch. 91-101; s. 232, ch. 94-356; s. 996, ch. 95-148; s. 36, ch. 96-321; s. 157, ch. 99-13; s. 110, ch. 99-245; s. 5, ch. 2003-143.