§ 9-12-111 — Lengths or Widths of Seines, Nets, and Trawls

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to have in possession on board a boat in the waters of Alabama or in use, any seine, trammel net, gill net or other device for the taking or catching of saltwater fish or other seafoods having in length on the cork or main top line more than 2,400 feet except on purse seines where the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may set additional length by regulation. When two or more nets are joined together, they shall be considered as one, and the total length thereof must not exceed the above limitation. All nets, seines, or trawls exceeding the prescribed length or width as set by law or regulation may be confiscated and held as evidence, and upon conviction, the nets, seines, or trawls shall be forfeited to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources which shall dispose of forfeited items as it deems advisable. Any person violating this section or any regulation promulgated pursuant to this section shall be strictly liable and it shall not be necessary to prove any criminal intent for conviction. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to have in use any trawl or trawls, for the taking of shrimp or other seafoods, the total width of which exceeds the measurement as set by regulation.

Legislative History

(Acts 1943, No. 587, p. 590, §2; Acts 1953, No. 715, p. 969, §1; Acts 1995, No. 95-287, p. 535, §1.)