§ 50-5-400 — Commercial blue crab license; cost; eligibility; limitations; renewal.

South Carolina § 50-5-400

• Jurisdiction: South Carolina
• Title 50: FISH, GAME AND WATERCRAFT
• Ch. 5: MARINE RESOURCES ACT

Text

(A) For the privilege of taking blue crabs by trap for a commercial purpose in the waters of this State, an individual must obtain a limited commercial blue crab license, a commercial saltwater fishing license, and a commercial equipment license for traps. (B) The cost of a limited commercial blue crab license is one hundred dollars for residents and five hundred dollars for nonresidents. (C) The following individuals are eligible to obtain a limited commercial blue crab license: (1) an individual who possessed a valid commercial equipment license for traps during the 2023-2024 license year and who has verifiable documentation of at least five hundred pounds of commercial blue crab landings during the first six months of the 2023-2024 license year, the entirety of the 2022-2023 license year, or the entirety of the 2021-2022 license year; (2) an individual who is selected via an applicant lottery pursuant to subsection (D); or (3) an individual who receives a valid limited commercial blue crab license via transfer pursuant to subsection (E). (D) If the total number of limited commercial blue crab licenses issued by the department in a license year is below one hundred, then the department may award additional licenses, not to exceed one hundred total limited commercial blue crab licenses, via an applicant lottery. (E) A limited commercial blue crab license may be transferred by the licensee to another individual after providing information relating to the transfer as required by the department. An individual is limited to one commercial blue crab license and a licensee must not receive a transfer of another limited commercial blue crab license. (F) The maximum number of traps used for taking blue crab, inclusive of peeler traps, that may be licensed to: (1) an individual who obtains a limited commercial blue crab license under subsection (C)(1) is the greater of two hundred traps and the highest number of traps licensed by the individual in the three previous license years; (2) an individual who receives a limited commercial blue crab license via transfer is the greater of two hundred traps and the average number of traps licensed by a holder of the transferred limited commercial blue crab license in the three previous license years; or (3) an individual who is selected via lottery is two hundred traps. (G) If the 2024-2025 license year or 2023-2024 license year is used to determine the highest number of traps that may be licensed under subsection (F), then only the first six months of the 2023-2024 license year must be used in the determination. (H) A limited commercial blue crab license must be renewed annually. Prior to every fourth license year, a licensee must have verifiable documentation of at least four thousand pounds of commercial blue crab landings in at least one of the three previous license years. If a licensee does not meet the documented landings threshold, then the licensee's limited commercial blue crab license must not be renewed by the department.

Legislative History

HISTORY: 2024 Act No. 212 (H.4386), SECTION 1, eff July 1, 2025. Editor's Note 2024 Act No. 212, SECTION 12, provides as follows: "SECTION 12. Upon approval of this act by the Governor, a moratorium on the issuance of new commercial equipment licenses to use traps for the taking of blue crab takes effect, at which time the department must not issue any new commercial equipment licenses to use traps for the taking of blue crab. This moratorium expires on June 15, 2025. Commercial equipment licenses to use traps for the taking of blue crab in effect for the 2023-2024 license year are extended and do not expire until June 30, 2025." ARTICLE 5 Use of Fishing Equipment