28
2017-2018 Texas Commercial Fishing Guide
It is UNLAWFUL for any person:
• aboard a vessel licensed as a commercial
bay shrimp boat to off-load, transfer, sell,
or barter any amount of live or dead
shrimp to a person aboard another vessel;
• aboard a vessel to off-load, transfer,
purchase, or barter from a person aboard
a vessel licensed as a commercial bay
shrimp boat any amount of live or dead
shrimp;
• aboard a vessel licensed as a commercial
bait shrimp boat to off-load, transfer, sell,
or barter any amount of live or dead
shrimp, except an amount of live or dead
shrimp not to exceed two quarts per sport
fisherman or one gallon (by volume) for
two or more sport fishermen may be offloaded, transferred, sold, or bartered to a
person aboard a sport fishing vessel; or
• aboard a vessel to off-load, transfer,
purchase, or barter from a person aboard
a vessel licensed as a commercial bait
shrimp boat any amount of live or dead
shrimp, except a person aboard a
recreational fishing vessel may off-load,
transfer, purchase, or barter an amount of
shrimp not to exceed two quarts per sport
fisherman or one gallon (by volume) for
two or more recreational fishermen.
Commercial shrimp boat license plates
must be prominently displayed as to be
clearly visible from both sides of the boat.
Fresh shrimp may be held in possession
only through open seasons and five days
thereafter, except that bait dealers and sport
fishermen may possess bait shrimp throughout the year.
The captain of a licensed commercial
shrimp boat is required to hold a Commercial Shrimp Boat Captain’s license.
Nongame fish and other aquatic products
taken incidental to legal shrimp trawling
operations may be retained provided each
person that retains a lawful limit of fish has a
current shrimp boat captain’s license, or is
the licensed owner of the shrimp boat, and:
• the total weight of aquatic products
retained, in any combination, do not
exceed 50% by weight of shrimp on a
shrimping vessel; or
• from May 1 to Sept. 30 up to 1,500 live
nongame fish not regulated by bag or
size limit and/or 300 dozen ribbonfish
may be retained daily for bait purposes
only on board a vessel licensed for
commercial bait shrimp fishing.
The taking of aquatic products of illegal
size on board a licensed commercial shrimp
boat engaged in the lawful taking of shrimp
is not a violation if the aquatic products of
UNLAWFUL size are returned to the waters
from which taken in a manner to ensure their
best chance of survival.
DISPLAY BOAT NUMBERS
All commercial shrimp boats are required to
exhibit the vessel’s documentation or registration number on the port and starboard
sides of the deckhouse or hull and on an
appropriate weather deck. The number in
block Arabic numerals in contrasting color to
the background must be at least 18 inches in
height on vessels over 65 feet and 10 inches
in height for all other vessels and be permanently attached.
METHOD OF NET
MEASUREMENT
All total widths specified for commercial
otter trawls, including try nets, are measured
along the uninterrupted corkline from leading tip of door to leading tip of door, including any and all add-on devices or
attachments to the corkline. All beam trawl
widths are measured along the beam in its
fully extended position. (See Page 36 for
details.)
Mesh sizes specified for commercial trawls
apply to the trawl, bag and trawl liner and
are measured in inches of length between
the two most widely separated knots in any
consecutive series of five stretched meshes
after the trawl has been placed in use.
SPECIAL REGULATIONS
(Bay and Bait Shrimping)
A boat having on board or displaying a
bait shrimp boat license must operate
only under commercial bait shrimp regulations, including: 1) 200 pound daily limit;
2) maintaining 50% of the shrimp alive;
3) places authorized for bait shrimping; and
4) sale or unload to a bait shrimp dealer or
sportsman. (See Page 27 — SHRIMP.)
A shrimp boat licensed both as a bay shrimp
boat and a bait shrimp boat may not shrimp in
249
2017-2018 Texas Commercial Fishing Guide
It is UNLAWFUL for any person:
• aboard a vessel licensed as a commercial
bay shrimp boat to off-load, transfer, sell,
or barter any amount of live or dead
shrimp to a person aboard another vessel;
• aboard a vessel to off-load, transfer,
purchase, or barter from a person aboard
a vessel licensed as a commercial bay
shrimp boat any amount of live or dead
shrimp;
• aboard a vessel licensed as a commercial
bait shrimp boat to off-load, transfer, sell,
or barter any amount of live or dead
shrimp, except an amount of live or dead
shrimp not to exceed two quarts per sport
fisherman or one gallon (by volume) for
two or more sport fishermen may be offloaded, transferred, sold, or bartered to a
person aboard a sport fishing vessel; or
• aboard a vessel to off-load, transfer,
purchase, or barter from a person aboard
a vessel licensed as a commercial bait
shrimp boat any amount of live or dead
shrimp, except a person aboard a
recreational fishing vessel may off-load,
transfer, purchase, or barter an amount of
shrimp not to exceed two quarts per sport
fisherman or one gallon (by volume) for
two or more recreational fishermen.
Commercial shrimp boat license plates
must be prominently displayed as to be
clearly visible from both sides of the boat.
Fresh shrimp may be held in possession
only through open seasons and five days
thereafter, except that bait dealers and sport
fishermen may possess bait shrimp throughout the year.
The captain of a licensed commercial
shrimp boat is required to hold a Commercial Shrimp Boat Captain’s license.
Nongame fish and other aquatic products
taken incidental to legal shrimp trawling
operations may be retained provided each
person that retains a lawful limit of fish has a
current shrimp boat captain’s license, or is
the licensed owner of the shrimp boat, and:
• the total weight of aquatic products
retained, in any combination, do not
exceed 50% by weight of shrimp on a
shrimping vessel; or
• from May 1 to Sept. 30 up to 1,500 live
nongame fish not regulated by bag or
size limit and/or 300 dozen ribbonfish
may be retained daily for bait purposes
only on board a vessel licensed for
commercial bait shrimp fishing.
The taking of aquatic products of illegal
size on board a licensed commercial shrimp
boat engaged in the lawful taking of shrimp
is not a violation if the aquatic products of
UNLAWFUL size are returned to the waters
from which taken in a manner to ensure their
best chance of survival.
DISPLAY BOAT NUMBERS
All commercial shrimp boats are required to
exhibit the vessel’s documentation or registration number on the port and starboard
sides of the deckhouse or hull and on an
appropriate weather deck. The number in
block Arabic numerals in contrasting color to
the background must be at least 18 inches in
height on vessels over 65 feet and 10 inches
in height for all other vessels and be permanently attached.
METHOD OF NET
MEASUREMENT
All total widths specified for commercial
otter trawls, including try nets, are measured
along the uninterrupted corkline from leading tip of door to leading tip of door, including any and all add-on devices or
attachments to the corkline. All beam trawl
widths are measured along the beam in its
fully extended position. (See Page 36 for
details.)
Mesh sizes specified for commercial trawls
apply to the trawl, bag and trawl liner and
are measured in inches of length between
the two most widely separated knots in any
consecutive series of five stretched meshes
after the trawl has been placed in use.
SPECIAL REGULATIONS
(Bay and Bait Shrimping)
A boat having on board or displaying a
bait shrimp boat license must operate
only under commercial bait shrimp regulations, including: 1) 200 pound daily limit;
2) maintaining 50% of the shrimp alive;
3) places authorized for bait shrimping; and
4) sale or unload to a bait shrimp dealer or
sportsman. (See Page 27 — SHRIMP.)
A shrimp boat licensed both as a bay shrimp
boat and a bait shrimp boat may not shrimp in
249