Section 27-1-2. (For effective date, see note) Definitions

   As used in this title, the term:

   (1) "Adult supervision" means under the command and control of a person 18 years of age or older, with the minor being within sight or hearing distance of such person.

   (1.1) "Alligator" means Alligator mississippiensis, commonly known as the American alligator.

   (2) "Alligator farming" means the possession, propagation, and any other act involved in the production of live alligators.

   (3) "Alligator product" means any product or article made, either wholly or in part, from any part of the hide of an alligator or alligator meat or any other part of an alligator carcass.

   (4) "Artificial lure" means any lure which is made completely of natural or colored plastic, wood, cork, rubber, metal, feathers, hair, tinsel, styrofoam, sponge, or string, or any combinations of such materials, in imitation of or as a substitute for natural bait. Such term does not include any item which is sprayed with or containing scented or chemical attractions.

   (5) "Bag limit" or "creel limit" means the quantity of wildlife which may be taken, caught, or killed during a specified period.

   (5.1) "Bait shrimp cast net" means a cast net constructed of a minimum of three-eighths inch bar mesh.

   (6) "Big game" means turkey, deer, and bear.

   (7) "Board" means the Board of Natural Resources.

   (8) "Bushel" means the present United States standard bushel, as determined by the United States Department of Agriculture, which standard bushel measures 2150.4 cubic inches.

   (9) "Business premises" means any place of business operation including, but not limited to, offices, sheds, warehouses, vessels, boats, houses, ponds, and other such locations where commercial activity takes place and specifically includes the equipment used in conducting such activity.

   (10) "Carrier" means a person engaged in the business of transporting goods and specifically includes a common carrier, a contract carrier, a private carrier, and a transportation company.

   (10.1) "Cast net" means a cone shaped net thrown and retrieved by hand without mechanical assistance and designed to spread out and capture fish and shrimp as the weighted circumference sinks to the bottom and comes together when pulled by a line.

   (11) "Catch-out pond" means a fresh-water pond or lake where the owner or operator charges persons a fee for the right to fish therein.

   (12) "Clam rake" means a hand-held rake, or a tool consisting of a long handle with a bar that is set transversely with projecting prongs and with a wire basket or enclosure modification, which rake or tool is suitable for scratching and removing mollusks of the class Pelecypoda from estuarine and marine substrates.

   (13) "Commercial" means of or relating to buying, selling, or exchanging or offering for purchase, sale, or exchange.

   (14) "Commercial crab trap" means an oblong cage or other cubical structure which is constructed of wooden slats, hardware cloth, chicken wire, or other similar material, which has one or more tunnel-shaped entrances which allow ingress but limit egress, which is to be used as a trap, which is designed to be left unattended for long periods of time, and which is used for catching decapod crustaceans, mainly of the species Callinectes sapidus.

   (15) "Commercial fish hatchery" means a facility consisting of two or more ponds or a raceway system which is capable of growing fish from eggs, fry, or fingerlings to a commercially salable size and which produces fish from such eggs, fry, or fingerlings for sale more than once annually.

   (16) "Commercial fishing" means fishing for the purpose of sale, the sale or offering for sale of fish by the person taking such fish, or fishing with commercial fishing gear.

   (17) "Commercial quantities" means an amount equal to one bushel or more.

   (18) "Commercial shooting preserve" means any shooting preserve open to the general public for a fee.

   (19) "Commercial trapper" means a person who traps on any land other than that belonging to himself or to his immediate family.

   (20) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of natural resources.

   (21) "Crab" means any crab of the species Callinectes sapidus.

   (22) "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources.

   (23) "Domestic species" means those taxa of animals which have traditionally lived in a state of dependence on and under the dominion and control of man and have been kept as tame pets, raised as livestock, or used for commercial breeding purposes, including, but not limited to, dogs, cats, horses, cattle, ratites, and chickens. Animals which live in a captive or tame state and which lack a genetic distinction from members of the same taxon living in the wild are presumptively wild animals, except that lawfully obtained farmed fish which are held in confinement in private ponds shall be known as and considered to be "domestic fish," but only if they are fish species which are either indigenous to Georgia or are fish species which have been recognized prior to 1992 as having an established population in Georgia waters other than private ponds; provided, however, that Morone americana, white perch, shall not be a domestic fish.

   (24) "Educational" means of or relating to an attempt to learn or convey information about the characteristics and behavior of wild animals or wildlife, where such an attempt is made:

      (A) In a public or private college, university, secondary school, or primary school, which college, university, or school is accredited by either the Georgia Accrediting Commission, Inc., or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools;

      (B) By an independent study conducted in affiliation with any of the institutions mentioned in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph;

      (C) By any chartered association or society organized for the purpose of conveying knowledge about such species to its members;

      (D) By a research facility; or

      (E) By a governmental agency.

   (25) "Established bait dealership" means a facility which is used in whole or in part to sell shrimp for bait and which has been inspected by employees of the department and which has been issued a bait dealer license.

   (26) "Falconer" means a person licensed according to the laws and rules and regulations pertaining to falconry.

   (27) "Falconry" means the sport of taking quarry by means of a trained raptor.

   (27.1) "Farmed deer" means fallow deer (Dama dama), axis deer (Axis axis), sika deer (Cervus nippon), red deer and elk (Cervus elaphus), and reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus), and hybrids between these farmed deer species raised for the commercial sale of meat and other parts or for the sale of live animals.

   (28) "Feral hog" means any hog which is normally considered domestic but which is living in a wild state and cannot be claimed in private ownership.

   (29) "Fishing" means catching, capturing, taking, or killing fish, mussels, and all seafood and includes all lesser acts such as attempting to catch, capture, or kill by any device or method and every act of direct assistance to any person in catching or attempting to catch fish, mussels, or seafood.

   (29.1) "Food shrimp cast net" means:

      (A) Until March 1, 2009, a cast net constructed of a minimum of one-half inch bar mesh; and

      (B) On and after March 1, 2009, a cast net constructed of a minimum of five-eighths inch bar mesh.

   (29.2) "Fresh-water turtle" means any turtle or its eggs within the families Chelydridae, Emydidae (excluding Malaclemys terrapin and Terrapene carolina), Kinosternidae, and Trionychidae.

   (30) "Full-time employee" means a person who works at least 30 hours per week for one employer. Expressly excluded from this term is an independent contractor or casual vendor who does not receive regular periodic compensation from one employer.

   (31) "Fur-bearing animals" means the following animals: mink, otter, raccoon, fox, opossum, muskrat, skunk, bobcat, and weasel.

   (32) "Fur dealer" means a person who purchases or sells raw undressed hides, furs, pelts, or skins of fur-bearing animals and alligator hides or alligator products, excluding alligator meat; provided, however, those persons engaged in wholesale or retail furrier operations, that is, those who engage in the manufacture or production of finished fur or alligator products, shall not be fur dealers for purposes of this title.

   (33) "Fur dealer's agent" means any person who represents the owner of or a dealer in furs, alligator hides, or alligator products for the purpose of selling such furs, alligator hides, or alligator products.

   (34) "Game animals" means the following animals: bear, bobcat, deer, fox, opossum, rabbit, raccoon, sea turtles and their eggs, squirrel, cougar (Felis concolor), and all members of the families Alligatoridae and Crocodylidae.

   (35) "Game birds" means the following birds: turkey, quail, grouse, and all migratory game birds.

   (36) "Game fish" means the following fish, except domestic fish as provided in paragraph (23) of this Code section:

      (A) Bass:

         (i) Largemouth bass;

         (ii) Smallmouth bass;

         (iii) White bass;

         (iv) Striped bass;

         (v) Spotted bass;

         (vi) Redeye (Coosa) bass;

         (vii) Striped-white bass hybrid;

         (viii) Shoal bass (Flint River smallmouth); and

         (ix) Suwannee bass;

      (B) Trout:

         (i) Rainbow trout;

         (ii) Brown trout; and

         (iii) Brook trout;

      (C) Crappie:

         (i) White crappie; and

         (ii) Black crappie;

      (D) Shad:

         (i) American shad; and

         (ii) Hickory shad;

      (E) Sunfish or bream:

         (i) Flier;

         (ii) Spotted sunfish (stumpknockers);

         (iii) Rockbass (goggleye);

         (iv) Shadow bass;

         (v) Redbreast sunfish;

         (vi) Redear sunfish;

         (vii) Bluegill (bream); and

         (viii) Warmouth;

      (F) Perch:

         (i) Walleye; and

         (ii) Sauger;

      (G) Pickerel:

         (i) Chain pickerel;

         (ii) Grass pickerel; and

         (iii) Redfin pickerel;

      (H) Catfish:

         (i) Channel catfish; and

         (ii) Flathead catfish; and

      (I) Red drum.

   (37) "Game species" means all game animals, game birds, and game fish.

   (38) "Held as pets" means the possession of any wild animal for purposes other than scientific, educational, or public exhibition purposes or other than for sale to the general public or other than for resale to a retail dealer, an exhibition, or a research facility.

   (39) "Hunting" means pursuing, shooting, killing, taking, or capturing wildlife or feral hogs. This term also includes acts such as placing, setting, drawing, or using any device used to take wildlife or feral hogs, whether any such act results in taking or not, and includes every act of assistance to any person in taking or attempting to take such wildlife or feral hogs.

   (40) (A) "Immediate family," except insofar as that term relates to trapping, trappers, and fur dealers, means all persons living in one household under one head of household and bearing a blood or dependent relationship to such head of household.

      (B) "Immediate family," insofar as that term relates to trapping, trappers, and fur dealers, means son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister, granddaughter, grandson, or spouse.

   (40.1) "License" means any document, decal, stamp, permit, or temporary license identification number which authorizes the holder to participate in any activity regulated by the department and which is issued by the department; provided, however, that a temporary license number shall be a valid license for ten days from the date of issuance.

   (41) "Licensed bait dealer" means the owner of an established bait dealership within this state who has been properly licensed and bonded pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations.

   (42) "May" means is authorized, but not required, and denotes discretion and permission rather than command. When "may" is used in authorizing a certain action to be taken, it shall also include the authorization to change that action.

   (43) "Migratory game birds" means all the following birds: brant, coots, cranes, doves, ducks, gallinules, geese, rails, snipe, swans, and woodcock. Birds which are mutations of such birds and birds which are the result of hybridization between such birds or between such birds and other birds are included as migratory game birds.

   (44) "Mountain trout" means rainbow, brook, and brown trout.

   (45) "Night" means between the hours of 30 minutes after sunset and 30 minutes before sunrise.

   (46) "Nongame fish" means any fish not included within the definition of the term "game fish" in this Code section and is synonymous with the term "rough fish."

   (47) "Peeler" means a crab which has a soft shell fully developed under the hard shell and which has a pink or red line on the outer edge of the swimming paddles.

   (48) "Pen raised game bird" means any bobwhite quail, chukar or red-legged partridge, coturnix or Japanese quail, ring-necked pheasant, mallard duck, or black duck which is raised in captivity and is more than two generations removed from the wild.

   (49) "Perishable" means likely to deteriorate quickly in quality or value unless given special treatment such as dressing, freezing, or cold storage.

   (50) "Person" means any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, association, or other entity.

   (51) "Pole and line" means any hand line or any type of pole with a line attached and specifically includes a casting rod, a spinning rod, a fly rod, and all similar hand-held equipment for use with bait or artificial lure; provided, however, such pole and line may only be used to entice fish to strike or bite such bait or lure.

   (52) "Private oyster or clam beds" means oyster or clam beds in which the right to plant, cultivate, and harvest oysters and clams is not vested in the state pursuant to Code Sections 44-8-6, 44-8-7, and 44-8-8.

   (53) "Private pond" means a body of water wholly on or within the lands of one title from which fish cannot go upstream or downstream or to the lands of another.

   (54) "Private shooting preserve" means any shooting preserve owned or leased by an individual, partnership, firm, corporation, association, or other entity and used only by the owners, members, and guests.

   (55) "Public exhibition" means any commercial or noncommercial display of wild animals or wildlife to the general public, including displays held in nontraveling facilities in fixed locations or displays held in transient facilities which travel to different parts of the state.

   (56) "Public road" means any road open to and intended for use by the public and maintained at public expense.

   (57) "Purchase" means to acquire, obtain, or receive or to attempt to acquire, obtain, or receive by exchange of valuable consideration. This term specifically includes barter and exchange.

   (58) "Raptor" means a live migratory bird of the order Falconiformes or the order Strigiformes, other than the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) or the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos).

   (59) "Rats and mice" means any gnawing mammal of the class Mammalia, the subclass Theria, the order Rodentia, and either the family Muridae or the family Cricetidae and the genera Peromyscus, Sigmodon, Oryzomys, or Reithrodontomys.

   (60) "Resident" means any citizens of the United States who has been domiciled within the State of Georgia for a period of at least three months. For purposes of issuing or procuring the noncommercial hunting and fishing licenses required by this title, residents shall include full-time military personnel on active duty who list Georgia as their home of record in their official military files or who are stationed at a military base located in Georgia and the dependents of such military personnel.

   (61) "Retail fish dealer" means any person engaged in the purchasing, raising, propagating, breeding, or other acquiring or possessing of live fish or fish eggs to be sold or furnished to others for use thereby, other than for resale or for aquaria.

   (61.1) "Salt water fishing guide" means a person engaged in the occupation of taking fee-paying anglers fishing in the salt waters of this state.

   (61.2) "Salt water fishing pier" means a permanent structure built and maintained for the purpose of providing fishing access in the salt waters of this state and associated with a hotel or motel.

   (62) "Scientific" means of or relating to a systematic attempt, made at a public or private college, university, secondary school, or primary school, which college, university, or school is accredited by either the Georgia Accrediting Commission, Inc., or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; or made in the course of an independent study conducted in affiliation with any of the aforementioned institutions; or made by any chartered association or society organized for the purpose of conveying knowledge to its members; or made by a research facility or a governmental agency, for the purpose of discovering new knowledge through the possession of wild animals or wildlife for the testing of a theory or hypothesis, such theory or hypothesis to be tested according to the accepted procedures of observation, comparison, objective data collection, and analysis.

   (63) "Seafood" means marine and estuarine fauna or flora used as food or of a kind suitable for food and specifically includes, but is not limited to, shrimp taken for bait and horseshoe crabs taken for bait.

   (64) "Sell" means to dispose of, transfer, or convey or to attempt to dispose of, transfer, or convey by exchange of money or other valuable consideration. This term specifically includes barter and exchange.

   (65) "Shedding facility" means a soft-shell crab facility containing a tank or other enclosure in which peelers are or may be kept alive until they shed their shells and become soft-shell crabs and containing such other equipment as may be prescribed by the department.

   (65.1) "Shellfish" means common bivalve mollusks which includes all edible species of oysters, clams, mussels, or other bivalves.

   (65.2) "Shellfish management area" means a wildlife management area where shellfish are managed by the state or lessees for the propagation of shellfish.

   (66) "Shooting preserve" means any area utilized for the purpose of shooting or taking, or shooting and taking, game birds or pen raised game birds.

   (67) "Small game" means all game animals and game birds other than big game.

   (68) "Soft-shell crab" means a crab which has just emerged from its old shell and has a new soft, pliable shell.

   (69) "Soft-shell crab dealer" means any person operating a shedding facility approved by the department.

   (70) "State owned oyster or clam beds" means oyster or clam beds in which the right to plant, cultivate, and harvest oysters and clams is vested in the state pursuant to Code Sections 44-8-6, 44-8-7, and 44-8-8.

   (71) "Taking" means killing, capturing, destroying, catching, or seizing.

   (71.1) "Ten-foot net" means a trawl with a cork line not to exceed ten feet from tie-to-tie between the first and last mesh across the mouth of the net, a lead line not to exceed 13 feet from tie-to-tie between the first and last mesh across the mouth of the net, and leg lines of equal length. No webbing shall extend toward the door beyond the original brail lines which run vertically between the first tie at each end of the cork line and the first tie at each end of the lead line.

   (72) "Trapping" means taking, killing, or capturing wildlife with traps. This term also includes all lesser acts such as placing, setting, or staking such traps, whether such acts result in taking or not, and attempting to take and assisting any person in taking or attempting to take wildlife with traps.

   (72.1) "Twenty-foot net" means a trawl with a cork line not to exceed 20 feet from tie-to-tie between the first and last mesh across the mouth of the net, a lead line not to exceed 25 feet from tie-to-tie between the first and last mesh across the mouth of the net, and leg lines of equal length. No webbing shall extend toward the doors beyond the original brail lines which run vertically between the first tie at each end of the cork line and the first tie at each end of the lead line.

   (73) "Waters of this state" means any waters within the territorial limits of this state and the marginal sea adjacent to this state and the high seas when navigated as a part of a journey or ride to or from the shore of this state except ponds or lakes not open to the public, whether such ponds or lakes are within the lands of one title or not.

   (74) "Wholesale fish dealer" means any person engaged in purchasing, raising, propagating, breeding, or acquiring or possessing live fish or fish eggs to be sold or furnished to others for the purpose of resale, including any person engaged in transporting live fish or fish eggs into this state; provided, however, that any person who holds or sells only "domestic fish" and is registered pursuant to Code Section 27-4-255 or any person who holds or sells fish solely for use in aquaria shall not be considered a wholesale fish dealer.

   (75) "Wild animal" means any animal which is not wildlife and is not normally a domestic species in this state. This term specifically includes any hybrid or cross between any combination of a wild animal, wildlife, and a domestic animal. Offspring from all subsequent generations of such crosses or hybrids are wild animals.

   (76) "Wild animal business" means the importation, transportation, or possession of any wild animal for the purpose of sale or transfer.

   (77) "Wildlife" means any vertebrate or invertebrate animal life indigenous to this state or any species introduced or specified by the board and includes fish, except domestic fish produced by aquaculturists registered under Code Section 27-4-255, mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, crustaceans, and mollusks or any part thereof.

Ga. L. 1911, p. 142, § 11; Ga. L. 1912, p. 113, § 4; Ga. L. 1925, p. 304, § 7; Code 1933, §§ 45-301, 45-328; Ga. L. 1937, p. 675, § 7; Ga. L. 1937-38, Ex. Sess., p. 332, § 4; Ga. L. 1955, p. 483, § 2; Ga. L. 1960, p. 974, § 1; Ga. L. 1961, p. 515, § 1; Ga. L. 1968, p. 497, § 2; Ga. L. 1969, p. 812, § 1; Ga. L. 1971, p. 236, § 1; Ga. L. 1973, p. 274, § 2; Ga. L. 1973, p. 897, § 1; Ga. L. 1976, p. 771, § 1; Code 1933, § 45-102, enacted by Ga. L. 1977, p. 396, § 1; Ga. L. 1977, p. 1270, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 816, §§ 1-6; Ga. L. 1979, p. 420, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1979, p. 678, §§ 1-12; Ga. L. 1979, p. 800, § 1; Ga. L. 1979, p. 893, §§ 1-3; Ga. L. 1979, p. 1094, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1981, p. 798, § 1; Ga. L. 1985, p. 913, § 1; Ga. L. 1985, p. 1047, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1460, § 3; Ga. L. 1988, p. 848, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1207, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1579, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1991, p. 693, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 6, § 27; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1507, § 2; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1636, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 2863, § 1; Ga. L. 1993, p. 779, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 600, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 1742, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 244, § 30; Ga. L. 1995, p. 543, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 946, § 1; Ga. L. 1996, p. 980, § 1; Ga. L. 1997, p. 1395, § 3; Ga. L. 1998, p. 783, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1133, §§ 1, 2, 3; Ga. L. 1999, p. 81, § 27; Ga. L. 2001, p. 323, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 1013, § 1; Ga. L. 2003, p. 140, § 27; Ga. L. 2003, p. 654, § 1; Ga. L. 2004, p. 948, § 2-2; Ga. L. 2007, p. 91, § 1/HB 81; Ga. L. 2007, p. 93, §§ 1, 2/HB 100; Ga. L. 2010, p. 952, § 1/SB 474; Ga. L. 2013, p. 611, § 1/HB 36; Ga. L. 2013, p. 771, § 3/HB 155.