Section 27-4-140. Penalties for using recreational food shrimp cast netting

   (a) Any enforcement officer or other law enforcement officer who discovers an illegal cast net being used on the waters of this state shall confiscate the net, which shall be forfeited.

(b) Any person convicted of using an illegal cast net to fish for shrimp from the waters of this state for commercial sale for food purposes shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(c) Any person convicted for the second or any subsequent time of using an illegal cast net shall, in addition to any other penalty imposed by law, forfeit the vessel on which the violation occurred and in addition all commercial fishing and boat licenses issued to such person shall be revoked in accordance with the provisions of Code Section 27-2-25.

(d) Any person convicted of illegally fishing for shrimp from the waters of this state for commercial sale for food purposes shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Possession of a quantity of shrimp in excess of the noncommercial food shrimp possession limit allowed pursuant to Code Section 27-4-132.1 shall be prima-facie evidence of the intent of the person or persons so in possession to take shrimp for commercial purposes.

Code 1981, § 27-4-140, enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 1133, § 14; Ga. L. 2007, p. 93, § 14/HB 100.