Source: https://www.animallaw.info/statute/mi-fishing-chapter-324-natural-resources-and-environmental-protection-act-1
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 18:33:05+00:00

Document:
Summary: These sections lay out the guidelines for sport fishing including legal fishing devices, the open season for each species as well as the minimum legal size requirement for each species of fish.
(a) “Commercial purposes” means offering for sale, selling, giving, or furnishing to others.
(b) “Crayfish” means any arthropod of the decapoda family.
(c) “Minnows” means chubs, shiners, suckers, when of a size ordinarily used for bait in hook and line fishing, dace, stonerollers, muddlers, and mudminnows.
(d) “Wigglers” means Mayfly nymphs or any other aquatic insect nymphs or larvae.
(a) Take or possess minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for commercial purposes from any of the waters over which this state has jurisdiction; import minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for commercial purposes from outside of this state; or transport minnows, wigglers, or crayfish without having first procured a license as provided in section 48732.[FN1] A license, except a license to fish in the waters of this state as provided in part 435,[FN2] is not required of persons taking minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for their individual use for bait. A person shall not set or use minnow traps for the taking of minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for any purpose unless the name and address of the user is on the trap.
(b) Export out of this state any minnows, wigglers, or crayfish, dead or alive, taken either in or outside of this state unless that person holds a permit issued under this subdivision. The department, upon receipt of a payment of $25.00, may issue a permit, revocable by the department, under such regulations as the department prescribes, to any resident licensed as provided for in section 48732, enabling that person to transport outside of this state minnows, wigglers, or crayfish that were harvested from waters outside of Michigan's jurisdictional border and imported wholesale across that border. Minnows, wigglers, and crayfish taken from Michigan's jurisdictional waters may not be exported from this state. Imported wholesale minnows, wigglers, and crayfish shall be held separately from any minnows, wigglers, or crayfish taken from Michigan's jurisdictional waters. A person holding a permit as provided in this subdivision and transporting wholesale minnows, wigglers, or crayfish shall produce documentation that contains the origin of the shipment, registration or permit copies, documentation demonstrating the shipment's destination, and any other proof that may be required by the department, upon demand of the director or a law enforcement officer. A permit issued under this subdivision may be revoked by the department upon good cause and shall expire on December 31 following the date of issuance unless the license is revoked before that date.
(c) Use or attempt to use live goldfish or carp for bait in fishing.
(d) Offer for sale or use lamprey for bait in fishing.
(e) Take, possess, or transport minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for commercial purposes from any of the waters over which this state has jurisdiction unless the taker is a resident of this state and holds a permit or license as required by law.
P.A.1994, No. 451, § 48729, added by P.A.1995, No. 57, § 1, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995. Amended by P.A.2012, No. 337, Imd. Eff. Oct. 16, 2012.
[FN2] M.C.L.A. § 324.43501 et seq.
(1) The department may designate the lakes and streams and parts of lakes and streams from which minnows, wigglers, and crayfish may be taken for commercial purposes and make rules, regulations, and restrictions for taking, possessing, and transporting minnows, wigglers, and crayfish.
(2) A person shall not take or attempt to take minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for commercial purposes from any waters of the state not designated by the department or violate any of the rules, regulations, or restrictions established pursuant to this section.
324.48731 Minnow seines; glass or wire traps; hand nets; hook and line; dip nets.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, minnow seines of not more than 125 feet in length and 16 feet in width may be used in the Great Lakes and their connecting waterways and in the inland lakes, streams, and rivers of this state. Minnows may only be taken from trout streams during open season with glass or wire traps. Minnow seines shall not be used in trout streams at any time.
(2) Hand nets not exceeding 8 feet square without sides or walls, minnow traps not exceeding 2 feet in length, minnow seines not exceeding 12 feet in length and 4 feet in width, and hook and line may be used for taking minnows for personal use in any of the waters designated by the department, as provided in section 48730. However, a person shall not take minnows in trout streams with hand or dip nets.
324.48732 “Place of business” defined; limited retail minnow dealer's license; wholesale minnow dealer's license; minnow catcher's license; fees; prohibited imports; separate licenses; size of crew; identification cards; license application forms; display of placard and license number; display of license or identification card on demand; inspection of records and equipment; revocation or expiration of license.
(1) As used in this section, “place of business” means a single location designated in a license application.
(2) The department, upon receipt of a fee of $25.00, may issue a limited retail minnow dealer's license to entitle the licensee to operate 1 place of business and 1 motor vehicle and to buy, transport, and retail minnows, wigglers, and crayfish.
(3) The department, upon receipt of a fee of $100.00, may issue to a resident a wholesale minnow dealer's license to entitle the licensee to operate 1 place of business, to transport, using up to 3 motor vehicles, and to sell at wholesale to licensed minnow dealers minnows, wigglers, and crayfish.
(4) The department, upon receipt of a fee of $50.00, may issue to the holder of a limited retail minnow dealer's license or a wholesale minnow dealer's license a minnow catcher's license to permit the taking, collecting, transporting, and possessing of live or fresh minnows, wigglers, or crayfish to be used for commercial purposes in accordance with this part. Each minnow catcher's license entitles the licensee to operate up to 3 crews consisting of not more than 4 persons and 4 motor vehicles for the purpose of taking, collecting, and transporting live or fresh minnows, wigglers, or crayfish.
(5) The department, upon receipt of a fee of $500.00, may issue to a nonresident of the state a wholesale minnow dealer's license to entitle the licensee to operate 1 place of business, to transport, using up to 3 motor vehicles, and to sell at wholesale to licensed minnow dealers minnows, wigglers, and crayfish.
(6) Crayfish shall not be imported for commercial purposes from outside of this state without a special permit from the department. Minnows and wigglers not native to the waters of this state shall not be imported from outside of this state.
(7) The holder of a license issued pursuant to this section who possesses minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for commercial purposes at more than 1 place of business shall obtain a separate license for each place of business. The holder of a license issued pursuant to this section may use more than 3 crews not to exceed 4 crew members in taking, collecting, and transporting minnows, wigglers, and crayfish, or use additional motor vehicles in collecting and transporting minnows, wigglers, or crayfish, for a fee of $15.00 for each additional crew of not more than 4 persons and for each additional motor vehicle.
(8) With each minnow catcher's license issued under this section, the department shall issue 12 identification cards bearing the number of the license and the year for which the license is issued. Each member of a crew engaged in taking, collecting, and transporting minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for commercial purposes shall carry an identification card at all times while taking, collecting, or transporting minnows, wigglers, or crayfish. The department shall supply license application forms which shall state the name and address of the licensee and the lakes and streams and parts of lakes and streams from which minnows, wigglers, or crayfish may be taken. A person to whom a limited retail or wholesale minnow dealer's license has been issued under this part shall prominently display at the place of business designated in that license a placard to be furnished by the department which will contain the words “Licensed Minnow Dealer” and the license number and the year for which the license was issued. Any person to whom such a license has been issued under this section shall permanently display the license number in 4-inch block letters on each side of the tanks on the motor vehicle or on the front doors of the motor vehicle and on the back of the motor vehicle.
(9) Upon demand of a conservation officer or any other peace officer, a person found taking, collecting, possessing, or transporting any live or fresh minnows, wigglers, or crayfish for commercial purposes shall display a license or identification card provided for in this section. The records, seines, nets, minnow traps, transporting equipment, and other equipment of every kind utilized in the handling of minnows, wigglers, and crayfish and the tanks and ponds where minnows, wigglers, and crayfish are held shall be open to inspection at any reasonable time by a conservation officer or any other peace officer.
(10) All licenses issued pursuant to this section are revocable upon just cause and, if not revoked, expire on December 31 following the date of issuance. Any person whose license has been revoked shall not be issued a commercial minnow, wiggler, and crayfish license within a period of 1 year from the date of revocation.
324.48733 Cisco, whitefish, suckers and carp season; designation of waters for use of spear and artificial light; purchase or sale; Higgins lake; season.
The department may designate the lakes or streams in this state from which cisco, whitefish, suckers, and carp may be taken by means of a spear and artificial light from October 15 to December 31 in the waters lying north of north line of town 16 north, and west of Saginaw bay and from November 1 to December 31 in the waters south of north line of town 16 north, and east of Saginaw bay including the thumb. However, whitefish or cisco taken as described in this section shall not be bought or sold, and in Higgins lake, Roscommon county, those fish shall not be taken by means of a spear and artificial light before November 1.
324.48734 Permit to remove noxious fish from waters; issuance.
The department may issue permits for the removal of dogfish, carp, garfish, sheepshead, and other noxious fish from all the waters over which this state has jurisdiction with seines, nets, spears, or in any other manner, and sell or authorize the sale of same for the purpose of paying the expense of the removal on terms that are in the best advantage of the state. However, the department shall be present at the time and place of the taking and removal of the fish and a representative of the department shall personally superintend the taking and removal. The department shall incorporate regulations and restrictions in the permits as the department considers advisable, and any person taking fish under such a permit shall conform to all the regulations and restrictions specified in the permit. A nonresident who operates under a permit issued under this section shall, in addition to the percentage paid to the state, be required to pay the nonresident license fee as provided for nonresidents under the commercial fishing laws of this state.
(2) The department may issue permits to possess live game fish in public or private ponds, pools, or aquariums under rules and regulations as the department prescribes. This subsection is subject to subsection (5).
(3) The department may cause to be taken from the inland waters of this state any species of fish for the purpose of obtaining spawn for fish culture or scientific investigation or for the protection of the inland waters from ecological damage or imbalance. In addition, the department may cause to be taken from the inland waters of this state species of fish that are not required to maintain the fishery resources of the inland waters. All fish taken under this subsection shall be taken under the supervision of a deputy of the department appointed for that purpose and in a manner consistent with the regulations of the department of agriculture and rural development, and the fish may be sold or transferred by the department.
(4) A person shall not import or bring any live game fish, including viable eggs of any game fish, from outside of this state except under a permit from the department or under part 459 and the rules promulgated under that part. A person shall not plant any spawn, fry, or fish of any kind in any of the public waters of this state or any other waters under the jurisdiction of this state without first obtaining a permit from the department that states the species, number, and approximate size or age of the spawn, fry, or fish to be planted and the name and location of the waters where the spawn, fry, or fish shall be planted. A permit is not required to plant spawn, fry, or fish furnished by the federal or state government. This subsection is subject to subsection (5).
(5) A permit under subsection (2) or (4) does not include a genetically engineered variant of a fish species identified in the permit unless the genetically engineered variant is specifically identified in the permit. A permit under subsection (2) or (4) may be limited to a genetically engineered fish.
(6) A permittee under this section shall exhibit the permit upon the request of any law enforcement officer.
P.A.1994, No. 451, § 48735, added by P.A.1995, No. 57, § 1, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995. Amended by P.A.2003, No. 270, Eff. March 30, 2004; P.A.2018, No. 237, Eff. Sept. 25, 2018.
324.48736 Removal of caddis fly larvae or other insect larvae from trout streams; prohibition; exception.
Except as provided in this section, a person shall not take or remove or attempt to take or remove any caddis fly larvae or other insect larvae or insects of any kind from any trout stream of this state. The department may designate trout streams or portions of trout streams from which caddis fly larvae or other insect larvae or insects may be taken for commercial purposes by persons licensed in accordance with section 48732. This section does not prohibit the taking of any caddis fly larvae or other insect larvae or insects from any trout stream of the state for personal use in fishing the stream from which taken.
Sec. 48737. All money collected from the sale of licenses and stamps as provided in this part shall be paid over to the state treasurer by the department and held to the credit of the game and fish protection account of the Michigan conservation and recreation legacy fund provided for in section 2010, [FN1] and shall be used for the purposes necessary to the protection, propagation, and distribution of fish and game and as otherwise provided by law.
P.A.1994, No. 451, § 48737, added by P.A.1995, No. 57, § 1, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995. Amended by P.A.2004, No. 587, Eff. Dec. 23, 2006.
Sec. 48738. (1) A person who violates this part or rules or orders issued to implement this part, if a penalty is not otherwise provided for that violation in this section, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $500.00, or both.
(2) A person convicted of using dynamite, nitroglycerin, any other explosive substance, lime, electricity, or poison for the purpose of taking or killing fish, convicted of using nets not authorized by law for taking game fish, or convicted of buying or selling game fish or any parts of game fish is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not less than $250.00 or more than $1,000.00, or both.
(3) A person who takes or possesses sturgeon in violation of this part or rules or orders issued to implement this part is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 30 days or more than 180 days and a fine of not less than $500.00 or more than $2,000.00, or both, and the costs of prosecution.
(4) A person who knowingly violates section 48735(2) or (4)1 or a permit issued under section 48735(2) or (4) with respect to a genetically engineered variant of a fish species is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years or a fine of not more than $250,000.00, or both. In addition, the person is liable for any damages to the natural resources resulting from the violation, including, but not limited to, costs incurred to prevent or minimize such damages.
(b) Taking or possessing an overlimit of bluegill, sunfish, crappie, perch, or nongame fish.
(c) Taking or possessing not more than 5 undersized fish.
(d) Fishing with too many lines.
(e) Failing to attach the person's name and address to tip-ups or minnow traps.
(f) Fishing with lines not under immediate control.
(6) In addition to the penalties provided in this section, a fishing license issued to a person sentenced pursuant to subsection (2), (3), (4), or (5) shall be revoked, and the person shall not be issued a license during the remainder of the year in which convicted or during the next 3 succeeding license years.
(7) Subject to subsection (8), if any permit or license under this part is ordered to be suspended or revoked under section 413093 and if the department maintains a database of suspensions or revocations of permits or licenses under this part, the department shall not issue a permit or license under this part to the person for the period provided in the order.
(a) The suspension period set forth in the court order has elapsed.
(b) The person pays the department a reinstatement fee of $125.00.
(9) Unless a person's permit or license is otherwise suspended, revoked, or denied, the permit or license is immediately reinstated on satisfaction of the requirements of subsection (8).
P.A.1994, No. 451, § 48738, added by P.A.1995, No. 57, § 1, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995. Amended by P.A.2003, No. 270, Eff. March 30, 2004; P.A.2014, No. 541, Eff. April 15, 2015.
2 M.C.L.A. § 324.43501 et seq.
324.48739 Violation of part as misdemeanor; possession or sale of multipointed hook with weight permanently attached as misdemeanor; penalties.
(1) A person who snags fish in violation of this part is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or a fine of not less than $250.00 or more than $500.00, or both, and costs of prosecution.
(2) A person who is convicted of a second violation of snagging fish in violation of this part is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or a fine of not less than $500.00 or more than $1,000.00, or both, and costs of prosecution. In addition, the court shall suspend a sports fishing license issued to a person sentenced under this subsection for not less than 2 years and order that the person shall not secure a fishing license during that 2-year period.
(3) A person who is convicted of a third or subsequent violation of snagging fish in violation of this part is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or a fine of not less than $1,000.00 or more than $2,000.00, or both, and costs of prosecution. In addition, the court shall suspend a sports fishing license issued to a person sentenced under this subsection for not less than 3 years and order that the person shall not secure a fishing license during that 3-year period.
(4) A person who possesses or sells in this state any multipointed hook with a weight permanently attached is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or a fine of not less than $100.00 or more than $300.00, or both, and costs of prosecution.
(5) A person who is convicted of a second violation of subsection (4) is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or a fine of not less than $300.00 or more than $500.00, or both, and costs of prosecution.
(6) A person who is convicted of a third or subsequent violation of subsection (4) is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or a fine of not less than $500.00 or more than $1,000.00, or both, and costs of prosecution.
(a) For each game fish other than sturgeon, of an individual weight of 1 pound or more, $10.00 for each pound or fraction of a pound of fish illegally taken or possessed.
(b) For each game fish other than sturgeon, of an individual weight of less than 1 pound, $10.00 for each fish illegally taken or possessed.
(c) For sturgeon, $1,500.00 for each fish illegally taken or possessed.
(d) For each nongame fish, $5.00 for each pound or fraction of a pound of fish illegally taken or possessed.
(2) In every conviction for a violation described in subsection (1), the court before which the conviction is obtained shall order the defendant to forfeit to the state the sums provided in subsection (1). If 2 or more defendants are convicted of the illegal taking or possession of the fish, the forfeiture shall be declared against them jointly and severally.
(3) If a defendant fails to pay the sums forfeited for a violation of subsection (1), upon conviction, the court shall either impose a sentence of probation, and as a condition of sentence require the defendant to satisfy the forfeiture in the amount prescribed and fix the manner and time of payment, or make a written order permitting the defendant to pay the forfeited sums in installments at the times and in the amounts as the court determines the defendant is able to pay.
(4) A default in the payment of forfeiture or an installment of the forfeiture may be collected by any means authorized for the enforcement of a judgment under chapter 60 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.6001 to 600.6098.
P.A.1994, No. 451, § 48740, added by P.A.1995, No. 57, § 1, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995. Amended by P.A.2004, No. 587, Eff. Dec. 23, 2006.

References: § 48729
 § 1
 § 324
 § 48735
 § 1
 § 48737
 § 1
 § 48738
 § 1
 § 324
 § 48740
 § 1