State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > New-york > Env > Article-13 > Title-3 > 13-0329

§ 13-0329. Lobsters; permit to take; prohibited acts.    1.  Any  person  domiciled within the state may take and land lobsters  (Homarus americanus) from the waters of the state or  land  lobsters  in  the  state  taken  elsewhere  upon  first  obtaining  a  permit from the  department. There shall be two  classes  of  permits:  a  non-commercial  permit, the fee for which shall be ten dollars, and a commercial permit,  the  fee  for which shall be one hundred fifty dollars. A non-commercial  permit shall allow the holder to set no more than five lobster pots  and  to  take  or land in any one day no more than six legal lobsters by this  or any other legal method for the holder's own or family use. Holders of  non-commercial permits shall not sell, offer for sale, trade or  barter,  or  otherwise  traffic  in  lobsters so taken. A commercial permit shall  allow the holder to set any number of  pots  and  use  any  other  legal  method  for  taking  lobsters with no restriction on the number of legal  lobsters that may be taken, landed  or  possessed  except  that  on  the  waters  of  Long  Island  Sound  and  its  adjoining  bays,  harbors and  estuaries (herein defined as all  waters  of  the  state  north  of  the  northern  shore  lines  of Long Island, Plum Island, Little Gull Island,  Great Gull Island and Fishers Island and all the  waters  of  the  state  north  of  the  waters  that  separate  those islands from each other) a  person holding a commercial permit who is a person operating  or  owning  or on board a dragger or any vessel used to operate any net defined as a  trawl  in  section 13-0341 shall not take, land nor possess any lobsters  or parts thereof unless there are no such nets on board, attached to  in  any way, or being used by such vessel. This prohibition on the taking of  lobsters by the use of a trawl shall not allow the use of a trawl in any  waters  where  it  is  prohibited  by  sections 13-0341 and 13-0343. The  department shall furnish forms  for  application  for  both  classes  of  permits.  A  non-commercial  permit  shall be issued to an individual. A  commercial permit shall be  issued  to  an  individual  and  it  may  be  endorsed  for  use on a fishing vessel, in which case it shall cover all  persons on board such vessel. The holder of a commercial permit shall be  liable for all violations  that  occur  on  the  vessel  for  which  the  holder's  permit  is endorsed. The holder of a permit shall carry on his  or her person or post on his or her vessel such permit at all times when  fishing for lobsters. Except as provided  in  subdivision  six  of  this  section,  the  permit  holder  must  be  present  at all times while the  privileges of such permit are being exercised and while lobster  fishing  gear  owned  by  the  permit  holder  is being set out or retrieved. The  holder of a commercial permit may endorse such permit to only one vessel  at any one time and shall be on board such vessel at all times  when  it  is used for fishing for lobsters.    2.  a. A person not domiciled within the state but who is domiciled in  a  state  that  provides  reciprocal  permits  or  licenses  to  persons  domiciled  in New York state may, upon first obtaining a permit from the  department, take and land lobsters only from the  waters  of  the  state  westerly  and southerly of a straight line drawn from the Flashing Green  Light Number 9 Whistle Buoy at  Cerebus  Shoals  (located  approximately  seven  miles  northwesterly to Montauk Point) northwesterly to Race Rock  and thence due north to the  New  York-Connecticut  interstate  boundary  line; and may land lobsters taken outside New York state waters.    b.  The  fee  for such lobster permit shall be two hundred twenty-five  dollars. The permit shall be issued to an individual and may be endorsed  for use on a fishing vessel in which case it shall cover all persons  on  board  such  vessel.  Except  as  provided  in  subdivision  six of this  section, the permit holder must  be  present  at  all  times  while  the  privileges  of such permit are being exercised and while lobster fishing  gear owned by the permit holder is  being  set  out  or  retrieved.  Theholder  of  such permit shall be liable for all violations that occur on  any vessel for which the permit may be  endorsed.  The  holder  of  such  permit  shall  carry  on  his or her person or post on his or her vessel  such  permit  at  all  times  when fishing for lobsters. The holder of a  commercial permit may endorse such permit to only one vessel at any  one  time  and shall be on board such vessel at all times when it is used for  fishing for lobsters.    c. On the waters of Long Island Sound and its adjoining bays,  harbors  and  estuaries  (as  defined  in subdivision 1 of this section) a person  holding such permit who is a person operating or owning or  on  board  a  dragger  or  any  vessel  used  to operate a trawl as defined in section  13-0341 shall not take, land nor possess any lobsters or  parts  thereof  unless there are no such nets on board, attached to in any way, or being  used  by  such vessel. This prohibition on the taking of lobsters by the  use of a trawl shall not allow the use of a trawl in any waters where it  is prohibited by sections 13-0341 and 13-0343.    d. A person not domiciled in the state who is not qualified to hold  a  lobster  permit  under  paragraph  a  of  this  subdivision,  or  person  domiciled within the state who is not eligible to  obtain  a  commercial  lobster  permit  under  subdivision  one  of  this section, may obtain a  permit to land lobsters in the  state  which  have  been  legally  taken  outside  the  state. The fee for a lobster landing permit shall be three  hundred dollars.    e. The department shall prescribe and furnish forms for such permits.    3. a. Lobster permits shall be non transferable and  shall  expire  on  December  31 of the year of issue. If it appears in the public interest,  the department may suspend or  cancel  any  such  permit  on  ten  days'  written notice to the holder thereof.    b.  No  person  who has had any such permit suspended or revoked shall  take or land lobsters or aid in the taking or landing of lobsters  until  such permit has been reinstated or a new permit is issued.    c.  A  person who holds a permit to take or land lobsters shall notify  the department of any change of  address  within  thirty  days  of  such  change.    4.  Buoys  or  markers of prescribed design may be used in designating  the location of licensed lobster pots or traps in such manner  as  shall  be required by the department.    5.  * a. Except as provided in subdivisions 13 and 16 of this section,  only lobsters measuring three and three-eighths inches or more and  five  and  one-quarter  inches  or less may be taken, possessed, bought, sold,  imported and exported. All measurements are from the rear end of the eye  socket along a line parallel to  the  center  line  of  the  body  shell  (carapace) to the rear end of the body shell (carapace).    * NB  Effective  until  notification  is received from commissioner of  environmental conservation    * a. Except as provided in subdivisions 13 and  16  of  this  section,  only  lobsters  measuring  three  and five-sixteenths inches or more and  five and one-quarter inches or less may  be  taken,  possessed,  bought,  sold,  imported  and exported. All measurements are from the rear end of  the eye socket along a line parallel to the  center  line  of  the  body  shell (carapace) to the rear end of the body shell (carapace).    * NB  Effective  when  notification  is  received from commissioner of  environmental conservation    b. A lobster that has been damaged or mutilated to the extent that its  length from the rear end of the eye socket along a line parallel to  the  center  line  of  the  body shell (carapace) to the rear end of the body  shell (carapace) cannot be determined shall not be  possessed,  sold  or  offered for sale, trade or barter.c. Lobsters in spawn shall not be taken or possessed at any time. Eggs  shall not be removed from such lobsters.    d.  The  landing  or possession of lobster or parts thereof not in the  shell, detached lobster tails or claws, or any other part of  a  lobster  that has been separated from the lobster is prohibited. This prohibition  applies to any lobstermen licensed by the state.    e.  The  landing  or  possession  of  any  V-notched female lobster is  prohibited. This prohibition applies to all persons other than  a  final  purchaser  or  consumer.  V-notched female lobster shall mean any female  lobster bearing a V-shaped notch (i.e. a straight-sided  triangular  cut  without  setal hairs, at least one-quarter inch in depth and tapering to  a sharp point) in the flipper next to the right of the center flipper as  viewed from the rear of the female  lobster.  V-notched  female  lobster  also  means  any female which is mutilated in a manner which could hide,  obscure or obliterate such a mark. The right flipper  will  be  examined  when  the  underside  of  the lobster is down and its tail is toward the  person making the determination; however, the department shall have  the  authority  to  adopt  by  rule  or  regulation  a modified definition of  "V-notched female lobster" to reflect any changes to the definition  the  Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission may adopt.    6.  No  person  other  than  the licensee shall set out, tend, haul or  unduly disturb, or take or remove lobsters from, a lobster pot  or  trap  or  other commercial gear, or damage, take, remove or possess such gear.  Possession of such gear without the consent of  the  licensee  shall  be  considered  prima  facie  evidence  of  violation  of  this subdivision.  Provided, however, that  in  the  event  of  a  temporary  emergency,  a  licensee  may  provide written authorization for a different licensee to  haul and remove lobster from the licensee's pots or  traps.  A  copy  of  such  written  authorization  shall be filed with the department and the  department shall determine what constitutes a  temporary  emergency  and  the  appropriate  maximum  duration  of  a  temporary  emergency for the  purposes of this subdivision.    7. a. Lobsters may be taken only by lobster pots, traps, otter  trawls  or   similar   devices,   or  by  skin  diving,  including  the  use  of  self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), or by  hand.  The  use  of  spears,  gigs,  gaffs,  or  other  penetrating  devices to take  lobsters is prohibited.    b. The landing of more than one hundred lobsters per twenty-four  hour  period  by  gear  or  methods  other  than  lobster  traps  or  pots  is  prohibited. The landing of more than five hundred lobsters  by  gear  or  methods other than lobster traps or pots during a trip lasting five days  or longer is prohibited.    8.  A  person shall not be issued a permit to take or land lobsters in  New York state if said person had a license or permit to  take  or  land  lobsters  in  another  state  which has been suspended or revoked for an  illegal act which is also an illegal act in New York  state  until  such  suspension   or   revocation   has  been  terminated.  Upon  receipt  of  information from another state that a license or permit of a  person  to  take  or  land lobsters has been suspended or revoked for an illegal act  which is also an illegal act in New York state, said person, if he holds  such a permit in  New  York  state,  shall  have  his  New  York  permit  suspended  or  revoked  until  such  suspension or revocation by another  state has been terminated.    9. On the waters of Long Island Sound and its adjoining bays,  harbors  and  estuaries  (as defined in subdivision one of this section) lobsters  shall not be taken by any method from one hour after sunset to one  hour  before  sunrise.  The  provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to  the  taking  of  lobsters  by  skin  diving,  including   the   use   ofself-contained  underwater  breathing apparatus (SCUBA), by holders of a  valid resident non-commercial lobster permit.    10. A holder of a commercial lobster license may apply for a permit to  fish  a gill net as permitted in paragraph (b) of subdivision fifteen of  section 13-0343 of this chapter. This permit  is  to  be  used  for  the  purposes  of  obtaining  bait fish to be used solely by the permittee to  pursue his lobster fishery. Bait so taken shall not be sold.    11. In order to reduce mortality of lobster  due  to  lost  traps  and  pots,  the  department may adopt regulations requiring escape panels and  vents in such traps and pots and describing their design, configuration,  composition, size and any  other  necessary  characteristics.  Any  such  regulations  shall be consistent with the Interstate Management Plan for  American Lobster  prepared  by  the  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission.    12.  Lobsters  shall  not  be  transferred  from one vessel to another  vessel on the waters of Long Island Sound or its adjacent bays,  harbors  and  estuaries,  except  that nothing in this section shall prohibit the  unloading of lobsters, lawfully taken and  possessed,  in  harbor  at  a  vessel's  permanent  mooring  to  a  transfer  vessel for the purpose of  transporting such lawfully taken and possessed lobsters to land.    13. The department may issue a permit, revocable at pleasure,  to  any  person  to  import,  possess, buy or sell lobsters of less than the size  permitted to be  taken  and  possessed  pursuant  to  this  section  for  scientific and educational purposes only.    14.  Possession  of  a  lobster  trap or pot with a volume larger than  twenty-two thousand nine hundred fifty cubic inches is prohibited.    15. (a) The  department  shall  adopt  regulations  to  implement  and  administer  a  lobster  trap  tag  program.  Such  regulations  shall be  consistent  with  the  specific  requirements  of  the  lobster  fishery  management   plan  adopted  by  the  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission  and  any  other  applicable   federal   lobster   trap   tag  regulations.  Lobster  trap tags shall be issued by the department or an  agent authorized by the department. The cost to affected permittees  for  each  tag shall not be more than the cost of production and distribution  of each tag and shall not exceed the sum of twenty cents.    (b) If the department administers a  lobster  trap  tag  program,  any  funds  derived from such program and received by the department shall be  deposited into the  marine  resource  account  established  pursuant  to  subparagraph  (i)  of  paragraph  three  of  subdivision  (a) of section  eighty-three of the state finance law.    16. The department may,  until  December  thirty-first,  two  thousand  eleven,   adopt   regulations   for  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission Areas One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and  Outer  Cape  Cod,  to  implement  conservation  measures  that  affect  landings  of  lobsters,  pursuant  to  the  recommendations  of  the  respective  Area's  Lobster  Conservation  Management Team as required by the Interstate Fishery Plan  for Lobsters adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > New-york > Env > Article-13 > Title-3 > 13-0329

§ 13-0329. Lobsters; permit to take; prohibited acts.    1.  Any  person  domiciled within the state may take and land lobsters  (Homarus americanus) from the waters of the state or  land  lobsters  in  the  state  taken  elsewhere  upon  first  obtaining  a  permit from the  department. There shall be two  classes  of  permits:  a  non-commercial  permit, the fee for which shall be ten dollars, and a commercial permit,  the  fee  for which shall be one hundred fifty dollars. A non-commercial  permit shall allow the holder to set no more than five lobster pots  and  to  take  or land in any one day no more than six legal lobsters by this  or any other legal method for the holder's own or family use. Holders of  non-commercial permits shall not sell, offer for sale, trade or  barter,  or  otherwise  traffic  in  lobsters so taken. A commercial permit shall  allow the holder to set any number of  pots  and  use  any  other  legal  method  for  taking  lobsters with no restriction on the number of legal  lobsters that may be taken, landed  or  possessed  except  that  on  the  waters  of  Long  Island  Sound  and  its  adjoining  bays,  harbors and  estuaries (herein defined as all  waters  of  the  state  north  of  the  northern  shore  lines  of Long Island, Plum Island, Little Gull Island,  Great Gull Island and Fishers Island and all the  waters  of  the  state  north  of  the  waters  that  separate  those islands from each other) a  person holding a commercial permit who is a person operating  or  owning  or on board a dragger or any vessel used to operate any net defined as a  trawl  in  section 13-0341 shall not take, land nor possess any lobsters  or parts thereof unless there are no such nets on board, attached to  in  any way, or being used by such vessel. This prohibition on the taking of  lobsters by the use of a trawl shall not allow the use of a trawl in any  waters  where  it  is  prohibited  by  sections 13-0341 and 13-0343. The  department shall furnish forms  for  application  for  both  classes  of  permits.  A  non-commercial  permit  shall be issued to an individual. A  commercial permit shall be  issued  to  an  individual  and  it  may  be  endorsed  for  use on a fishing vessel, in which case it shall cover all  persons on board such vessel. The holder of a commercial permit shall be  liable for all violations  that  occur  on  the  vessel  for  which  the  holder's  permit  is endorsed. The holder of a permit shall carry on his  or her person or post on his or her vessel such permit at all times when  fishing for lobsters. Except as provided  in  subdivision  six  of  this  section,  the  permit  holder  must  be  present  at all times while the  privileges of such permit are being exercised and while lobster  fishing  gear  owned  by  the  permit  holder  is being set out or retrieved. The  holder of a commercial permit may endorse such permit to only one vessel  at any one time and shall be on board such vessel at all times  when  it  is used for fishing for lobsters.    2.  a. A person not domiciled within the state but who is domiciled in  a  state  that  provides  reciprocal  permits  or  licenses  to  persons  domiciled  in New York state may, upon first obtaining a permit from the  department, take and land lobsters only from the  waters  of  the  state  westerly  and southerly of a straight line drawn from the Flashing Green  Light Number 9 Whistle Buoy at  Cerebus  Shoals  (located  approximately  seven  miles  northwesterly to Montauk Point) northwesterly to Race Rock  and thence due north to the  New  York-Connecticut  interstate  boundary  line; and may land lobsters taken outside New York state waters.    b.  The  fee  for such lobster permit shall be two hundred twenty-five  dollars. The permit shall be issued to an individual and may be endorsed  for use on a fishing vessel in which case it shall cover all persons  on  board  such  vessel.  Except  as  provided  in  subdivision  six of this  section, the permit holder must  be  present  at  all  times  while  the  privileges  of such permit are being exercised and while lobster fishing  gear owned by the permit holder is  being  set  out  or  retrieved.  Theholder  of  such permit shall be liable for all violations that occur on  any vessel for which the permit may be  endorsed.  The  holder  of  such  permit  shall  carry  on  his or her person or post on his or her vessel  such  permit  at  all  times  when fishing for lobsters. The holder of a  commercial permit may endorse such permit to only one vessel at any  one  time  and shall be on board such vessel at all times when it is used for  fishing for lobsters.    c. On the waters of Long Island Sound and its adjoining bays,  harbors  and  estuaries  (as  defined  in subdivision 1 of this section) a person  holding such permit who is a person operating or owning or  on  board  a  dragger  or  any  vessel  used  to operate a trawl as defined in section  13-0341 shall not take, land nor possess any lobsters or  parts  thereof  unless there are no such nets on board, attached to in any way, or being  used  by  such vessel. This prohibition on the taking of lobsters by the  use of a trawl shall not allow the use of a trawl in any waters where it  is prohibited by sections 13-0341 and 13-0343.    d. A person not domiciled in the state who is not qualified to hold  a  lobster  permit  under  paragraph  a  of  this  subdivision,  or  person  domiciled within the state who is not eligible to  obtain  a  commercial  lobster  permit  under  subdivision  one  of  this section, may obtain a  permit to land lobsters in the  state  which  have  been  legally  taken  outside  the  state. The fee for a lobster landing permit shall be three  hundred dollars.    e. The department shall prescribe and furnish forms for such permits.    3. a. Lobster permits shall be non transferable and  shall  expire  on  December  31 of the year of issue. If it appears in the public interest,  the department may suspend or  cancel  any  such  permit  on  ten  days'  written notice to the holder thereof.    b.  No  person  who has had any such permit suspended or revoked shall  take or land lobsters or aid in the taking or landing of lobsters  until  such permit has been reinstated or a new permit is issued.    c.  A  person who holds a permit to take or land lobsters shall notify  the department of any change of  address  within  thirty  days  of  such  change.    4.  Buoys  or  markers of prescribed design may be used in designating  the location of licensed lobster pots or traps in such manner  as  shall  be required by the department.    5.  * a. Except as provided in subdivisions 13 and 16 of this section,  only lobsters measuring three and three-eighths inches or more and  five  and  one-quarter  inches  or less may be taken, possessed, bought, sold,  imported and exported. All measurements are from the rear end of the eye  socket along a line parallel to  the  center  line  of  the  body  shell  (carapace) to the rear end of the body shell (carapace).    * NB  Effective  until  notification  is received from commissioner of  environmental conservation    * a. Except as provided in subdivisions 13 and  16  of  this  section,  only  lobsters  measuring  three  and five-sixteenths inches or more and  five and one-quarter inches or less may  be  taken,  possessed,  bought,  sold,  imported  and exported. All measurements are from the rear end of  the eye socket along a line parallel to the  center  line  of  the  body  shell (carapace) to the rear end of the body shell (carapace).    * NB  Effective  when  notification  is  received from commissioner of  environmental conservation    b. A lobster that has been damaged or mutilated to the extent that its  length from the rear end of the eye socket along a line parallel to  the  center  line  of  the  body shell (carapace) to the rear end of the body  shell (carapace) cannot be determined shall not be  possessed,  sold  or  offered for sale, trade or barter.c. Lobsters in spawn shall not be taken or possessed at any time. Eggs  shall not be removed from such lobsters.    d.  The  landing  or possession of lobster or parts thereof not in the  shell, detached lobster tails or claws, or any other part of  a  lobster  that has been separated from the lobster is prohibited. This prohibition  applies to any lobstermen licensed by the state.    e.  The  landing  or  possession  of  any  V-notched female lobster is  prohibited. This prohibition applies to all persons other than  a  final  purchaser  or  consumer.  V-notched female lobster shall mean any female  lobster bearing a V-shaped notch (i.e. a straight-sided  triangular  cut  without  setal hairs, at least one-quarter inch in depth and tapering to  a sharp point) in the flipper next to the right of the center flipper as  viewed from the rear of the female  lobster.  V-notched  female  lobster  also  means  any female which is mutilated in a manner which could hide,  obscure or obliterate such a mark. The right flipper  will  be  examined  when  the  underside  of  the lobster is down and its tail is toward the  person making the determination; however, the department shall have  the  authority  to  adopt  by  rule  or  regulation  a modified definition of  "V-notched female lobster" to reflect any changes to the definition  the  Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission may adopt.    6.  No  person  other  than  the licensee shall set out, tend, haul or  unduly disturb, or take or remove lobsters from, a lobster pot  or  trap  or  other commercial gear, or damage, take, remove or possess such gear.  Possession of such gear without the consent of  the  licensee  shall  be  considered  prima  facie  evidence  of  violation  of  this subdivision.  Provided, however, that  in  the  event  of  a  temporary  emergency,  a  licensee  may  provide written authorization for a different licensee to  haul and remove lobster from the licensee's pots or  traps.  A  copy  of  such  written  authorization  shall be filed with the department and the  department shall determine what constitutes a  temporary  emergency  and  the  appropriate  maximum  duration  of  a  temporary  emergency for the  purposes of this subdivision.    7. a. Lobsters may be taken only by lobster pots, traps, otter  trawls  or   similar   devices,   or  by  skin  diving,  including  the  use  of  self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), or by  hand.  The  use  of  spears,  gigs,  gaffs,  or  other  penetrating  devices to take  lobsters is prohibited.    b. The landing of more than one hundred lobsters per twenty-four  hour  period  by  gear  or  methods  other  than  lobster  traps  or  pots  is  prohibited. The landing of more than five hundred lobsters  by  gear  or  methods other than lobster traps or pots during a trip lasting five days  or longer is prohibited.    8.  A  person shall not be issued a permit to take or land lobsters in  New York state if said person had a license or permit to  take  or  land  lobsters  in  another  state  which has been suspended or revoked for an  illegal act which is also an illegal act in New York  state  until  such  suspension   or   revocation   has  been  terminated.  Upon  receipt  of  information from another state that a license or permit of a  person  to  take  or  land lobsters has been suspended or revoked for an illegal act  which is also an illegal act in New York state, said person, if he holds  such a permit in  New  York  state,  shall  have  his  New  York  permit  suspended  or  revoked  until  such  suspension or revocation by another  state has been terminated.    9. On the waters of Long Island Sound and its adjoining bays,  harbors  and  estuaries  (as defined in subdivision one of this section) lobsters  shall not be taken by any method from one hour after sunset to one  hour  before  sunrise.  The  provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to  the  taking  of  lobsters  by  skin  diving,  including   the   use   ofself-contained  underwater  breathing apparatus (SCUBA), by holders of a  valid resident non-commercial lobster permit.    10. A holder of a commercial lobster license may apply for a permit to  fish  a gill net as permitted in paragraph (b) of subdivision fifteen of  section 13-0343 of this chapter. This permit  is  to  be  used  for  the  purposes  of  obtaining  bait fish to be used solely by the permittee to  pursue his lobster fishery. Bait so taken shall not be sold.    11. In order to reduce mortality of lobster  due  to  lost  traps  and  pots,  the  department may adopt regulations requiring escape panels and  vents in such traps and pots and describing their design, configuration,  composition, size and any  other  necessary  characteristics.  Any  such  regulations  shall be consistent with the Interstate Management Plan for  American Lobster  prepared  by  the  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission.    12.  Lobsters  shall  not  be  transferred  from one vessel to another  vessel on the waters of Long Island Sound or its adjacent bays,  harbors  and  estuaries,  except  that nothing in this section shall prohibit the  unloading of lobsters, lawfully taken and  possessed,  in  harbor  at  a  vessel's  permanent  mooring  to  a  transfer  vessel for the purpose of  transporting such lawfully taken and possessed lobsters to land.    13. The department may issue a permit, revocable at pleasure,  to  any  person  to  import,  possess, buy or sell lobsters of less than the size  permitted to be  taken  and  possessed  pursuant  to  this  section  for  scientific and educational purposes only.    14.  Possession  of  a  lobster  trap or pot with a volume larger than  twenty-two thousand nine hundred fifty cubic inches is prohibited.    15. (a) The  department  shall  adopt  regulations  to  implement  and  administer  a  lobster  trap  tag  program.  Such  regulations  shall be  consistent  with  the  specific  requirements  of  the  lobster  fishery  management   plan  adopted  by  the  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission  and  any  other  applicable   federal   lobster   trap   tag  regulations.  Lobster  trap tags shall be issued by the department or an  agent authorized by the department. The cost to affected permittees  for  each  tag shall not be more than the cost of production and distribution  of each tag and shall not exceed the sum of twenty cents.    (b) If the department administers a  lobster  trap  tag  program,  any  funds  derived from such program and received by the department shall be  deposited into the  marine  resource  account  established  pursuant  to  subparagraph  (i)  of  paragraph  three  of  subdivision  (a) of section  eighty-three of the state finance law.    16. The department may,  until  December  thirty-first,  two  thousand  eleven,   adopt   regulations   for  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission Areas One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and  Outer  Cape  Cod,  to  implement  conservation  measures  that  affect  landings  of  lobsters,  pursuant  to  the  recommendations  of  the  respective  Area's  Lobster  Conservation  Management Team as required by the Interstate Fishery Plan  for Lobsters adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

State Codes and Statutes

State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > New-york > Env > Article-13 > Title-3 > 13-0329

§ 13-0329. Lobsters; permit to take; prohibited acts.    1.  Any  person  domiciled within the state may take and land lobsters  (Homarus americanus) from the waters of the state or  land  lobsters  in  the  state  taken  elsewhere  upon  first  obtaining  a  permit from the  department. There shall be two  classes  of  permits:  a  non-commercial  permit, the fee for which shall be ten dollars, and a commercial permit,  the  fee  for which shall be one hundred fifty dollars. A non-commercial  permit shall allow the holder to set no more than five lobster pots  and  to  take  or land in any one day no more than six legal lobsters by this  or any other legal method for the holder's own or family use. Holders of  non-commercial permits shall not sell, offer for sale, trade or  barter,  or  otherwise  traffic  in  lobsters so taken. A commercial permit shall  allow the holder to set any number of  pots  and  use  any  other  legal  method  for  taking  lobsters with no restriction on the number of legal  lobsters that may be taken, landed  or  possessed  except  that  on  the  waters  of  Long  Island  Sound  and  its  adjoining  bays,  harbors and  estuaries (herein defined as all  waters  of  the  state  north  of  the  northern  shore  lines  of Long Island, Plum Island, Little Gull Island,  Great Gull Island and Fishers Island and all the  waters  of  the  state  north  of  the  waters  that  separate  those islands from each other) a  person holding a commercial permit who is a person operating  or  owning  or on board a dragger or any vessel used to operate any net defined as a  trawl  in  section 13-0341 shall not take, land nor possess any lobsters  or parts thereof unless there are no such nets on board, attached to  in  any way, or being used by such vessel. This prohibition on the taking of  lobsters by the use of a trawl shall not allow the use of a trawl in any  waters  where  it  is  prohibited  by  sections 13-0341 and 13-0343. The  department shall furnish forms  for  application  for  both  classes  of  permits.  A  non-commercial  permit  shall be issued to an individual. A  commercial permit shall be  issued  to  an  individual  and  it  may  be  endorsed  for  use on a fishing vessel, in which case it shall cover all  persons on board such vessel. The holder of a commercial permit shall be  liable for all violations  that  occur  on  the  vessel  for  which  the  holder's  permit  is endorsed. The holder of a permit shall carry on his  or her person or post on his or her vessel such permit at all times when  fishing for lobsters. Except as provided  in  subdivision  six  of  this  section,  the  permit  holder  must  be  present  at all times while the  privileges of such permit are being exercised and while lobster  fishing  gear  owned  by  the  permit  holder  is being set out or retrieved. The  holder of a commercial permit may endorse such permit to only one vessel  at any one time and shall be on board such vessel at all times  when  it  is used for fishing for lobsters.    2.  a. A person not domiciled within the state but who is domiciled in  a  state  that  provides  reciprocal  permits  or  licenses  to  persons  domiciled  in New York state may, upon first obtaining a permit from the  department, take and land lobsters only from the  waters  of  the  state  westerly  and southerly of a straight line drawn from the Flashing Green  Light Number 9 Whistle Buoy at  Cerebus  Shoals  (located  approximately  seven  miles  northwesterly to Montauk Point) northwesterly to Race Rock  and thence due north to the  New  York-Connecticut  interstate  boundary  line; and may land lobsters taken outside New York state waters.    b.  The  fee  for such lobster permit shall be two hundred twenty-five  dollars. The permit shall be issued to an individual and may be endorsed  for use on a fishing vessel in which case it shall cover all persons  on  board  such  vessel.  Except  as  provided  in  subdivision  six of this  section, the permit holder must  be  present  at  all  times  while  the  privileges  of such permit are being exercised and while lobster fishing  gear owned by the permit holder is  being  set  out  or  retrieved.  Theholder  of  such permit shall be liable for all violations that occur on  any vessel for which the permit may be  endorsed.  The  holder  of  such  permit  shall  carry  on  his or her person or post on his or her vessel  such  permit  at  all  times  when fishing for lobsters. The holder of a  commercial permit may endorse such permit to only one vessel at any  one  time  and shall be on board such vessel at all times when it is used for  fishing for lobsters.    c. On the waters of Long Island Sound and its adjoining bays,  harbors  and  estuaries  (as  defined  in subdivision 1 of this section) a person  holding such permit who is a person operating or owning or  on  board  a  dragger  or  any  vessel  used  to operate a trawl as defined in section  13-0341 shall not take, land nor possess any lobsters or  parts  thereof  unless there are no such nets on board, attached to in any way, or being  used  by  such vessel. This prohibition on the taking of lobsters by the  use of a trawl shall not allow the use of a trawl in any waters where it  is prohibited by sections 13-0341 and 13-0343.    d. A person not domiciled in the state who is not qualified to hold  a  lobster  permit  under  paragraph  a  of  this  subdivision,  or  person  domiciled within the state who is not eligible to  obtain  a  commercial  lobster  permit  under  subdivision  one  of  this section, may obtain a  permit to land lobsters in the  state  which  have  been  legally  taken  outside  the  state. The fee for a lobster landing permit shall be three  hundred dollars.    e. The department shall prescribe and furnish forms for such permits.    3. a. Lobster permits shall be non transferable and  shall  expire  on  December  31 of the year of issue. If it appears in the public interest,  the department may suspend or  cancel  any  such  permit  on  ten  days'  written notice to the holder thereof.    b.  No  person  who has had any such permit suspended or revoked shall  take or land lobsters or aid in the taking or landing of lobsters  until  such permit has been reinstated or a new permit is issued.    c.  A  person who holds a permit to take or land lobsters shall notify  the department of any change of  address  within  thirty  days  of  such  change.    4.  Buoys  or  markers of prescribed design may be used in designating  the location of licensed lobster pots or traps in such manner  as  shall  be required by the department.    5.  * a. Except as provided in subdivisions 13 and 16 of this section,  only lobsters measuring three and three-eighths inches or more and  five  and  one-quarter  inches  or less may be taken, possessed, bought, sold,  imported and exported. All measurements are from the rear end of the eye  socket along a line parallel to  the  center  line  of  the  body  shell  (carapace) to the rear end of the body shell (carapace).    * NB  Effective  until  notification  is received from commissioner of  environmental conservation    * a. Except as provided in subdivisions 13 and  16  of  this  section,  only  lobsters  measuring  three  and five-sixteenths inches or more and  five and one-quarter inches or less may  be  taken,  possessed,  bought,  sold,  imported  and exported. All measurements are from the rear end of  the eye socket along a line parallel to the  center  line  of  the  body  shell (carapace) to the rear end of the body shell (carapace).    * NB  Effective  when  notification  is  received from commissioner of  environmental conservation    b. A lobster that has been damaged or mutilated to the extent that its  length from the rear end of the eye socket along a line parallel to  the  center  line  of  the  body shell (carapace) to the rear end of the body  shell (carapace) cannot be determined shall not be  possessed,  sold  or  offered for sale, trade or barter.c. Lobsters in spawn shall not be taken or possessed at any time. Eggs  shall not be removed from such lobsters.    d.  The  landing  or possession of lobster or parts thereof not in the  shell, detached lobster tails or claws, or any other part of  a  lobster  that has been separated from the lobster is prohibited. This prohibition  applies to any lobstermen licensed by the state.    e.  The  landing  or  possession  of  any  V-notched female lobster is  prohibited. This prohibition applies to all persons other than  a  final  purchaser  or  consumer.  V-notched female lobster shall mean any female  lobster bearing a V-shaped notch (i.e. a straight-sided  triangular  cut  without  setal hairs, at least one-quarter inch in depth and tapering to  a sharp point) in the flipper next to the right of the center flipper as  viewed from the rear of the female  lobster.  V-notched  female  lobster  also  means  any female which is mutilated in a manner which could hide,  obscure or obliterate such a mark. The right flipper  will  be  examined  when  the  underside  of  the lobster is down and its tail is toward the  person making the determination; however, the department shall have  the  authority  to  adopt  by  rule  or  regulation  a modified definition of  "V-notched female lobster" to reflect any changes to the definition  the  Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission may adopt.    6.  No  person  other  than  the licensee shall set out, tend, haul or  unduly disturb, or take or remove lobsters from, a lobster pot  or  trap  or  other commercial gear, or damage, take, remove or possess such gear.  Possession of such gear without the consent of  the  licensee  shall  be  considered  prima  facie  evidence  of  violation  of  this subdivision.  Provided, however, that  in  the  event  of  a  temporary  emergency,  a  licensee  may  provide written authorization for a different licensee to  haul and remove lobster from the licensee's pots or  traps.  A  copy  of  such  written  authorization  shall be filed with the department and the  department shall determine what constitutes a  temporary  emergency  and  the  appropriate  maximum  duration  of  a  temporary  emergency for the  purposes of this subdivision.    7. a. Lobsters may be taken only by lobster pots, traps, otter  trawls  or   similar   devices,   or  by  skin  diving,  including  the  use  of  self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), or by  hand.  The  use  of  spears,  gigs,  gaffs,  or  other  penetrating  devices to take  lobsters is prohibited.    b. The landing of more than one hundred lobsters per twenty-four  hour  period  by  gear  or  methods  other  than  lobster  traps  or  pots  is  prohibited. The landing of more than five hundred lobsters  by  gear  or  methods other than lobster traps or pots during a trip lasting five days  or longer is prohibited.    8.  A  person shall not be issued a permit to take or land lobsters in  New York state if said person had a license or permit to  take  or  land  lobsters  in  another  state  which has been suspended or revoked for an  illegal act which is also an illegal act in New York  state  until  such  suspension   or   revocation   has  been  terminated.  Upon  receipt  of  information from another state that a license or permit of a  person  to  take  or  land lobsters has been suspended or revoked for an illegal act  which is also an illegal act in New York state, said person, if he holds  such a permit in  New  York  state,  shall  have  his  New  York  permit  suspended  or  revoked  until  such  suspension or revocation by another  state has been terminated.    9. On the waters of Long Island Sound and its adjoining bays,  harbors  and  estuaries  (as defined in subdivision one of this section) lobsters  shall not be taken by any method from one hour after sunset to one  hour  before  sunrise.  The  provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to  the  taking  of  lobsters  by  skin  diving,  including   the   use   ofself-contained  underwater  breathing apparatus (SCUBA), by holders of a  valid resident non-commercial lobster permit.    10. A holder of a commercial lobster license may apply for a permit to  fish  a gill net as permitted in paragraph (b) of subdivision fifteen of  section 13-0343 of this chapter. This permit  is  to  be  used  for  the  purposes  of  obtaining  bait fish to be used solely by the permittee to  pursue his lobster fishery. Bait so taken shall not be sold.    11. In order to reduce mortality of lobster  due  to  lost  traps  and  pots,  the  department may adopt regulations requiring escape panels and  vents in such traps and pots and describing their design, configuration,  composition, size and any  other  necessary  characteristics.  Any  such  regulations  shall be consistent with the Interstate Management Plan for  American Lobster  prepared  by  the  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission.    12.  Lobsters  shall  not  be  transferred  from one vessel to another  vessel on the waters of Long Island Sound or its adjacent bays,  harbors  and  estuaries,  except  that nothing in this section shall prohibit the  unloading of lobsters, lawfully taken and  possessed,  in  harbor  at  a  vessel's  permanent  mooring  to  a  transfer  vessel for the purpose of  transporting such lawfully taken and possessed lobsters to land.    13. The department may issue a permit, revocable at pleasure,  to  any  person  to  import,  possess, buy or sell lobsters of less than the size  permitted to be  taken  and  possessed  pursuant  to  this  section  for  scientific and educational purposes only.    14.  Possession  of  a  lobster  trap or pot with a volume larger than  twenty-two thousand nine hundred fifty cubic inches is prohibited.    15. (a) The  department  shall  adopt  regulations  to  implement  and  administer  a  lobster  trap  tag  program.  Such  regulations  shall be  consistent  with  the  specific  requirements  of  the  lobster  fishery  management   plan  adopted  by  the  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission  and  any  other  applicable   federal   lobster   trap   tag  regulations.  Lobster  trap tags shall be issued by the department or an  agent authorized by the department. The cost to affected permittees  for  each  tag shall not be more than the cost of production and distribution  of each tag and shall not exceed the sum of twenty cents.    (b) If the department administers a  lobster  trap  tag  program,  any  funds  derived from such program and received by the department shall be  deposited into the  marine  resource  account  established  pursuant  to  subparagraph  (i)  of  paragraph  three  of  subdivision  (a) of section  eighty-three of the state finance law.    16. The department may,  until  December  thirty-first,  two  thousand  eleven,   adopt   regulations   for  Atlantic  States  Marine  Fisheries  Commission Areas One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and  Outer  Cape  Cod,  to  implement  conservation  measures  that  affect  landings  of  lobsters,  pursuant  to  the  recommendations  of  the  respective  Area's  Lobster  Conservation  Management Team as required by the Interstate Fishery Plan  for Lobsters adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.