(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to catch or land crabs for commercial purposes in this State unless said person has applied for and secured from the Department and has in said person's possession a valid commercial crab pot or trotline license. A person cannot possess a commercial crab pot license and a trotline license at the same time. The fee for a resident commercial crab pot license shall be $28.75 for up to 50 pots; $57.50 for up to 100 pots; $86.25 for up to 150 pots; and $115 for up to 200 pots. The fee for nonresident commercial crab pot licenses shall be $287.50 for up to 50 pots; $575 for up to 100 pots; $862.50 for up to 150 pots; and $1,150 for up to 200 pots. The fee for a resident commercial trotline license shall be $57.50. The fee for a nonresident commercial trotline license shall be $575. Said license shall be valid only for commercial taking of crabs from 1 vessel owned and operated by the applicant or designees approved in the license. Designees for a holder of a resident commercial crab pot license must be residents of the State. (b) The license issued pursuant to this section shall automatically expire on December 31 of each calendar year. (c) In the event that a licensee is unable to tend the licensee's crab pots from the vessel specified in the licensee's license application, said licensee shall apply to the Department within 48 hours after the boat or vessel has been disabled for a written permit to be carried on the licensee's person to tend that licensee's pots from another specified vessel for a period to be specified by the Department. (d) A commercial crab pot license may designate no more than 2 persons on said licensee's commercial crab pot license as designees. A commercial crab pot licensee's designees are authorized, whether in the presence of the licensee or not, to place, use, set or tend said licensee's crab pots while operating the vessel owned by the licensee that is listed on said licensee's commercial crab pot license. Designees shall be prohibited on a commercial crab trotline license. (e) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, the number of commercial crab pot licensees that may list the same vessel on their commercial crab pot license shall not exceed 3 and the total number of crab pots that 3 licensees may be licensed to place, use, set or tend from the same vessel shall not exceed 500 pots.
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