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A40, R53, S36

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Grooms
Document Path: l:\s-res\lkg\007blue.kmm.lkg.docx
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3818

Introduced in the Senate on January 12, 2021
Introduced in the House on March 2, 2021
Last Amended on May 4, 2021
Passed by the General Assembly on May 6, 2021
Governor's Action: May 17, 2021, Signed

Summary: Blue catfish

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   12/9/2020  Senate  Prefiled
   12/9/2020  Senate  Referred to Committee on Fish, Game and Forestry
   1/12/2021  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 107)
   1/12/2021  Senate  Referred to Committee on Fish, Game and Forestry 
                        (Senate Journal-page 107)
   2/18/2021  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Fish, Game 
                        and Forestry (Senate Journal-page 7)
   2/24/2021  Senate  Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 20)
   2/24/2021  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 20)
   2/24/2021  Senate  Roll call Ayes-42  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 20)
   2/25/2021  Senate  Read third time and sent to House 
                        (Senate Journal-page 14)
    3/2/2021  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 12)
    3/2/2021  House   Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources 
                        and Environmental Affairs (House Journal-page 12)
   4/29/2021  House   Recalled from Committee on Agriculture, Natural 
                        Resources and Environmental Affairs 
                        (House Journal-page 71)
    5/4/2021  House   Amended (House Journal-page 18)
    5/4/2021  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 18)
    5/4/2021  House   Roll call Yeas-118  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 19)
    5/5/2021  House   Read third time and returned to Senate with amendments 
                        (House Journal-page 8)
    5/6/2021  Senate  Concurred in House amendment and enrolled 
                        (Senate Journal-page 59)
    5/6/2021  Senate  Roll call Ayes-45  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 59)
   5/13/2021          Ratified R  53
   5/17/2021          Signed By Governor
    6/1/2021          Effective date  06/16/21
    6/1/2021          Act No.  40

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

12/9/2020
2/18/2021
2/24/2021
4/29/2021
5/4/2021

(A40, R53, S36)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 50-13-640, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE POSSESSION OF BLUE CATFISH, SO AS TO PROHIBIT THE POSSESSION OF MORE THAN TWO BLUE CATFISH GREATER THAN THIRTY-TWO INCHES IN LENGTH IN CERTAIN WATERS OF THIS STATE AND TO PROVIDE A DAILY LIMIT FOR CERTAIN WATERS OF THIS STATE; TO AMEND SECTION 50-9-1120, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE POINT SYSTEM FOR FISHING VIOLATIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A VIOLATION OF THE BLUE CATFISH CATCH LIMIT IS FOURTEEN POINTS; AND TO REQUIRE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES CONDUCT A STUDY OF THE BLUE CATFISH FISHERY IN THE SANTEE AND COOPER RIVER SYSTEMS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Blue catfish

SECTION    1.    Section 50-13-640 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 50-13-640.    (A)    It is unlawful to possess more than two blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) greater than thirty-two inches in length in any one day in Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie, or the upper reach of the Santee River, the Congaree and Wateree rivers, and all other state waterways.

(B)    It is unlawful to take more than twenty-five blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) a day in Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie, the upper reach of the Santee River, and all other state waterways.

(C)    A person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than three hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both."

Fishing violations

SECTION    2.    Section 50-9-1120(3) of the 1976 Code is amended by adding an appropriately lettered subitem to read:

"(    )    taking or possessing more than the legal creel or size limit of blue catfish:    14."

Blue catfish fishery study

SECTION    3.    The Department of Natural Resources shall conduct a study of the blue catfish fishery in the Santee and Cooper river systems and make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning the fishery on or before January 1, 2025.

Time effective

SECTION    4.    This act takes effect thirty days after approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 13th day of May, 2021.

Approved the 17th day of May, 2021.

This web page was last updated on June 14, 2021 at 8:56 AM