15A NCAC 03o .0404      standard commercial fishing license ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

In determining eligibility of an applicant for the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Pool, the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board shall apply the following criteria:

(1)           involvement in commercial fishing:

(a)           significant involvement in the commercial fishing industry for three of the last five years;

(b)           significant involvement in commercial fishing or in the commercial fishing industry prior to the last five years;

(c)           in the case of an applicant who is under 16 years of age, significant involvement in commercial fishing for two out of the last five years with a parent, legal guardian, grandparent, or other adult; or

(d)           significant involvement of the applicant's family in commercial fishing. For the purpose of this Sub-Item, family shall include mother, father, brothers, sisters, spouse, children, grandparents, or legal guardian.

For the purposes of this Rule, "significant involvement" shall mean persons or corporations who are engaged in the actual taking of fish for sale, from the waters of the State, or other states, jurisdictions, or federal waters, or any licensed dealer or the dealer's employees who purchase fish at the point of landing. Significant involvement does not include activities such as those who transport fish from the point of landing, those who sell or make commercial or recreational fishing gear, those who operate bait and tackle shops unless they are engaged in the actual taking of bait for sale, or those who work in fish markets or crab picking operations;

(2)           compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and rules:

(a)           the applicant shall not have any licenses, endorsements, or Commercial Fishing Vessel Registrations issued by the Division of Marine Fisheries or the right to hold them under suspension or revocation at the time of application or during the eligibility review;

(b)           if selected for the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Pool, the applicant shall become ineligible for the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Pool if any licenses, endorsements, or Commercial Fishing Vessel Registrations or the right to hold them issued by the Division are suspended or revoked;

(c)           four convictions within the last three years or the number of convictions that would cause suspension or revocation of licenses, endorsements, or Commercial Fishing Vessel Registrations as set forth in Rule .0114 of this Subchapter within the last three years shall result in the application being denied. An applicant for the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Pool shall provide certification that the applicant does not have four or more marine or estuarine resource convictions during the previous three years, as set forth in Rule .0101 of this Subchapter; and

(d)           a record of habitual violations evidenced by eight or more convictions in the last 10 years shall result in the application being denied.

For purposes of eligibility for the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Pool, the term convictions shall include any conviction for violation of any provision of Chapter 113 of the North Carolina General Statutes and any rule implementing or authorized by such statutes, any conviction for violation of G.S. 76-40 and any rule implementing or authorized by such statute, any conviction of Chapter 75A of the North Carolina General Statutes and any rule implementing or authorized by such statutes, any conviction for violation of any provision of Article 7 of Chapter 143B of the North Carolina General Statutes and any rule implementing or authorized by such statutes, any conviction of resist, obstruct, or delay involving a Marine Fisheries Inspector or Wildlife Protector under G.S. 14-223, and any conviction involving assaultive behavior toward a Marine Fisheries Inspector or other governmental official of the Department of Environmental Quality or the Wildlife Resources Commission;

(3)           the applicant shall not have transferred a Standard Commercial Fishing License granted by the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board; and

(4)           an applicant for the Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Pool shall meet all other statutory eligibility requirements for a Standard Commercial Fishing License.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 113-134; 113-168.1; 113-168.2; 113-182; 143B-289.52; S.L. 1998-225, s. 4.24;

Temporary Adoption Eff. April 1, 1999;

Eff. August 1, 2000;

Amended Eff. October 1, 2008; February 1, 2008;

Readopted Eff. June 1, 2022.