Wholesale seafood dealer, peeler crab, and molluscan shellfish licenses; display of license; roadside vendors; brood stock exception; penalties.
S.C. Code Ann. § 50-5-360
in effect(A) Except as provided in subsection (G), a person or entity who buys, receives, or handles any live or fresh saltwater fish or any saltwater fishery products landed in this State regardless of where taken and packs, processes, ships, consigns, or sells such items at other than retail, and not solely as bait, must first obtain a wholesale seafood dealer license. A person who buys or receives such product solely from licensed wholesale seafood dealers is not required to obtain a wholesale seafood dealer license. The fee for a resident wholesale seafood dealer license is one hundred dollars, and the fee for a nonresident license is five hundred dollars. Each location at which products are to be packed, processed, shipped, consigned, or bought, or to be sold at wholesale must be a permanent, nonmobile establishment, and must be separately licensed. The department may require applicants to specify the activities in which the applicant intends to engage. The department may provide information provided in the application to the South Carolina Department of Agriculture and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (B) In order to engage in shedding peeler crabs, a person or entity must first be a licensed wholesale seafood dealer, must be licensed for peeler crabs, and the person's or entity's business premises must be capable of peeler shedding operations. The fee for a resident peeler crab license is an additional seventy-five dollars, and the fee for a nonresident license is an additional three hundred seventy-five dollars. Persons holding this license and engaged in shedding peeler crabs are authorized to receive, possess, and sell peeler crabs regardless of size. The department may inspect the business premises of a person or entity applying for a peeler crab license and of a peeler crab licensee to ensure the applicant's or licensee's business premises are capable of peeler shedding operations. (C) A person or entity required to obtain a wholesale seafood dealer license who receives molluscan shellfish must first be licensed for molluscan shellfish. The fee for a resident to acquire a molluscan shellfish license is an additional ten dollars, and the fee for a nonresident is an additional fifty dollars. Prior to obtaining a molluscan shellfish license, a person or entity must complete any shellfish training required by regulations promulgated by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control pursuant to Section 44-1-140. (D) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days. (E) The original or a legible copy of the wholesale seafood dealer license must be displayed where a wholesale seafood dealer or his agent is selling or offering for sale saltwater fisheries products. Any wholesale seafood dealer who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days. (F) Roadside vendors, transient dealers, or peddlers operating from vehicles, roadside stands, or other temporary locations who sell or offer for sale saltwater fishery products are retail dealers who must comply with the retail license and tax requirements of state and local law. The person or entity must be a licensed wholesale seafood dealer or must have received or purchased the products from licensed wholesale seafood dealers or other licensed retailers and must comply with the requirements of Section 50-5-365 (A). (G) A person or entity that solely produces fish or fishery products reared as offspring from brood stock in captivity, or purchases such fish or fishery products solely is not required to have a wholesale seafood dealer license. (H)(1) Persons licensed under this section upon a fourth conviction within a period of three years of provisions related to: (a) possession of undersized fishery products; (b) improper marking or tagging of fishery products; (c) failure to report or maintain records; or (d) unlawful purchase of fishery products shall have his privilege to hold a wholesale seafood dealer license suspended for a period of twelve months. (2) Any person convicted of selling or offering for sale fish or fishery products while under suspension is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined no less than one thousand dollars but not more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days and must have all his saltwater privileges suspended for three years. (3) For the purposes of this section, a conviction must occur on a separate date from other unlawful acts named in this section to be considered a prior offense. Editor's Note 2024 Act No. 212, SECTION 12, provides as follows: "SECTION 12. Upon approval of this act by the Governor, a moratorium on the issuance of new commercial equipment licenses to use traps for the taking of blue crab takes effect, at which time the department must not issue any new commercial equipment licenses to use traps for the taking of blue crab. This moratorium expires on June 15, 2025. Commercial equipment licenses to use traps for the taking of blue crab in effect for the 2023-2024 license year are extended and do not expire until June 30, 2025." Effect of Amendment 2017 Act No. 30, SECTION 2, in (C), added the third sentence, relating to completion of shellfish training required by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. 2024 Act No. 212, SECTION 4, in (B), in the first sentence, substituted ", must be licensed for peeler crabs, and the person's or entity's business premises must be capable of peeler shedding operations" for "and be licensed for peeler crabs", and added the fourth sentence.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t50c005.phpFetched: 10/17/2026