Montana § 87-6-707 - Unlawful Sale Of Fish Or Spawn

§ 87-6-707. Unlawful Sale Of Fish Or Spawn

Unlawful sale of fish or spawn. (1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3), a person may not, for speculative purposes, for market, or for sale, catch game fish or remove or cause to be removed the eggs or spawn of any game fish in any way. A person may not sell or offer for sale game fish or the eggs or spawn from game fish. (2) The restrictions of subsection (1) do not apply to the: (a) catching of fish or the collecting of eggs or spawn in a private fish pond licensed under 87-4-603 by the owner of the pond; (b) taking of fish by state authorities for the purpose of obtaining eggs for propagation in state fish hatcheries or by any person who receives a permit from the department to take eggs for use in a private fish pond licensed under 87-4-603 ; (c) catching of whitefish by the holder of a valid fishing license fishing with hook and line or a rod in specified waters designated by rules of the commission; (d) taking of whitefish by nets or traps in the Kootenai River and in its tributary streams within 1 mile of the Kootenai River under rules of the commission; or (e) sale by the department of fish eggs produced from brood stock owned by the department but determined to be in excess of the department's needs. (3) A person may possess and sell legally taken nongame fish as provided in 87-4-609 and rules adopted by the department pursuant to 87-4-609 . (4) A person convicted of a violation of this section shall be fined not less than $50 or more than $1,000 or be imprisoned in the county detention center for not more than 6 months, or both. In addition, the person, upon conviction or forfeiture of bond or bail, may be subject to forfeiture of any current hunting, fishing, or trapping license issued by this state and the privilege to hunt, fish, or trap in this state or to use state lands, as defined in 77-1-101 , for recreational purposes for a period of time set by the court.