Title 26 — Title 26: Fisheries and Game

Sec. 26-238. Town oyster ground committee. Section 26-238 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5069; P.A. 86-225, S. 15.)

Sec. 26-239. Certain grants of oyster, clam and mussel grounds valid. Any grant of oyster, clam or mussel ground, made by the duly constituted state or town authorities, which is not in territory that has been designated as natural oyster ground by the General Assembly or by the …

Sec. 26-240. Town ground; designation; designation requirements and prohibitions; hearing. (a) Any person desiring to plant or cultivate oysters, clams or mussels, in any waters within town jurisdiction, may apply in writing, to the shellfish commission or to selectmen authorized…

Sec. 26-241. Name of owner to appear on stakes, buoys and markers. Buoy specifications. (a) All stakes, buoys or other markers placed by any person, except buoys placed by the state, so as to mark the divisional line, in whole or in part, between any private and any public or nat…

Sec. 26-242. Granting of designation; condition precedent. No shellfish commission or selectmen shall grant any designation of ground for the planting or cultivation of oysters, until the applicant for such ground has shown them a certificate from the town clerk that the ground h…

Sec. 26-243. Evidence of designation to be recorded. The selectmen of each town in which places have been designated in its navigable waters for planting or cultivating oysters, clams or mussels shall provide a book, to be kept by the town clerk, for recording all applications fo…

Sec. 26-244. Lost title; redesignation. Penalty. Any owner of any such place who has lost the evidences of his title, after filing the same with the town clerk, may apply to the shellfish commission of the town in which such place is situated, and in East Haven and West Haven to …

Sec. 26-245. Fees of shellfish commissions. A shellfish commission may establish a fee for a description of grounds designated for planting and cultivating oysters and a fee to be paid to each member for each day occupied in making such designation. (1949 Rev., S. 5080; P.A. 86-2…

Sec. 26-246. Designation of disputed lines in local jurisdiction. When the boundaries of lands or grounds not within the exclusive jurisdiction of the state, lawfully designated for the planting or cultivation of oysters, clams or mussels, between adjoining proprietors, have been…

Sec. 26-247. Removal of beds improperly staked. When any natural oyster or clam bed, or any part thereof, within town jurisdiction, has been designated, enclosed or staked out, contrary to the provisions of this chapter, the superior court for the judicial district in which such …

Sec. 26-248. Procedure to dam creek or inlet. When the owner of any land in which there is any saltwater creek or inlet desires to dam, gate or lock the same for any oyster pond, for the cultivation of oysters, he may make application therefor to the selectmen of the town or the …

Sec. 26-249. Private ownership in cultivated shellfish. Each person who plants or cultivates oysters, clams or mussels, in any place lawfully designated, shall own them and also all other oysters, clams or mussels on such place, and have the exclusive right of taking up and dispo…

Sec. 26-250. Taxation of town ground. Section 26-250 is repealed, effective October 1, 2021. (1949 Rev., S. 5085; P.A. 21-24, S. 5.)

Sec. 26-251. Natural clam beds not to be designated. No shellfish commission or selectman of any town shall designate, and no person shall mark, stake out or enclose, for the cultivation of oysters, clams or mussels, any natural clam bed. (1949 Rev., S. 5086; P.A. 86-225, S. 10.)…

Sec. 26-252. Taking of hard or round clams; size. No rake, tongs, dredge or other device shall be used for taking hard or round clams in any of the waters of this state, with spaces or openings between the teeth or prongs of less than one inch, and no such clams less than one inc…

Sec. 26-253. Trespass on designated ground. Any person who wilfully commits any trespass or injury with eel spears or other implements on any designated oyster ground on which oysters are being cultivated shall have committed an infraction. (1949 Rev., S. 5117; P.A. 78-334, S. 15…

Secs. 26-254 and 26-255. Catching of shellfish on bridge pier. Plowing for shellfish along Long Island Sound. Sections 26-254 and 26-255 are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5118, 5119; P.A. 78-334, S. 17.)

Sec. 26-256. Injury to pond gates and dams. Any person who injures the dams or gates of any oyster pond shall have committed an infraction. (1949 Rev., S. 5120; P.A. 86-225, S. 13.) History: P.A. 86-225 eliminated fine and imprisonment penalties and specified that injury to dams …

Sec. 26-257. Local shellfish grounds under state control. When shellfish grounds or franchises located within the limits of the towns of West Haven, New Haven, Milford and Westport, and northerly of the state jurisdiction line, have been surveyed, and a map of the same made and a…

Sec. 26-257a. Local shellfish commissions. (a) Any town, city or borough, acting by its legislative body or its board of selectmen, if a town, or its mayor, if a city, or its warden, if a borough, may establish a shellfish commission or may join with one or more other towns, citi…

Sec. 26-258. Location of local natural clam or oyster beds. The superior court for the judicial district of New Haven, on the application of the selectmen of the town of West Haven, and the superior court for any judicial district, on the application of the oyster-ground committe…

Sec. 26-259. Maps to be lodged in town clerk's office. The selectmen of the town of West Haven and the committees of other towns shall, at the expense of their respective towns, procure and cause to be lodged and kept in the office of the town clerk of each town, respectively, ac…

Sec. 26-260. Selectmen of Milford and West Haven may prohibit the taking of clams. The selectmen of the towns of West Haven and Milford may, from time to time as they deem expedient, prohibit the taking of long or soft-shell clams from such portions of the natural clam grounds of…

Sec. 26-261. Taking of clams from Oyster River in West Haven and Milford. Section 26-261 is repealed, effective October 1, 2002. (1949 Rev., S. 5111; S.A. 02-12, S. 1.)

Sec. 26-262. Taking of oysters from natural ground in Milford. Section 26-262 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5110; P.A. 78-334, S. 17.)

Secs. 26-263 to 26-265. Taking of clams from Gulf Pond in Milford. Dredging prohibited in New Haven harbor. Dredging in New Haven, Morris Creek and East Haven. Sections 26-263 to 26-265, inclusive, are repealed, effective October 1, 2002. (1949 Rev., S. 5106, 5107, 5112; P.A. 78-…

Sec. 26-266. Shellfisheries in Branford. Grants. Requirements and prohibitions of grants. (a) The selectmen of the town of Branford or shellfish commission established in accordance with section 26-257a shall have charge of all the shellfisheries and shell and shellfish grounds l…

Secs. 26-267 to 26-270. Branford and Farm Rivers. Branford or East Haven shores. Taking of clams from clam flats in and adjacent to the town of Branford. Taking of oysters and claims in Westbrook. Sections 26-267 to 26-270, inclusive, are repealed, effective October 1, 2002. (194…

Secs. 26-271 to 26-275. Powers of Guilford and Madison selectmen. Shellfisheries in Guilford. Restriction of powers of Guilford. Limitation of taking shellfish in Guilford and Madison. Dredging in waters. Sections 26-271 to 26-275, inclusive, are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5087, 50…

Sec. 26-276. Hammonasset River; limitation. Except as otherwise provided, any person who, in any one day, takes, gathers or collects more than two bushels of oysters, clams, mussels or shells, from any portion of Hammonasset River not designated for planting shellfish, shall be f…

Sec. 26-277. Clinton and Madison; special constables. The towns of Clinton and Madison may appoint, at annual or special town meetings, two or more special constables, who may inspect and measure shellfish and shells taken by any person in one day from the portion of the Hammonas…

Sec. 26-278. Jurisdiction of special constables. Such special constables and all informing officers of either of said towns shall inquire after and prosecute any violations of sections 26-276 and 26-277. For the purpose of enforcing the same, special constables, appointed as prov…

Sec. 26-279. Madison; town rights. Sections 26-276, 26-277 and 26-278 shall not in any way affect the rights of the town of Madison created by or claimed under the act establishing the line between the towns of Guilford and Killingworth, passed in December, 1790. (1949 Rev., S. 5…

Sec. 26-280. Taking of shellfish at Saugatuck Shores in Westport. No person shall take, remove or carry away shellfish of any kind from the shores, beaches and flats at “Saugatuck Shores”, so called, in the town of Westport, between June first and October first in each year, exce…

Secs. 26-281 to 26-283. Protection of clams and oysters in Fairfield. Taking of clams from Fairfield Beach. Clamming restricted in Mill River in Fairfield. Sections 26-281 to 26-283, inclusive, are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5076, 5109, 5113; P.A. 89-321, S. 11, 12.)

Sec. 26-284. Thames River oysters; limitation. Any person who takes or carries away from the Thames River any oyster shells or seed oysters for the purpose of planting the same upon any private oyster bed, or who takes or carries away from said river, except from his own private …

Sec. 26-285. Taking of oysters and clams in Old Lyme regulated. Any person who takes any clams less than two inches in length or more than one-half bushel of clams, or more than one-half bushel of oysters except from an area designated for planting oysters, in any day in the town…

Sec. 26-286. Taking oysters from the inland waters of East Lyme and Waterford. Any person who takes any oysters from the inland waters of the towns of East Lyme and Waterford above the demarcation line during the months of June, July and August shall be fined not more than two hu…

Sec. 26-287. Waterford-East Lyme shellfish commission. Taking of shellfish from Niantic River. (a) The Waterford-East Lyme shellfish commission shall consist of four electors of each of said towns appointed by their respective boards of selectmen. Annually such board shall appoin…

Sec. 26-288. Escallops. No person shall have in his possession any escallops other than adult escallops. For the purpose of this section, an adult escallop is defined as an escallop having a well-defined growth line. All seed escallops taken shall be immediately returned alive to…

Sec. 26-289. Dredging for escallops in Little Narragansett Bay or Stonington Harbor. Section 26-289 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5093; P.A. 79-293, S. 5.)

Sec. 26-290. Taking of escallops in Groton. The town council of Groton may prohibit the taking of escallops from such portions of the waters of said town as they designate, for a period not exceeding one year at a time, and may designate the daily take of escallops from said wate…

Sec. 26-291. Taking of oysters and clams in Stonington. Section 26-291 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5116; 1959, P.A. 53, S. 2.)

Sec. 26-291a. Taking of clams and oysters in Stonington. (a) The board of selectmen in the town of Stonington may prohibit the taking of clams and oysters from such portions of the town waters as it designates from time to time, for a period not exceeding one year at a time, and …

Sec. 26-292. Taking of escallops in the waters of Stonington. The board of selectmen of the town of Stonington may prohibit the taking of escallops from such portions of the waters of said town as they designate, for a period not exceeding one year at a time, and may designate th…

Sec. 26-292a. Cockenoe Flats shellfish grounds, Westport. Jurisdiction. Recreational clamming permits. Jurisdiction of shellfish grounds known as Cockenoe Flats in the town of Westport shall be transferred from the state of Connecticut to the town of Westport and the Westport She…

Sec. 26-292b. Hand-harvesting horseshoe crabs in the town of Stratford. Prohibition. Violation. (a) No person shall engage in the hand-harvest of horseshoe crabs from any area of the shoreline located in the town of Stratford between Stratford Point and Sniffen Point. (b) Any per…

Sec. 26-292c. Recommendations for horseshoe crab taking restricted areas. Not later than January 1, 2020, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall submit recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters rela…

Sec. 26-292d. Hand-harvesting of horseshoe crabs or eggs. Prohibition. Exception. Fine. Enforcement. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this title, no person shall engage in the hand-harvesting of horseshoe crabs or the eggs of horseshoe crabs from the waters of this state. (b…

Sec. 26-293. Prosecutions. Section 26-293 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 5121; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 31.)