Title 33 › CHAPTER 9 — PROTECTION OF NAVIGABLE WATERS AND OF HARBOR AND RIVER IMPROVEMENTS GENERALLY › SUBCHAPTER III — NEW YORK HARBOR, HARBOR OF HAMPTON ROADS, AND HARBOR OF BALTIMORE › § 452
No one can fish or dredge for shellfish in the channels to or from New York Harbor, or do anything that interferes with safe navigation of those channels by ocean steamships and deep-draft ships. Breaking this rule is a misdemeanor. A convicted person can be fined $50 to $250, jailed 30 days to six months, or both, as the judge decides. The U.S. harbor supervisor must enforce this rule. Deputy inspectors can arrest offenders, with or without a warrant, but they cannot arrest without a warrant unless the offense happened in their presence. Anyone arrested must be brought quickly before a U.S. magistrate, judge, or court for handling under federal procedures.
Full Legal Text
Navigation and Navigable Waters, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
33 U.S.C. § 452
Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102