{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-29-29-4-129","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 29, § 29-4-129","heading":"Mussels - Harvesting - Licenses and permits - Fees -","body":"Violations - Penalties.\n\nA. No person may harvest, or attempt to harvest, or assist in\n\nharvesting, or sell, buy or export mussels from the waters of this\n\nstate without having first procured the proper license for such\n\npurposes from the Director of Wildlife Conservation. The fees for\n\nlicenses under this section shall be:\n\n1. For a resident license to harvest, or attempt to harvest, or\n\nassist in harvesting, or sell mussels, Fifty Dollars ($50.00);\n\n2. For a nonresident license to harvest, or attempt to harvest,\n\nor assist in harvesting, or sell mussels, said fee shall be One\n\nThousand Dollars ($1,000.00);\n\n3. To buy, transport out of state or export mussels, One\n\nThousand Dollars ($1,000.00); prior to the issuance of this license\n\nthe applicant shall file with the Department of Wildlife\n\nConservation a good and sufficient surety bond by a surety company\n\nlicensed to do business in this state in the sum of Five Thousand\n\nDollars ($5,000.00) conditioned upon the observance and compliance\n\nwith the provisions of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Code,\n\nSection 1-101 et seq. of this title, which bond will be subject to\n\nforfeiture upon conviction for the violation of any of the\n\nprovisions of this section or any resolution adopted by the\n\nDepartment; and\n\n4. Any person in the possession of more than twenty (20)\n\nmussels or parts thereof shall be required to have the proper\n\nlicense as provided for in this section.\n\nB. In addition to the requirements of subsection A of this\n\nsection, any person harvesting, selling, buying or exporting mussels\n\nfrom the waters of this state shall procure an applicable annual\n\nfishing license pursuant to Section 4-110 of this title.\n\nC. Except as otherwise provided for by law, the Oklahoma\n\nWildlife Conservation Commission shall regulate the harvest season,\n\ngear types to be used, size and species to be harvested and issue\n\nsuch other rules as it deems necessary and shall design all forms\n\nnecessary for the operation of these provisions.\n\nD. It shall be unlawful for anyone to take or possess the\n\nfollowing mussel species or their shells smaller than the following\n\nsize limits:\n\n1. Sand shells, muckets, creepers, grandmas, pocketbooks, lady\n\nfingers, squaw feet or cucumbers, less than three (3) inches minimum\n\ndiameter;\n\n2. Maple leaf and three ridge, less than two and three-fourths\n\n(2 3/4) inches minimum diameter;\n\n3. Three knot, less than two (2) inches minimum diameter;\n\n4. Washboards, less than four (4) inches minimum in diameter;\n\nand\n\n5. All other species except Buckhorn and the Ouachita Rock\n\nPocket Book which are prohibited, less than two and one-half (2 1/2)\n\ninches minimum diameter.\n\nE. All mussels shall be sized immediately after harvesting,\n\nbefore harvester moves his or her boat or begins another dive.\n\nF. Mussels shall be measured by passing the mussel, shell\n\nincluded, through a circular measuring device with the appropriate\n\ninside diameter. If the mussel passes through the appropriate\n\ncircular measuring device from any angle or direction it is too\n\nsmall, and must be returned to the water.\n\nG. 1. The maple leaf mussel is the only mussel which shall be\n\nharvested for commercial purposes in the open portion of Grand Lake\n\nand its tributaries.\n\n2. The mussel harvest season on Grand Lake shall be from May 1\n\nto October 30, inclusive. No mussel shall be harvested in the\n\nportion of Grand Lake of the Cherokees from twin bridges north to\n\nthe Kansas state line.\n\nH. Nothing in this section shall prevent a person from taking\n\nsix (6) or less mussels per day of any size for noncommercial\n\npersonal use.\n\nI. 1. Any person who exports mussels from the State of\n\nOklahoma shall pay the Department as a severance fee an amount not\n\nto exceed one-eighth (1/8) of the dollar value of purchased shells\n\nor a lesser figure as directed by the Commission.\n\n2. Except as otherwise required by this subsection, such funds\nson from taking\n\nsix (6) or less mussels per day of any size for noncommercial\n\npersonal use.\n\nI. 1. Any person who exports mussels from the State of\n\nOklahoma shall pay the Department as a severance fee an amount not\n\nto exceed one-eighth (1/8) of the dollar value of purchased shells\n\nor a lesser figure as directed by the Commission.\n\n2. Except as otherwise required by this subsection, such funds\n\nshall be used for mussel enforcement, management and/or research.\n\n3. One-fifth (1/5) of the monies collected pursuant to this\n\nsubsection not to exceed Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00)\n\nannually shall be made available to counties in this state for\n\nbeaver control and abatement pursuant to contracts with such\n\ncriteria and restrictions required and specified by the Department.\n\nThe payment shall be computed from shipping bills of lading and paid\n\nby the 15th day of the following month. The Commission shall issue\n\nsuch regulations governing exports as it deems necessary and shall\n\ndesign all forms necessary for the operation of these provisions.\n\nJ. No mussels shall be harvested except during daylight hours\n\nfrom sunrise until sunset. No harvesting shall ever take place in\n\nTenkiller Lake.\n\nK. Any person buying or exporting mussels from the waters of\n\nthis state shall provide advance notice of each and every place\n\nwhere such business is transacted. Such notice shall be to the\n\nDirector in the manner prescribed by the Commission.\n\nL. 1. Except as provided for in paragraph 3 of this\n\nsubsection, any resident of this state convicted of violating\n\nsubsection A, C, D, G or J of this section shall be punished by a\n\nfine of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), nor more than\n\nFive Hundred Dollars ($500.00), or by imprisonment not to exceed\n\nthirty (30) days, or by confiscation of gear and/or mussels pursuant\n\nto the provisions of Section 7-206 of this title or by a combination\n\nof fine, imprisonment and confiscation.\n\n2. Except as provided for in paragraph 3 of this subsection,\n\nany nonresident convicted of violating the provisions of subsection\n\nA, C, D, G or J of this section shall be punished by the imposition\n\nof a fine of not less than Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars\n\n($2,500.00) nor more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or by\n\nconfiscation of gear and/or mussels pursuant to the provisions of\n\nSection 7-206 of this title or by a combination of fine,\n\nimprisonment and confiscation.\n\n3. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of\n\nparagraph 2 of subsection A of this section or of subsection I or K\n\nof this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than Five\n\nHundred Dollars ($500.00), nor more than One Thousand Dollars\n\n($1,000.00), or by imprisonment not to exceed thirty (30) days, or\n\nby confiscation of the shipment of mussels pursuant to the\n\nprovisions of Section 7-206 of this title, or by a combination of\n\nfine, imprisonment and confiscation. In addition, such person shall\n\nforfeit his or her license and not be permitted to renew the license\n\nfor a one-year period.","path":["OK Code","Title 29"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os29.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"05646049d867f834ebb070b7a9321c6df38a7f3440a0bf10664dc90f90dbe033","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-29-29-4-128.1","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-29-29-4-130"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}