Full Statute Name:  Code of Laws of South Carolina 1976 Annotated. Title 50. Fish, Game and Watercraft. Chapter 1. General Provisions.

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Primary Citation:  Code 1976 § 50-1-125, § 50-1-290 Country of Origin:  United States Last Checked:  January, 2024 Alternate Citation:  SC ST § 50-1-125, SC ST § 50-1-290 Historical: 
Summary: These South Carolina statutes define wildlife as being a wild animal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, mollusk, crustacean, or product, egg, offspring, or dead body parts. It is illegal to buy, sell, or possess wildlife except as specifically allowed by this title. A violation is a misdemeanor, and the person could face a fine and/or imprisonment.

 

§ 50-1-125 . Wildlife defined; penalties for trafficking in wildlife.

§ 50-1-290 . Unlawful to buy, sell, or possess for sale protected native wildlife; penalty.

 

 

§ 50-1-125. Wildlife defined; penalties for trafficking in wildlife.

Wildlife, as used in this section, means a wild animal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, mollusk, crustacean, or other wild animal, or product, egg, offspring, or the dead body parts of the wildlife.

A person illegally buying, selling, trading, trafficking, or bartering any wildlife, upon conviction, must be punished as follows:

(1) For the first offense, if the money or other consideration exchanged for the wildlife is of a value of two hundred dollars or less, the penalty must be a fine of not more than two hundred dollars or imprisonment for no more than thirty days.

(2) For the first offense, if the money or other consideration exchanged for the wildlife is of a value of more than two hundred dollars, the penalty must be a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars or imprisonment for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or both. In addition, the person convicted shall lose his hunting and fishing privileges for one year from the date of conviction.

(3) For a second offense, within three years of the first offense, the fine must be not less than one thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars or imprisonment for not less than thirty days nor more than one year. In addition to this penalty, the person shall lose his hunting and fishing privileges for three years.

(4) For a third or subsequent offense, within three years of the last previous conviction, the fine must be five thousand dollars, no part of which may be suspended, or imprisonment for one year, or both. In addition to this penalty, the person shall lose his hunting and fishing privileges for three years from the date of conviction.

CREDIT(S)

HISTORY: 1988 Act No. 454, § 1; 1993 Act No. 181, § 1257.

 

 

§ 50-1-290. Unlawful to buy, sell, or possess for sale protected native wildlife; penalty.

It is unlawful to buy, sell, trade, or barter or offer for sale or offer to buy any protected wild mammals and birds or parts of mammals or birds except as specifically allowed by this title. Except as otherwise provided by law, this section shall not apply to the sale of rabbits and grey squirrels taken during the legally established seasons. A person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than one hundred dollars and not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned up to thirty days.

CREDIT(S)

HISTORY: 1997 Act No. 147, § 1.

CODE COMMISSIONER'S NOTE

At the direction of the Code Commissioner, “as otherwise provided by law” was substituted for the reference to Section 50-11-170 at the beginning of the second sentence.

 

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