You asked if the law allows using power dredges to take shellfish.

The Office of Legislative Research is not authorized to issue legal opinions and this should not be considered one.

By law, power dredges may not be used for taking shellfish from public shellfish beds (i. e. , those under the auspices of the state and local shellfish commissions). But the law allows them to be used in private shellfish beds. No dredge or other device for gathering shellfish, whether power or not, can (1) weigh more than 30 pounds (not including the net or bag) and (2) have a capacity of more than one and one half bushels (CGS § 26-215).

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