(a) Except as provided by this section, a commercial bay or bait shrimp boat license may not be transferred from one person to another before September 1, 1999.
(b) A commercial bay or bait shrimp boat license may be transferred at any time, by sale or otherwise:
(1) between holders of a commercial bay or bait shrimp boat license;
(2) between a holder of a commercial bay or bait shrimp boat license and a historical shrimp boat captain as defined by the shrimp license management review board and approved by the executive director; or
(3) to an heir or devisee of the deceased holder of the commercial bay or bait shrimp boat license, but only if the heir or devisee is a person who in the absence of a will would be entitled to all or a portion of the deceased's property.