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STRIPED BASS SEASON Ã¢â‚¬â€œ COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS Ã¢â‚¬â€œ
      ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA

Dr. Louis B. Daniel, III, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Saturday, December 1, 2007, the harvest of striped bass with COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS IN THE ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA WILL OPEN and the following provisions shall apply:

I. AREA DESCRIPTION

Albemarle Sound Management Area as described in Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3R .0201 (a), excluding Inland fishing waters.

II. SIZE AND HARVEST RESTRICTIONS:

      A. It is unlawful to take, possess, transport, buy, sell, or offer for sale striped bass less than 18 inches total length taken by commercial fishing operations from the Albemarle Sound Management Area.

      B. It is unlawful for an individual or commercial fishing operation regardless of the number of persons or vessels involved, to possess, land, sell or offer for sale more than ten (10) striped bass, unless taken in conjunction with other commercially important finfish. Striped bass will be limited to 50% by weight, of the combined daily harvest, not to exceed 10 fish per day, per Standard Commercial Fishing License (SCFL) holder. The daily harvest limit of 10 striped bass shall not be exceeded, regardless of where taken from internal waters, unless the fish are taken in accordance with II. C. below.

    C. It is unlawful for any operation consisting of more than one SCFL holder to be in possession of more than two daily harvest limits. A SCFL holder must accompany each single harvest limit until the time of sale to a dealer possessing a valid 2007/2008 STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Albemarle Sound Management Area.

III. PERMITS

A. It is unlawful for a dealer to possess, buy, sell or offer for sale striped bass taken from the Albemarle Sound Management Area without holding a valid STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Albemarle Sound Management Area from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. Dealers must abide by all conditions which appear on the permit as well as the general provisions which appear in 15A NCAC 3O .0500 et seq.

B. Striped bass lawfully sold to a permitted dealer may be resold to a non-permitted wholesale or retail market provided the initial permitted dealer records their dealer identification number on each bill of lading or receipts involved in the shipment of striped bass. Any individual or corporation who holds a current finfish dealer license must obtain a STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Albemarle Sound Management Area in order to sell any striped bass personally harvested.