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STRIPED BASS SEASON - BEACH SEINES: ATLANTIC OCEAN

Dr. Louis B. Daniel III, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 6:00 A.M., Monday, December 17, 2007, the season for the harvest of striped bass with beach seines in the Atlantic Ocean waters of North Carolina SHALL OPEN. The following restrictions shall apply:

I. SIZE LIMIT

No person may possess, transport, buy, sell or offer for sale striped bass less than 28 inches total length taken from the Atlantic Ocean.

II. HARVEST RESTRICTIONS

A. No ocean beach seine operation, regardless of the number of persons or vessels involved, may sell or possess more than 50 striped bass per harvest day.

B. Harvest will be allowed on the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 17, 18 and 19, unless closed earlier by proclamation when the harvest quota is reached.

C. For the purpose of this proclamation, a beach seine is defined as a net set vertically in the water and pulled by hand or power to the shore to capture fish. A beach seine consists of warp lines, wings and a bunt.

D. Beach seines are required to be deployed only from vessels that are launched from the ocean beach where the operation is fishing. One end of the beach seine must be attached to shore at all times during the operation.

E. Beach seine operations are limited to seines of no more than 500 yards in length (excluding warp lines) when constructed of monofilament webbing (one net or in any combination of nets).

F. A net unattended or remaining in the water for more than two hours duration will be considered a gill net, not a beach seine.

III. LANDING RESTRICTIONS

Striped bass harvested in this fishery may be sold only to and purchased by a dealer possessing a 2007/2008
STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Atlantic Ocean.

IV. DEALER PERMITS

A. No finfish dealer may possess, buy, sell or offer for sale striped bass taken from the Atlantic Ocean without first obtaining a 2007/2008 STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Atlantic Ocean from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. Dealers must abide by all conditions of the STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT and the general permit conditions found in 15A NCAC 3O .0500 et seq.

B. Only a STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Atlantic Ocean may be used for transactions involving striped bass taken from the area opened by this proclamation.

C. 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 Atlantic Ocean in order to sell any striped bass personally harvested.

V. SALE TAGS

No finfish dealer may possess, buy, sell or offer for sale striped bass taken from the Atlantic Ocean without having affixed through the mouth and gill cover, an Atlantic Ocean striped bass sale tag issued by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. In the case of striped bass imported from other states, a similar tag that is issued for striped bass in the state of origin must be affixed.

VI. SEASON CLOSURE

The Atlantic Ocean beach seine season for striped bass SHALL CLOSE by proclamation when the total harvest from this fishery reaches 160,000 pounds or at 6:00 P.M. on December 19, 2007, whichever occurs first.

VII. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. This proclamation is issued under the authority of N.C.G.S. 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 113-181; 113-182; 113-221.1; 143B-289.52; and Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103, 3M .0201 and 3M.0204.

B. It is unlawful to violate the provisions of any proclamation issued by the Director under his delegated authority pursuant to Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3H .0103.

C. The intent of this proclamation is to allow the commercial harvest of striped bass from the Atlantic Ocean by traditional gears within the 480,480 pound quota established for the 2007/2008 season by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Fishery Management Plan for Striped Bass.

D. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean, as applicable to this proclamation are defined as waters seaward of the COLREGS Demarcation Lines as indicated on National Ocean Service navigation charts for the areas to which this proclamation applies.

E. At the end of each three-day harvest period, the Division will review landings reports and determine if the quota has been reached. If so, a proclamation closing the fishery will be issued.

F. Permits may be obtained from all North Carolina Marine Fisheries License Offices.

G. All striped bass taken during season closures and all undersized striped bass shall be immediately returned to the waters where taken, regardless of the condition of the fish.

H. Hook-and-line fishing equipment is not commercial fishing equipment in the striped bass fishery and it is illegal to sell or purchase striped bass taken by hook-and-line in accordance with Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3M .0201 (b).

I.    Holders of Recreational Commercial Gear License or hook-and-line fishermen must follow the bag and size restrictions of the recreational fishery for striped bass.

J. Dealers whose businesses are located in Beaufort, Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties may obtain tags by contacting the Morehead City Marine Patrol Office at 1-800-682-2632 or (252) 726-7021. Dealers whose businesses are located in Hyde, Dare, Tyrrell, Washington, Bertie Chowan, Pasquotank, Camden, Hertford and other northern counties may obtain tags by contacting the Columbia Marine Patrol at 1-800-405-7774 or (252) 796-1322. Allow 48 hours for delivery.