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GILL NETS - ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA

Dr. Louis B. Daniel III, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 6:00P.M., Friday, December 14, 2007, the following provisions shall apply to the use of gill nets in the ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA:

I. AREA DESCRIPTION:
Albemarle Sound Management Area as described in Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 03R.0201 (a), excluding Inland fishing waters.

II. NET RESTRICTIONS:
Only gill nets meeting the specified mesh lengths may be used in the following areas identified below. A fishing operation, regardless of the number of vessels or persons involved, shall adhere to the gill net restrictions specified for the following areas:

A. Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound, Croatan Sound and Roanoke Sound

1) Gill nets with a mesh length of 3 inches and 3 Ã‚Â¼ inches shall not exceed 800 yards in any combination.

2) Gill nets with a mesh length less than 3 inches may not be used.

3) Gill nets with a mesh length greater than 3 1/4 inches may not be used.

III. 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 N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3H .0103, 3J .0103, and 3Q .0107 (c) and 3M .0202.

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

C. In accordance with 15A NCAC 3J. .0103 (d) (1), effective December 1, 2007, it is unlawful to use gill nets within 200 yards of any pound net set with lead and either pound or heart in use, except from August 15 through December 31 in all coastal fishing waters of the Albemarle Sound, including its tributaries to the boundaries between coastal and joint fishing waters, west of a line beginning at a point 36Ã‚Â°04.5184Ã¢â‚¬â„¢N - 75Ã‚Â°47.9095Ã¢â‚¬â„¢W on Powell Point; running southerly to a point 35Ã‚Â°57.2681Ã¢â‚¬â„¢N - 75Ã‚Â°48.3999Ã¢â‚¬â„¢W on Caroon Point, it is unlawful to use gill nets within 500 yards of any pound net set with lead and either pound or heart in use.

D. The intent of this proclamation is to allow directed fisheries for mullet, white perch and bluefish while managing Albemarle Sound Management Area striped bass and red drum stocks within the quota established by the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan and the North Carolina Red Drum Fishery Management Plan. This proclamation implements a provision of the 2005 Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan that, seeks to maintain an adequate spawning stock of southern flounder.

E. This proclamation supersedes Proclamation M-18-2007 dated November 13, 2007.