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| GILL NETS - ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA
| |  | Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008 @ 05:47:38 EST by Dawg |  | | 
GILL NETS - ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA
Dr. Louis B. Daniel III, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Friday, February 1, 2008, 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).
II. NET RESTRICTIONS:
Only gill nets meeting the specified mesh lengths shall be used in the 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:
Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound, Croatan Sound and Roanoke Sound and their Joint Water Tributaries
A. No gill nets with a mesh length greater than six inches shall be used.
B. Gill nets with a mesh length of 3 ¼ inches shall not exceed 800 yards in length.
C. Gill nets with a mesh length of 3 ¾ and 4 inches may be used east of a line from Baum Point 35° 55.1602’ N-75° 39.5736’ W to Rhodoms Point 36° 00.2146’ N- 75° 43.6399’ W and east of a line from Eagleton Point 36° 01.3178’ N- 75° 43.6585’ W to Long Point 36° 02.4971’N- 75° 44.2261’ W at the mouth of Kitty Hawk Bay. Gill nets with a mesh length of 3 ¾ and 4 inches may also be used south of the Highway 64/264 Business bridge at Manns Harbor. Gill nets with a mesh length of 3 ¾ and 4 inches shall not exceed 800 yards.
D. The total amount of small mesh gill nets (3 ¼ inch, 3 ¾ inch, and 4 inch) used shall not exceed 800 yards in any combination. No other mesh sizes below 5 1/2 are allowed except those listed.
E. Gill nets with a mesh length of 5 ¼ inches and larger shall not exceed 1,000 yards except as provided in Section II. F.
F. Gill nets with a mesh length of 5 ½ inches and larger are required to be equipped with tie downs spaced no further apart then 10 yards, restricting the vertical distance between the top and bottom lines to 48 inches or less unless they are equipped with floats that do not exceed 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches in length placed a minimum of 10 yards apart, not to exceed 11 floats per 100 yards of net. Nets must be set so as to fish the bottom not to exceed a vertical height of 48 inches. Gill nets meeting these criteria shall not exceed 3,000 yards in length per fishing operation.
PROCLAMATION M-2-2008
PAGE 2
G. No gill nets may be used in the area southwest of a line from Black Walnut Point 35° 59.3833’ N- 76° 41.0060’W; running 138° (M) to a point 35° 56.3333’N- 76° 36.0333’ W at the mouth of Mackey’s Creek, including Roanoke, Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers.
III. DRIFT GILL NETS
No gill nets may be used in the joint waters of Roanoke, Middle, Eastmost and Cashie rivers. No drift gill nets may be used in the Chowan and Meherrin rivers.
IV. RECREATIONAL NET RESTRICTIONS
A. RCGL gill net(s) with a mesh length of 5 ½ inches and larger are required to be equipped with floats that do not exceed 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches in length, with float placement no less than 10 yards apart. The net(s) shall be set so as to fish on the bottom not to exceed a vertical fishing height of 48 inches. RCGL holders are not permitted to use stretched mesh less than 5 ½ inches. The net(s) shall be attended when used from one hour after sunrise through one hour before sunset.
IV. GENERAL INFORMATION:
A. This proclamation is issued under the authority of N.C.G.S. 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 113-182; 113-221.1; 143B-289.52 and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3H .0103 and 3J .0103, 3Q .0107 (1) (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. The intent of this proclamation is to allow directed fisheries for mullet, white perch, hickory shad and flounder while managing Albemarle Sound Management Area striped bass within the quota established by the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan, and the river herring stocks under a no harvest measure, as adopted by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission in the North Carolina River Herring Fishery Management Plan and controlling the bycatch of striped bass in directed gill net fisheries.
D. This proclamation supersedes Proclamation M-22-2007, dated December 12, 2007.
FF-9-2008
PROCLAMATION
RE: STRIPED BASS SEASON – COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS –
ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA
Dr. Louis B. Daniel, III, Jr., Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Friday, February 1, 2008, the following provisions shall apply to the harvest of striped bass with COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS IN THE ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA:
I. AREA DESCRIPTION
Albemarle Sound Management Area as described in Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3R .0201 (a).
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.
PROCLAMATION FF-9-2008
PAGE 2
IV. SALE TAGS:
It is unlawful for a dealer to possess, buy, sell, or offer for sale striped bass taken from the Albemarle Sound Management Area without having affixed either a North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries issued Albemarle Sound Management Area striped bass tag affixed through the mouth and gill cover. In case of the striped bass imported from other states, a similar tag that is issued for striped bass in the state of origin must be affixed.
V. LANDING RESTRICTIONS:
Striped bass taken from areas opened by this proclamation may be sold only to and purchased by a dealer possessing a current STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Albemarle Sound Management Area.
VI. SEASON CLOSURE:
The striped bass season for commercial fishing equipment in the Albemarle Sound Management Area will close at 8:00 P.M., Monday, April 14, 2008, unless closed by proclamation at an earlier date due to the harvest allocation being met. Dealers will have until two weeks after the closing of the season to sell, offer for sale, transport, or have in possession unfrozen striped bass taken in this fishery.
VII. GENERAL INFORMATION:
A. This proclamation is issued under the authority of N.C.G.S. 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 113-182; 113-221.1; 143B-289.52; and the N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103, 3M .0201 and 3M .0202, 3O .0501 and 3Q .0107 (1)(c).
B. It is unlawful to violate the 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. The intent of this proclamation is to allow the harvest of striped bass in the Albemarle Sound Management Area by commercial fishing equipment within the harvest quota established by the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan.
D. 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 N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3M .0201 (b).
E. Holders of RCGL licenses or hook-and-line fishermen must follow the bag limit and harvest restrictions of the recreational fishery for striped bass.
F. All striped bass taken during the season closures and all undersize striped bass shall be
immediately returned to the water where taken, regardless of the condition of the fish.
G. STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMITS validated for the Albemarle Sound Management Area and sale tags are available at no cost from N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries License Offices in Elizabeth City, Wanchese, Columbia, Washington, Wilmington and Morehead City. Allow 48 hours for delivery.
H. This proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-68 -2007, dated December 12, 2007.
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