RE: GILL
NETS - ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA
Preston
P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that
effective at 12:01 A.M., Tuesday,
January 1, 2002, the following provisions shall apply to the use of gill
nets in the ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT
AREA.
I. AREA DESCRIPTION:
The Albemarle Sound Management Area as described in Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3O .0503 (b) ( 2) (A) (ii).
II. COMMERCIAL NET RESTRICTIONS:
Only gill nets meeting the specified mesh lengths shall be used in the following areas identified below. A fishing operation, regardless of the number of vessels or persons involved, shall not use more than the lengths of gill nets specified for the following areas:
A. 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 ¼ inch are allowed except those listed. Gill nets with a mesh length of 5 ¼ inches and larger described in II. E. and F. may not exceed 3,000 yards combined.
B. 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 bridge at Manns Harbor. Gill nets with a mesh length of 3 ¾ and 4 inches shall not exceed 800 yards.
C. No gill nets less than 3 ¼ inches may be used.
D. Gill nets with a mesh length of 5 ¼ inches and larger that 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 must not exceed 3,000 yards in length and must be set so as to fish on the bottom not to exceed a vertical height of 48 inches.
E. All gill nets with a mesh length of 5¼ inches and larger not meeting the criteria in Section II. E. for floats are required to be equipped with tie downs spaced no farther apart than 30 feet restricting the vertical distance between the top and bottom lines to 48 inches or less. Nets must not exceed 3,000 yards in length.
The season for the use of
commercial gear described in Section II. A., B., and C. and Section III., but
not excluding Section II. E. and F., will
close at midnight Sunday, January 13, 2002.
IV. RECREATIONAL NET RESTRICTIONS:
The 100 yards of gill net allowed Recreational Commercial
Gear License holders must adhere to the net configurations and
mesh sizes in the waterbodies described in this proclamation for commercial
fishing operations.
V. GENERAL INFORMATION:
A. This
proclamation is issued under the authority of G.S. 113-182; 113-221(e);
113-170.4; 113-170.5; 143B-289.52 and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3H
.0103 and 3J .0103, 3Q .0107(1)(c), 3M .0202, and 3M .0513.
B. It
is unlawful to violate provisions of any proclamation issued by the Fisheries
Director under his delegated authority per 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 and river herring stocks within the quota established by the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan, the Albemarle Sound Area River Herring Fishery Management Plan, and controlling the bycatch of striped bass in directed gill net fisheries.
D. This proclamation supersedes Proclamation
M-16-2001 dated November 19, 2001.
December 18, 2001
10:30 A.M.
M-17-2001
/sab