FF-53-2002
RE: STRIPED BASS SEASON - BEACH SEINES:
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine
Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 6:00 A.M., Monday, December 2, 2002, the season for the harvest of
striped bass with beach seines in the Atlantic Ocean waters of North Carolina WILL OPEN. The following restrictions will apply:
I. SIZE LIMIT
No person may possess, transport, buy, sell or offer for
sale striped bass less than 28 inches total length taken with beach seines from
the Atlantic Ocean.
II. HARVEST RESTRICTIONS
A. No ocean beach seine operation, regardless
of the number of persons or vessels involved, may sell more than 50 striped
bass per day.
B. Harvest will be allowed on the following
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: December
2, 3 and 4, and December 9, 10 and 11
unless closed earlier by proclamation when the 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 net unattended or remaining in the water
for more than two hours duration will be considered a gill net, not a beach
seine.
D.
Beach seines are
required to be deployed only from vessels which are launched from the ocean beach where the fishing operation is to take
place. 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).
Striped bass harvested in this fishery may be sold only to
and purchased by a dealer possessing a 2002/2003
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 2002/03 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.
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 either a North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries-issued Atlantic
Ocean striped bass sale tag affixed through the mouth and gill cover. 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 WILL CLOSE by proclamation when the
harvest from this fishery reaches 100,000 pounds or at 8:00 P.M. on December 11, 2002, whichever occurs first.
A. This proclamation is issued under the
authority of G.S. 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 113-182; 113-221(e); 143B-289.52; and
N.C. 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 per 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 336,000 pound quota established for the 2002/2003 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 N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3M .0201 (b).
I. Holders of Recreational Commercial 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.
November 25, 2002
11:30 A.M.
FF-53-2002
/sab