RE: STRIPED BASS SEASON - COMMERCIAL FISHING
OPERATIONS - INTERNAL COASTAL WATERS OF CARTERET, CRAVEN, BEAUFORT, AND PAMLICO
COUNTIES, PUNGO AND WHITE OAK RIVERS AS DESCRIBED BELOW
Preston P. Pate, Jr.,
Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 6:00 P.M. Sunday, December 21, 2003, the striped bass season WILL CLOSE in the areas described below for COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS.
I. AREA
DESCRIPTION
A. Pamlico and Pungo rivers and their joint
and coastal water tributaries west of a line beginning at a point on the north
shore 35° 22.3622 N -
76° 28.2032 W (Roos
Point) running southerly through Marker #1 to a point on the south shore 35° 18.5906N - 76° 28.9530 W (Pamlico Point).
B. Jones Bay/Bay
River - west of a line at Sow Island Point at 35° 13.0166N-76° 29.7000' W,
running southwest to a point at Bay Point at 35° 11.0833' N-76°
31.5666'W, then running southerly to
Maw Point at 35° 9.0333 N -
76° 32.1666' W.
C. Neuse River -
west of a line beginning at Maw Point at 35° 09.0333'
N-76° 32.1666 W, running
southeast to Point of Marsh at 35° 04.5500' N- 76° 28.2333
W.
D. West Bay- south
of a line beginning at a point at 35°
03.5166N - 76° 26.1333
W running southeasterly to a point at
35° 02.1833'N - 76° 21.7500' W.
E. All internal
coastal waters of Carteret County south of a line from Camp Point at 35° 00.0833 N - 76°
14.8000 W, through Wainwright Island running easterly to a point on Core Banks
at 34° 58.8167 N -76° 12.4667 W to and including all of White Oak River up to
the Inland Water boundary. The internal coastal boundary line across Drum Inlet in Core Sound is defined as a line
beginning at a point on the north shore of Core Banks at Drum Inlet 34°
51.5000N 76° 19.1000W; running southwesterly between the westernmost points
of land to a point on the south shore of Core Banks at Drum Inlet 34° 51.2500N
76° 19.5833W.
II. SEASON
No person may take, possess, transport, buy, sell or offer
for sale striped bass from the area defined above, except dealers will have
until December 31, 2003 to sell,
offer for sale, transport, or have in possession unfrozen striped bass taken in
this fishery prior to the closure.
III. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. This proclamation is issued under the
authority of G.S. 113-169.1; 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 113-182; 113-221(e);
143B-289.52; and N.C. Marine Fisheries
Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103, 3I .0112, 3M .0201, 3 M .0202, 3O .0500 and 3Q
.0107.
B. It is
unlawful to violate the provisions of any proclamation issued by the Fisheries
Director under his delegated authority per 15A NCAC 3H .0103.
C. The annual allotment of the Central/Southern Management Area quota (25,000 pounds) for striped bass has been reached. The intent of this proclamation is to equitably distribute the quota established by the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan.
D. The striped bass Dealer Permit validated for the Central Area is no longer valid upon this closure. Permittees must submit required reporting logs (where such reports have not been faxed) to the Division of Marine Fisheries Elizabeth City office by Tuesday, December 30, 2003.
E. This
proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-44-2003, dated November 12, 2003, which
opened the above area.
December 19, 2003
9:00 A.M.
FF-56-2003
/sab