FF-44-2004
RE: BLACK SEA BASS – COMMERCIAL FISHING
OPERATIONS – ATLANTIC OCEAN
Preston
P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that
effective at 6:00 A.M, Monday, August 2,
2004, the following restrictions will apply to the commercial black sea
bass fishery north of Cape Hatteras (35°
15’N. Latitude):
I.
SEASON
No person may possess, sell or
offer for sale black sea bass when taken with commercial fishing equipment or
for commercial purposes in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Hatteras.
A. This proclamation is issued under the
authority of G.S. 113-134; 113- 170.4; 113-170.5; 113-181; 113-182; 113-221(e);
143B-289.52 and NC Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3M .0503, 3M .0506 and .0512
and 3O. 0500.
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. Fisheries
Rule 15A NCAC 3I .0113 specifies that it is unlawful for any licensee under
Chapter 113, Subchapter IV of the General Statutes to refuse to allow the
Fisheries Director or his agents to obtain biological data, harvest
information, or other statistical data necessary or useful to the conservation
and management of marine and estuarine resources from fish in the licensees
possession.
D. The
intent of this proclamation is to allow North Carolina to comply with the
requirements of the joint Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass
Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) and to manage the commercial black sea bass
fishery under the state quota system established by the FMP. North Carolina is operating under a
statewide quota and that quota has been met for 2004.
E.
This proclamation
supersedes Proclamation FF-41-2004, dated May 25, 2004.
July 28, 2004
2:00 P.M.
FF-44-2004
/sab