PROCLAMATION
RE: STRIPED BASS RECREATIONAL SEASON
- ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA
Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine
Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Thursday, December 2, 2004 the season for striped bass
taken for a recreational purpose in
the Albemarle Sound Management Area will
change with the following restrictions:
I.
AREA DESCRIPTION:
The Albemarle Sound Management Area as defined in Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3O .0503 (b) (2) (A) (ii).
II. SEASON, MEANS AND METHODS:
A. Striped bass may be taken for recreational
purposes seven (7) days a week.
B. Holders of the Recreational Commercial Gear License (RCGL)
must adhere to the daily bag limits and harvest days for striped bass during
the striped bass recreational season.
Recreational Commercial Gear License gill nets 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 nets must
be set so as to fish on the bottom not to exceed a vertical fishing height of
48 inches. Attendance is required when
used from one hour after sunrise through one hour before sunset.
C. The recreational
season for striped bass in the Albemarle Sound Management Area will close at 6:00 P.M., Friday, December 31, 2004, unless closed earlier by a proclamation.
III. SIZE AND
CREEL LIMITS:
A. No person may take or possess striped bass less than 18 inches total length taken for recreational purposes from the Albemarle Sound Management Area.
B. No person may take or possess more than two (2) striped bass taken in any one day for recreational purposes from the Albemarle Sound Management Area.
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(e); 143B-289.52; and N.C.
Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103 and 3M .0202.
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 intent of this proclamation is to allow the
recreational harvest of striped bass in the Albemarle Sound Management Area
within the striped bass harvest allocation established by the North Carolina
Marine Fisheries Commission in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife
Resources Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
D. Recreational seasons for striped bass in the
Roanoke, Eastmost, Middle and Cashie rivers are under the management
jurisdiction of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and are exempt from this proclamation.
E. 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).
F. Commercial
fishing equipment authorized by the RCGL is not considered commercial fishing
equipment in the striped bass fishery and it is illegal to sell or purchase
striped bass taken by this method in accordance with G. S. 113-173.
G.
All striped bass that
do not meet with 18 inch size limit shall be immediately returned with minimum
harm to the water where taken.
H.
This proclamation
supersedes FF-45-2004, dated August
5, 2004, which opened the season.
November
30, 2004
10:00
A.M.
FF-55-2004
/sab