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FF-64-2006 PROCLAMATION Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 6:00 A.M.,Friday,December 8, 2006, the following restrictions will apply to the commercial scup fishery in coastal waters including the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Hatteras (35° 15' N. Latitude): I. SIZE AND HARVEST LIMITS No person may take, possess, buy, sell or offer for sale scup less than 9 inches in length. No person may possess, sell or offer for sale more than 6,500 pounds of scup during each of the following two week periods when taken with commercial fishing equipment or for commercial purposes during the Winter II Harvest Period. 1. From 6:00 A.M., December 1, 2006 through 12:00 P.M., December 15, 2006. The minimum mesh size for the commercial scup fishery will be 5 inches stretched mesh with a minimum length of 75 meshes from the terminus of the net. For small nets with less than 75 mesh codends, the entire net will be 5 inches . III. GENERAL INFORMATION A. This proclamation is issued under the authority of N.C.G.S. 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 113-182; 113-221.1; 143B-289.52 and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103 and 3M .0514. B. It is unlawful to violate the provisions of any proclamation issued by the Fisheries Director under his delegated authority pursuant to N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3H .0103. C. This proclamation is issued pursuant to action taken by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission establishing trip limits for the scup fishery in the Winter I period of 2006. The intent of this proclamation is to maintain North Carolina’s compliance 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. This proclamation sets out the harvest periods and limits for the commercial scup season through the beginning of the Winter II Harvest Period. If the Winter II quota is being approached at any time prior to December 31, 2006, a closure proclamation will be issued. The Winter II Period began November 1 and will end December 31, 2006. This proclamation supersedes FF-45-2006, dated July 27, 2006. |