FF-24-2008

PROCLAMATION

RE: DISCRETIONARY RIVER HERRING SET-ASIDE

Dr. Louis B. Daniel III, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Monday, March 3, 2008 the following provisions shall apply to the harvest of the discretionary river herring set-aside in the Chowan River:

AREA DESCRIPTION:

The Chowan River Herring Management Area as defined in N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 03J .0209 (b).
COMMERCIAL NET AND SEASON RESTRICTIONS:

A. It is unlawful for a person to take or possess river herring without possessing a 2008 Discretionary Herring Fishing Permit (DHP) as required by Proclamation M-4-2008, dated February 8, 2008.

B. The taking of the research set-aside amount of river herring in the Chowan River Herring Management Area will be allowed only from 6:00 A.M., March 19 through 6:00 P.M., March 22, 2008 with gill nets and pound nets.

C. It is unlawful to use gill nets with any stretched mesh length other than 3 inches. A maximum of 200 yards of 3-inch stretched mesh shall be used. It is unlawful to fail to remove gill nets from the water by 6:00 P.M. March 22, 2008.

D. It is unlawful to take or possess more than 250 pounds of river herring per DHP holder between 6:00 A.M., March 19 and 8:00 P.M., March 22, 2008.

E. It is unlawful for a DHP holder to fail to sell any river herring taken pursuant to this proclamation and the sale must occur no later than 8:00 P.M., March 22, 2008.

F. Dealers will have until 6:00 P.M. on March 28, 2008 to sell, offer for sale, transport, or have in possession unfrozen river herring taken from the Chowan River Herring Management Area.

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 Rule 15A NCAC 03H .0103, 03M .0513, 3O .0502, .0504 and .0506.

B. It is unlawful to violate the provisions of any proclamation issued by the N.C. Fisheries Director under his delegated authority pursuant to N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 03H .0103.

C. Sale of river herring must be to a North Carolina licensed fish dealer or consolidated fish dealer holding an Albemarle Sound Management Area River Herring Dealer Permit in accordance with N.C. Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 03O .0503 (b)(3).

D. The intent of this proclamation is to allow a research set-aside take of river herring to occur in the Chowan River in order to collect data necessary for stock analysis and to provide availability of some local product for local cultural events and festivals. This proclamation implements the means and time period by which the DHP holders are allowed to harvest the discretionary river herring research set-aside.

1:00 P.M.
FF-24-2008
/sab