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M-8-2008 PROCLAMATION RE: GILL NETS - ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA Dr. Louis B. Daniel III, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Tuesday, April 15, 2008 the following provisions shall apply to the use of gill nets in the ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA. I. AREA DESCRIPTION: The Albemarle Sound Management Area as described in Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3R .0201 (a). Only gill nets meeting the specified mesh lengths shall be used in the areas identified below. A fishing operation, regardless of the number of vessels or persons involved, shall not use more than the lengths of gill nets specified for the following areas: Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound, Croatan Sound and Roanoke Sound and their Joint Water Tributaries A. Gill nets with a mesh length of 3 ¼ inches shall not exceed 800 yards in length. The total amount of small mesh gill nets ( 3 ¼ inch, 3 ¾ inch, and 4 inch) used shall not exceed 800 yards in any combination. No other mesh sizes below 5 1/2 are allowed except those listed. Gill nets with a mesh length of 5 1/2 inches and larger described in II. D. and E. may not exceed 3,000 yards combined. Gill nets with a mesh length of 5 1/2 inches and larger that are equipped with floats that do not exceed 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches in length placed a minimum of 10 yards apart, not to exceed 11 floats per 100 yards of net. Nets must not exceed 3,000 yards in length and must be set so as to fish on the bottom not to exceed a vertical height of 48 inches. Gill nets with a mesh length of 5 1/2 inches and larger not meeting the criteria in Section II. D. for floats are required to be equipped with tie downs spaced no farther apart than 30 feet restricting the vertical distance between the top and bottom lines to 48 inches or less. Nets must not exceed 3000 yards in length and must be set so as to fish on the bottom not to exceed a vertical height of 48 inches. F. No gill nets may be used in the area southwest of a line from Black Walnut Point 35° 59 .3833’ N- 76° 41 .0060’ W, running southeasterly to a point 35° 56 .3333’N- 76° 36 .0333’ W at the mouth of Mackey’s Creek, including Roanoke, Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers. III. DRIFT GILL NETS IV. SEASON CLOSURE: The season for the use of commercial gear described will close by proclamation at a later date. A. This proclamation is issued under the authority of N.C.G.S. 113-182; 113-221.1; 143B-289.52 and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103, 3J .0103, 3Q .0107(1)(c), 3M .0202 and 3M .0513. B. It is unlawful to violate 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. The intent of this proclamation is to allow directed fisheries for mullet, white perch and flounder while managing Albemarle Sound Management Area striped bass within the quota established by the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan, and the river herring stocks under a no harvest measure, as recommended by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission in the North Carolina River Herring Fishery Management Plan and controlling the bycatch of striped bass in directed gill net fisheries.
April 10, 2008 |