Section 45. Commercial season, permits, and reporting

A. It shall be unlawful for any individual to harvest, take, catch, possess, or land any eels from September 1 through December 31 from any commercial gear, except from pots and traps.

B. It shall be unlawful for any individual legally licensed as a commercial seafood buyer to purchase or receive any quantity of eel landed in Virginia by any legally licensed harvester without first obtaining an Eel Buyer Permit from the commission.

C. It shall be unlawful for any individual to self-market any eels to any person or business unless that individual possesses a current eel self-market permit obtained from the commission.

D. It shall be unlawful for any eel self-market permittee to fail to report daily landing records of eels to the commission. These reports shall be completed in full and submitted monthly to the Marine Resources Commission no later than the fifth day of the following month.

E. It shall be unlawful for any eel buyer permittee permitted to purchase or receive eels landed in Virginia to fail to provide written reports to the Marine Resources Commission of daily purchases and harvest information on forms provided by the commission. Each eel buyer permittee will provide the commission the date of purchase, the harvester's Commercial Fisherman Registration License number, weight of eels purchased, and gear type. These reports shall be completed in full and submitted monthly to the Marine Resources Commission no later than the fifth day of the following month.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 30, Issue 10, eff. January 1, 2014; amended Virginia Register Volume 31, Issue 10, eff. January 1, 2015.

Statutory Authority

§ 28.2-201 of the Code of Virginia.