Section 31. Bycatch fishery

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to take, catch, possess, or land any American shad in Virginia without first having obtained an American shad bycatch permit from the Marine Resources Commission. Permits shall be issued only to Virginia registered commercial fishermen meeting any of the following criteria:

1. The fisherman shall have held an American shad bycatch permit in at least one of the three previous calendar years and complied with all reporting requirements. In addition, that fisherman shall have submitted an American shad bycatch permit application to the Marine Resources Commission by March 15 for the 2013 fishing season, but no later than February 5 in subsequent years.

2. Any registered commercial fisherman not otherwise qualified under subdivision 1 of this subsection shall be eligible for an American shad bycatch permit if that fisherman submits an American shad bycatch permit application and the number of eligible American shad bycatch permitees as of March 15, 2013, or February 5 in subsequent years, is less than 30.

3. Should the number of American shad bycatch permit applications not exceed 30 as of March 15, 2013, or February 5 in subsequent years, the available permits not issued per subdivision 1 of this subsection may be issued until a maximum of 30 American shad bycatch permits are issued.

4. Should the number of American shad bycatch permit applications exceed 30 as of March 15, 2013, or February 5 in subsequent years, a lottery will be held for available permits not issued per subdivision 1 of this subsection.

B. The permittee shall keep a copy of that permit in his possession while fishing for or selling American shad.

C. It shall be unlawful for any person to possess aboard a vessel more than 10 American shad. When more than one registered and permitted fisherman is fishing on the same vessel, it shall be unlawful to possess more than 10 American shad aboard that vessel.

D. It shall be unlawful for any person to possess aboard a vessel or land any American shad unless that person possesses at least an equal number of fish of only the following food-grade species: spot, croaker, bluefish, catfish, striped bass or white perch.

E. Possession of American shad by any person permitted in accordance with this section shall be lawful only when those American shad were harvested from the bycatch area. Possession of any American shad harvested in Virginia waters that are outside of the bycatch area shall constitute a violation of this regulation.

F. American shad harvested only as bycatch by anchored gill nets and staked gill nets may be possessed or retained for sale in accordance with the provisions of this regulation. It shall be unlawful for any person to harvest, land, or possess any American shad taken by any recreational gear or by any commercial gear, except anchored gill net or staked gill net.

G Every fisherman permitted for the American shad bycatch fishery shall contact the commission's interactive voice response system, every Monday, to report the following for the preceding weekly period: name, registration number, number of fishing trips taken, water body fished, number of nets set, number of American shad caught, and number retained.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 22, Issue 12, eff. January 27, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 16, eff. March 31, 2006; Volume 23, Issue 15, eff. March 1, 2007; Volume 24, Issue 13, eff. February 5, 2008; Volume 25, Issue 16, eff. March 26, 2009; Volume 26, Issue 14, eff. March 1, 2010; Volume 27, Issue 14, eff. March 1, 2011; Volume 28, Issue 12, eff. February 1, 2012; Volume 29, Issue 15, eff. March 1, 2013.

Statutory Authority

§ 28.2-201 of the Code of Virginia.