Section 30. Gear restrictions

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set, or fish any longline in Virginia's tidal waters.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set, or fish any shark shortline in Virginia's tidal waters with more than 50 hooks. All hooks must be corrodible circle hooks. In addition, any person aboard a vessel fishing shortlines must practice the protocols and possess the federally required release equipment, for pelagic and bottom longlines, for the safe handling, release and disentanglement of sea turtles and other nontarget species; all captain and vessel owners must be certified in using handling and release equipment.

C. It shall be unlawful for a person to possess more than two shark shortlines on board a vessel.

D. It shall be unlawful for any person fishing recreationally to take any shark using any gear other than handline or rod and reel.

E. It shall be unlawful for any person fishing for commercial purposes to possess any shark caught by means other than permitted commercial gear.

F. Any commercial shark fisherman fishing for sharks shall check all of his large mesh gill nets at least once every two hours.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR450-01-0063 § 3, Volume 11, Issue 22, eff. July 1, 1995; amended, Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 14, eff. March 1, 2009; Volume 27, Issue 23, eff. July 1, 2011.

Statutory Authority

§ 28.2-201 of the Code of Virginia.