Section 15. Recreational cobia permit and mandatory reporting

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to possess or land any cobia harvested recreationally without first having obtained an Individual, Private Vessel, or Charter-Headboat Recreational Cobia Permit from the Marine Resources Commission (commission).

B. It shall be unlawful for any permittee to fail to report trips where cobia are caught, whether harvested or released, or the possession of any cobia in accordance with this section on forms provided by the commission within seven days after the trip occurred. It shall be unlawful for any permittee to fail to report trips where cobia were targeted but not successfully caught by the 15th day after the close of the recreational cobia fishery season. The reporting requirements shall be as follows:

1. Any individual recreational cobia permittee shall provide his own commission permit identification number; the commission permit identification number of the recreational vessel the individual is fishing from, if applicable; the date of any harvest; and the number of cobia kept or released.

2. Any private vessel or charter-headboat recreational cobia permittee shall provide the vessel's commission permit identification number; the date of any harvest; the number of individuals on board; and the number of cobia kept or released. Any such permittee must report all trips made by the vessel to which the permit applies where cobia are caught or targeted even if the permittee was not on board the vessel during every such trip.

3. Any permittee who did not participate in the recreational cobia season shall notify the commission of his lack of participation by the 15th day after the close of the recreational cobia season on forms provided by the commission.

4. Any permittee who fails to report the harvest of cobia shall be ineligible to receive an Individual, Private Vessel, or Charter-Headboat Recreational Cobia Permit in the year following the year in which that permittee failed to report. Any permittee who did not participate in the recreational cobia season and fails to report no activity shall also be ineligible to receive an Individual, Private Vessel, or Charter-Headboat Recreational Cobia Permit in the year following the year where that permittee failed to report.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 33, Issue 10, eff. January 1, 2017.

Statutory Authority

§ 28.2-201 of the Code of Virginia.