REGISTRAR'S NOTICE: The Department of Wildlife Resources is claiming an exemption from the Administrative Process Act pursuant to § 2.2-4002 A 3 of the Code of Virginia when promulgating regulations regarding the management of wildlife.

Title of Regulation: 4VAC15-340. Fish: Seines and Nets (amending 4VAC15-340-10, 4VAC15-340-30, 4VAC15-340-60).

Statutory Authority: §§ 29.1-103, 29.1-501, and 29.1-502 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: January 1, 2021.

Agency Contact: Aaron Proctor, Regulations Coordinator, Department of Wildlife Resources, 7870 Villa Park Drive, Suite 400, Henrico, VA 23228, telephone (804) 367-8341 or email aaron.proctor@dwr.virginia.gov.

Summary:

The amendments (i) prohibit American shad from being taken using haul seines or gill nets in the City of Virginia Beach on Back Bay and its natural tributaries and (ii) prohibit the use of seines, nets, or traps in streams and their associated tributaries that flow into Hungry Mother Lake in Smyth County.

4VAC15-340-10. Haul seines to take fish for sale.

A. Authorization to take fish for sale. A haul seine permit shall authorize the person to whom issued to take fish for sale as specified with a haul seine from the waters designated in this section.

B. Permit holder to be present when seine operated. The holder of a haul seine permit must be present with the seine at all times when it is being operated. The holder, however, may have others to assist him, and such persons assisting are not required to have a permit.

C. Length and size of nets. The length of haul seine nets shall not be more than 500 yards. The size of mesh shall be 1-1/2 inch bar mesh.

D. Season and fish to be taken in Virginia Beach City. In Back Bay and its natural tributaries (not including Lake Tecumseh and Red Wing Lake), North Landing River from the North Carolina line to Pungo Ferry (not including Blackwater River), the open season to take all fish, except game fish, American shad, alewife, and blueback herring, with a haul seine shall be from November 1 through March 31, both dates inclusive. The harvest limit for anadromous American and hickory shad shall be 10 per day, in the aggregate.

E. Labeling packages containing fish taken with haul seine. It shall be unlawful for any person to ship or otherwise transport any package, box, or other receptacle containing fish taken under a haul seine permit unless the same bears a label showing the name and address of the owner of the seine and a statement of the kind of fish contained in it.

F. Reporting. The holder of a permit to take fish for sale by means of haul seines shall keep a record of the pounds of fish taken by species and location (name and county of water body), and the pounds of each species sold.

4VAC15-340-30. Gill nets.

A. Authorization to take fish. A gill net permit shall authorize the holder thereof to take nongame fish during the times and in the waters and for the purposes provided for in this section. Such gill net shall not be more than 300 feet in length. The mesh size shall be not less than one-inch bar or square mesh (three-inch stretch mesh). Applicants must annually purchase tags for each net the applicant intends to operate and attach a department tag to each net prior to use. A single permit will be issued to the permittee and shall list each tag number the permittee has been issued. All nets must be checked daily and all game fish returned to the wild.

B. Permit holder to be present when gill net is being set and checked for fish. The holder of a gill net permit must be present with the net at all times when it is being set and checked for fish. The holder may have others to assist him, and such persons assisting are not required to have a permit. However, those assisting the permittee must meet the fishing license requirements of the Commonwealth.

C. Times and places permitted in Virginia Beach City; fish which may be taken. Gill nets may be used in Virginia Beach City in Back Bay and its natural tributaries (not including Lake Tecumseh and Red Wing Lake) and North Landing River from the North Carolina line to Pungo Ferry (not including Blackwater River) for the taking of nongame fish, except American shad, alewife, and blueback herring, for table use and also for sale from November 1 through March 31, both dates inclusive. The harvest limit for anadromous American and hickory shad shall be 10 per day, in the aggregate. Gill nets set in Back Bay waters shall be at least 300 feet from any other net and at least 300 feet from the shoreline. All such nets must be marked at both ends and at least every 100 feet along the length of the net with a five-inch by 12-inch minimum dimensions float.

4VAC15-340-60. Seines, traps, and nets prohibited in certain areas.

A. It shall be unlawful to use seines and nets of any kind for the taking of fish from the public waters of the Roanoke (Staunton) and Dan Rivers in Campbell, Charlotte, Halifax, and Pittsylvania Counties and in the City of Danville; provided, however, this section shall not be construed to prohibit the use of hand-landing nets for the landing of fish legally hooked or the taking of fish from these waters pursuant to the provisions of 4VAC15-360. In addition, this section shall not be construed to prohibit the use of cast nets, also known as throw nets, for the taking of bait fish.

B. In Lick Creek and tributaries in Smyth and Bland Counties, in Bear Creek and Hungry Mother Creek above in streams and their associated tributaries that flow into Hungry Mother Lake in Smyth County, in Laurel Creek and tributaries upstream of Highway 16 bridge in Tazewell and Bland Counties, in Susong Branch and Mumpower Creek in Washington County and the City of Bristol, and in Timbertree Branch in Scott County, it shall be unlawful to use seines, nets, or traps; provided, however, this section shall not be construed to prohibit the use of hand-landing nets for the landing of fish legally hooked.