Title of Regulation: 4VAC20-260. Pertaining to Designation of Seed Areas and Clean Cull Areas (amending 4VAC20-260-50).

Statutory Authority: § 28.2-201 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: February 1, 2012.

Agency Contact: Jane Warren, Agency Regulatory Coordinator, Marine Resources Commission, 2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Newport News, VA 23607, telephone (757) 247-2248, FAX (757) 247-2002, or email betty.warren@mrc.virginia.gov.

Summary:

The amendment provides the description of an alternate container that may be used for measuring oysters to be sold or purchased.

4VAC20-260-50. Culling and inspection procedures.

A. All oysters taken from natural public beds, rocks, or shoals shall be placed on the culling board and culled by hand to the inside open part of the boat in a loose pile; however, when oysters are taken by hand and held in baskets or other containers they shall be culled as taken and transferred from the container to the inside open part of the boat in a loose pile and subject to inspection by any Marine Resources Commission law-enforcement officer.

B. If oysters from leased grounds and oysters from public grounds are mixed in the same cargo on a boat or motor vehicle, the entire cargo shall be subject to inspection under this chapter.

C. It shall be unlawful for any harvester to store oysters taken from public grounds on any boat in any type of container, except as described for the James River in 4VAC20-1230-30 M. All oysters taken from said areas shall be sold or purchased only in the regular oyster one-half bushel or one bushel measure as described in § 28.2-526 of the Code of Virginia, or the alternate container described in subsection D of this section; except that on the seaside of the Eastern Shore oysters may be sold without being measured if both the buyer and the seller agree to the number of bushels of oysters in the transaction.

D. An alternate container produced by North Machine Shop in Mathews, Virginia, may be used for measuring oysters to be sold or purchased. The dimensions of this metallic cylindrical container shall be 18.5 inches inside diameter and 11 inches inside height.

D. E. In the inspection of oysters the law-enforcement officer shall, with a shovel, take at least one bushel of oysters at random, provided that the entire bushel shall be taken at one place in the open pile of oysters.