Title of Regulation: 4VAC20-1040. Pertaining to Crabbing Licenses (amending 4VAC20-1040-20).

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

Effective Date: October 1, 2011.

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:

This amendment establishes that crab pot or peeler pot fishermen on the waiting list shall remain on the list until such time that results from the Chesapeake Bay Winter Dredge Survey indicate that an abundance of 215 million age 1+ female blue crabs (2.4 inches and greater, carapace width) have been attained in three consecutive, seasonal surveys.

4VAC20-1040-20. License sales moratorium and license ineligibility conditions.

A. For any lawful crabbing season, commercial licenses for crab pot, peeler pot, crab scrape, crab trap, ordinary trot line, patent trot line, and dip net shall be sold only to those registered commercial fishermen who have been determined by the commission to be eligible to purchase any of these licenses in 2010, except as described in subsection B of this section.

B. For any lawful crabbing season, those registered commercial fishermen who were eligible from 2004 through 2008 for any crab pot or peeler pot licenses, but reported no harvest from 2004 through 2007, were placed on a waiting list in 2009 and shall remain ineligible to purchase a crab pot or peeler pot license, in accordance with subsection C of this section.

C. At such time results from the Chesapeake Bay Winter Dredge Survey indicate that an abundance of 200 215 million age 1+ female blue crabs (blue crabs 2.4 inches and greater, in carapace width) has been attained in three consecutive, seasonal (December – March) surveys, those registered commercial fishermen on the waiting list shall resume their eligibility to purchase their crab pot or peeler pot licenses according to a limited and delayed access system established by the Commission.

D. Any person receiving a crab license by lawful transfer also establishes his eligibility to purchase that specific license; however, any person either failing to register as a commercial fisherman in any year or lawfully transferring his crab license to another person shall forfeit his eligibility to purchase that specific crab license.

E. Commercial licenses for crab pots, peeler pots, crab scrapes, crab traps, ordinary trot lines, patent trot lines, and crab dip nets may be transferred to an immediate family member of the licensee at any time and, in the case of death or incapacitation of the licensee, may be transferred to a registered commercial fisherman at any time. Crabbing licenses also may be transferred to another registered commercial fisherman, except that not more than 100 licenses shall be transferred in the current year. All such transfers shall be documented on forms provided by the commission and shall be subject to the approval of the commissioner.

F. Any crab pot or peeler pot license that is purchased by the commission through the Federal Crab Disaster Relief Program shall be permanently retired and shall not be available for sale to any fisherman at any time. Any person whose license is purchased under the Crab Disaster Relief Program may re-enter the fishery only through the transfer of another crab pot or peeler pot license as authorized by regulations in effect at the time of the transfer.