Title of Regulation: 4VAC20-260. Pertaining to Designation of Seed Areas and Clean Cull Areas (amending 4VAC20-260-20 through 4VAC20-260-60).

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

Effective Date: October 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 proposed amendments clarify the coordinates and locations of oyster seed areas and clean cull areas, and clarify the penalties for inspection violations.

4VAC20-260-20. Designation of seed areas and clean cull areas.

A. Seed areas. The following natural public oyster beds, rocks, or shoals are designated for the harvest of seed oysters:

1. James River. All of the public oyster grounds in the James River and its tributaries above a line drawn from Cooper's Creek in Isle of Wight County on the south side of the James River to a line in a northeasterly direction across the James River to the Newport News municipal water tank located on Warwick Boulevard between 59th and 60th Street in the City of Newport News.

2. Deep Water Shoal State Repletion Seed Area in the James River (574.66 acres). Beginning at a point approximately 530 feet west of Deep Water Shoal Light, said point being Corner 1 as located by Virginia State Plane Coordinates, South Zone, NAD 1927, North 302,280.00, East 2,542,360.00; thence North Azimuth 30°49'59", 4,506.99 feet to Corner 2, North 306,150.00, East 2,544,670.00; thence North Azimuth 135°08'57", 5,430.60 feet to Corner 3, North 302,300.00, East 2,548,500.00; thence North Azimuth 212°13'54", 3,487.42 feet to Corner 4, North 299,350.00, East 2,546,640.00; thence North Azimuth 269°10'16", 2,765.29 feet to Corner 5, North 299,310.00, East 2,543,875.00; thence North Azimuth 332°58'26", 3,334.09 feet to Corner 1, being the point of beginning. (Map 1) Deep Water Shoal State Replenishment Seed Area (DWS). That area in the James River near Mulberry Island, beginning at a point approximately 530 feet west of Deep Water Shoal Light, said point being Corner 1, located at Latitude 37° 08.9433287' N., Longitude 76° 38.3213007' W.; thence southeasterly to Corner 2, Latitude 37° 09.5734380' N., Longitude 76° 37.8300582' W.; thence southwesterly to Corner 3, Latitude 37° 08.9265524' N., Longitude 76° 37.0574269' W.; thence westerly to Corner 4, Latitude 37° 08.4466039' N., Longitude 76° 37.4523346' W.; thence northwesterly to Corner 5, Latitude 37° 08.4491489' N., Longitude 76° 38.0215553' W.; thence northeasterly to Corner 1, said corner being the point of beginning.

B. Clean cull areas. All natural public oyster beds, rocks, or shoals in the tidal waters of Virginia, except those designated by the Marine Resources Commission as seed areas shall be considered clean cull areas.

EDITOR'S NOTICE: The map designating Deep Water Shoal Repletion Seed Area (Map 1) is not printed and is deleted by this regulatory action.

4VAC20-260-30. Minimum cull size.

In order to encourage a continued supply of marketable oysters, minimum size limits are hereby established. Undersized oysters or shells shall be returned immediately to their natural beds, rocks, or shoals where taken. When small oysters are adhering so closely to the shell of the marketable oyster as to render removal impossible without destroying the young oyster, then it shall not be necessary to remove it. Allowances for undersized oysters and shells incidentally retained during culling are found in 4VAC20-260-40.

1. Oysters taken from clean cull areas shall not have shells less than three inches in length, except as described in subdivision 5 of this section.

2. In the James River seed areas, there shall be no size limit on oysters harvested for replanting as seed oysters and seed oysters shall not be marketed for direct consumption.

3. In the James River seed areas, the shells of oysters harvested for direct consumption shall not be less than three inches in length.

4. On the seaside of the Eastern Shore seed area, the shells of oysters marketed for direct consumption shall not be less than three inches in length. The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to oysters raised in aquaculture cages by licensed aquaculture facilities.

5. In the Rappahannock River, the shells of oysters harvested for direct consumption from the areas known as Russ' Rock and Carter's Rock shall not be less than 2-1/2 inches in length.

4VAC20-260-40. Culling tolerances or standards.

A. In the clean cull areas, if more than one a four-quart measure of any combination of undersized (less than three inches) oysters or shells is of any size are found per bushel inspected, it shall constitute a violation of this chapter, except as described in subdivision 5 of 4VAC20-260-30.

B. In the James River seed areas, if more than one a six-quart measure of shells is found per bushel of seed oysters inspected, it shall constitute a violation of this chapter.

C. In the James River seed areas, if more than one a four-quart measure of any combination of undersized (less than three inches) oysters or shells is of any size are found per bushel of clean cull oysters inspected, it shall constitute a violation of this chapter.

D. On the seaside of Eastern Shore seed areas, if more than one a four-quart measure of any combination of undersized (less than three inches) oysters and shells is of any size are found per bushel of clean cull oysters to be marketed for direct consumption inspected, it shall constitute a violation of this chapter.

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 public grounds shall be sold or purchased 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.

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.

4VAC20-260-60. Penalty.

A. As set forth in §§ 28.2-510 and 28.2-511 of the Code of Virginia, any person, firm, or corporation violating any provision of this chapter except 4VAC20-260-50 C shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

B. As set forth in § 28.2-526 of the Code of Virginia, any person violating any provision of 4VAC20-260-50 C of the chapter shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

C. In addition to the penalty prescribed by law, any person violating any provision of this chapter shall destroy, in the presence of a marine police officer, all shellfish in his possession, or, at the direction of the marine police officer, shall place the shellfish overboard on the nearest oyster sanctuary or closed shellfish area, and shall cease harvesting on that day. All harvesting apparatus may be subject to seizure, and, pursuant to § 28.2-232 of the Code of Virginia, all licenses and permits may be subject to revocation following a hearing before the Marine Resources Commission.

C. In addition to the penalty prescribed by law, any person violating any provision of this chapter shall place the entire load of shellfish overboard on the nearest oyster sanctuary or closed shellfish area, at the direction of the marine police officer, and shall cease harvesting on that day. In cases where shellfish associated with a violation, by any person, cannot be returned overboard, that person shall destroy, in the presence of a marine police officer, all shellfish in his possession. All harvesting apparatus may be subject to seizure and, pursuant to § 28.2-232 of the Code of Virginia, all licenses and permits may be subject to revocation following a hearing before the Marine Resources Commission.