TITLE 4. CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES
REGISTRAR'S NOTICE: The Marine Resources Commission is claiming an exemption from the Administrative Process Act in accordance with § 2.2-4006 A 11 of the Code of Virginia; however, the commission is required to publish the full text of final regulations.
Title of Regulation: 4VAC20-420. Pertaining to the Use of Trawls in the Territorial Sea (repealing 4VAC20-420-10, 4VAC20-420-20, 4VAC20-420-30).
Statutory Authority: § 28.2-201 of the Code of Virginia.
Effective Date: August 1, 2021.
Agency Contact: Jennifer Farmer, Marine Resources Commission, 380 Fenwick Road, Fort Monroe, VA 23551, telephone (757) 247-2248, or email jennifer.farmer@mrc.virginia.gov.
Summary:
The amendments repeal 4VAC20-420, Pertaining to the Use of Trawls in the Territorial Sea, which allowed for a shrimp trawl fishery in parts of Virginia's coastal waters.
Chapter 420
Pertaining to the Use of Trawls in the Territorial Sea
4VAC20-420-10. Purpose.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the conservation of Virginia's summer flounder stocks and stocks of other species utilizing the Territorial Sea as a migratory pathway to spawning grounds and nursery areas.
4VAC20-420-20. Prohibition.
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate any trawl net or to take or catch fish, crabs or shellfish by use of trawl net within the area between the baseline from which the Territorial Sea is measured and three nautical miles seaward to the Three Nautical Mile Line.
4VAC20-420-30. Penalty.
As set forth in § 28.2-314 of the Code of Virginia, use of a trawl or similar device in the waters of the Commonwealth of Virginia, unless specifically permitted by the Marine Resources Commission as provided in § 28.2-315 of the Code of Virginia, shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor.
VA.R. Doc. No. R22-6900; Filed July 28, 2021