Current through Register Vol. 41, No. 10, December 30, 2024
Section 4VAC20-430-65 - Maximum mesh size and tending requirementsA. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set or fish any gill net with a stretched mesh of greater than or equal to seven inches in Virginia waters east of the COLREGS Line and north of the North Carolina-Virginia border and south of Wachapreague Inlet (37° 34.6' N) from April 1 through January 14, except as described in 4VAC20-320-65 and 4VAC20-252-135.B. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set or fish any gill net with a stretched mesh of greater than or equal to seven inches in Virginia waters east of the COLREGS Line and north of Wachapreague Inlet (37° 34.6' N) and south of Chincoteague (37° 56.0' N) from April 16 through January 14, except as described in 4VAC20-320-65 and 4VAC20-252-135.C. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set or fish any anchored gill net with a stretched mesh of greater than or equal to seven inches east of the COLREGS Line and north of the North Carolina-Virginia border and south of the Maryland-Virginia border in Virginia waters from sunset to sunrise from June 1 through October 31 unless that fisherman remains within 0.5 nautical miles of the closest portion of each anchored gill net, except as described in 4VAC20-320-65.D. Any anchored gill net with a stretched mesh of greater than or equal to seven inches set east of the COLREGS Line and north of the North Carolina-Virginia border in Virginia waters and south of the Maryland-Virginia border and fished from sunset to sunrise from June 1 through October 31, must be brought back to port with the vessel, except as described in 4VAC20-320-65.E. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set or fish any gill net with a stretched mesh of greater than or equal to seven inches east of the COLREGS Line and north of the North Carolina-Virginia border and south of the Maryland-Virginia border in Virginia waters from sunset to sunrise from November 1 through December 31, except as described in 4VAC20-252-135.F. Any gill net with a stretched mesh of greater than or equal to seven inches set east of the COLREGS Line and north of the North Carolina-Virginia border and south of the Maryland-Virginia border in Virginia waters and fished from sunset to sunrise from November 1 through December 31, must be brought back to port with the vessel, except as described in 4VAC20-252-135.G. Mesh measurement is defined as the inside stretched distance between two knots on opposite sides of the same mesh.4 Va. Admin. Code § 20-430-65
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 21, Issue 18, eff. 5/1/2005; Errata, 35:1 VA.R. XXX September 3, 2018.Statutory Authority: §§ 28.2-201 and 28.2-236 of the Code of Virginia.