FF-63-2016

PROCLAMATION

RE: STRIPED BASS SEASON - BEACH SEINES - ATLANTIC OCEAN

This Proclamation opens the 2016/2017 Atlantic Ocean striped bass beach seine fishery and sets harvest restrictions.

Braxton C. Davis, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Saturday, December 18, 2016, the following provisions shall apply to the use of gill nets in the following areas:

I. SIZE LIMIT
It is unlawful to possess, transport, buy, sell or offer for sale striped bass less than 28 inches total length taken from the Atlantic Ocean.

II. HARVEST AND LANDING RESTRICTIONS

A. The quota for the Atlantic Ocean striped bass beach seine fishery will be 120,120 pounds.

B. It is unlawful to take striped bass with a beach seine from the Atlantic Ocean without having an Atlantic Ocean Striped Bass Commercial Gear Permit (AOSBCGP) designated for the beach seine fishery.

C. It is unlawful to possess striped bass taken with a beach seine from the Atlantic Ocean without having an AOSBCGP designated for the beach seine fishery except that possession of striped bass transferred from a properly permitted AOSBCGP beach seine operation to AOSBCGP holders of any gear (beach seines, gill nets or trawls) is allowed. Transfers will count against the beach seine portion of the quota regardless of the type of AOSBCGP held by the person receiving the transfer.

D. It is unlawful for an AOSBCGP beach seine permit holder to possess more than 150 striped bass per calendar day unless the striped bass exceeding the limit are being transferred to another holder of an AOSBCGP at the point of landing.

E. It is unlawful for a striped bass dealer to purchase more than 150 striped bass from a single AOSBCGP holder from the beach seine fishery per calendar day.

F. Striped bass harvested in this fishery may only be sold to and purchased by a dealer possessing a 2016/2017 STRIPED BASS DEALER PERMIT validated for the Atlantic Ocean.

G. It is unlawful for an AOSBCGP holder to fail to accompany each harvest limit of striped bass until the time of sale to a dealer who possesses a valid 2016/2017 Striped Bass Dealer Permit validated for the Atlantic Ocean.

H. It is unlawful to sell, offer for sale or purchase striped bass taken by hook-and-line.

III. SEINE CONSTRUCTION AND USE REQUIREMENTS

A. For the purpose of this proclamation, a beach seine is defined as a swipe net constructed of multi-filament, multi-fiber webbing fished from the ocean beach that is deployed from a vessel launched from the ocean beach where the fishing operation takes place. One end of the beach seine shall be attached to shore at all times during the operation.

B. Beach seine operations are limited to seines and warp lines of no more than 1,400 yards in total length, of which the seine shall not exceed 1,200 yards in total length. Seines shall be constructed of stretched mesh size of 7 to 10 inches (inclusive) and shall be no more than 30 meshes deep. The length of the warp line on the offshore end of the seine shall not be restricted.

C. Beach seines shall be constructed of twine size no smaller than #9 (0.042 inches or 1.07 mm) in the wings and no smaller than #12 (0.046 inches or 1.17 mm) in the bunt section.

D. It is unlawful for the duration of a beach seine set to exceed four (4) hours from launching to retrieval (net in to net out).

E. It is unlawful to use monofilament webbing in any part of an ocean beach seine during the striped bass seasons established by proclamation.

IV. SEASON CLOSURE
The Atlantic Ocean beach seine season for striped bass SHALL CLOSE by proclamation when the harvest allocation of 120,120 pounds is reached or 8:00 P.M. on Friday, March 31, 2017, whichever occurs first.