RE: COMMERCIAL
SHARK HARVEST - ALL STATE WATERS
Preston P. Pate, Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 a.m., Friday, November 23, 2001, the commercial harvest and retention of sharks is restricted as follows:
I. COMMERCIAL HARVEST RESTRICTIONS:
Season:
A. The July 1 through December 31 season for the
retention of sharks within the Large
Coastal category is CLOSED.
B. No person or fishing operation may take,
possess, land, sell or offer for sale
Large Coastal Sharks taken with commercial fishing equipment or for
commercial purposes from all internal coastal waters and the Atlantic Ocean.
C. All
sharks not retained must be returned to the water with fins and tail intact and
in a manner to ensure the highest likelihood of survival.
II. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. This proclamation is issued under the
authority of G.S. 113-182; 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 143B-289.52; and N.C. Marine
Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103 and 3M .0505.
B. It is unlawful to violate the provisions of
any proclamation issued by the Fisheries Director under his delegated authority
per 15A NCAC 3H .0103.
C. The federal seasons for sharks are based on
quotas. The Small Coastal and Pelagic categories will remain open until closed
by proclamation due to quotas being reached. Quota information can be obtained by contacting the National
Marine Fisheries Service’s Highly Migratory Species Section at (301) 713-2347.
Bignose (Carcharhinus
altimus), Blacktip (Carcharhinus
limbatus), Bull (Carcharhinus leucus),
Caribbean reef (Carcharhinus perezii),
Dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus),
Galapagos (Carcharhinus galapagensis),
Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran),
Lemon (Negaprion brevirostris), Nurse
(Ginglymostoma cirratum), Sandbar (Carcharhinus plumbeus), Silky (Carcharhinus falciformis), Tiger (Galeocerdo cuvieri), Scalloped
hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), Smooth
hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) and
Spinner (Carcharhinus brevipinna).
E.
This proclamation
closes the harvest of the Large Coastal category until January 1, 2002 due to
the quota having been met.
November 20, 2001
8:30 A.M.
FF-64-2001
/sab