PROCLAMATION
RE: KING MACKEREL
Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine
Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, May 8, 2002, the following restrictions will
apply to king mackerel commercial
fishing operations:
The portion
of N.C. Fisheries Rules for Coastal
Waters 15A NCAC 3M .0301 (c) (1)
which reads “It is unlawful to possess king mackerel less
than 20 inches fork length.”
is suspended.
II. NEW SIZE LIMIT - COMMERCIAL FISHING
OPERATIONS
No person may take, possess, land, sell or offer for sale
king mackerel less than 24 inches fork length in a commercial fishing operation.
III. GENERAL INFORMATION
A) This proclamation
is issued under the authority of G.S. 113-182; 113-221(e); 113-170.4;
113-170.5; 143B-289.52; and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103, 3I
.0102, and 3M .0301.
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 intent of this
proclamation is to make the commercial king mackerel size limit consistent with
the recreational king mackerel size limit and bring it into compliance with the
Mackerel Fishery Management Plan by the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council.
D)
This proclamation
supersedes Proclamation FF-14-2002 dated February 8, 2002.
May 6, 2002
10:00 A.M.
FF-27-2002
/sab