PROCLAMATION
RE: RIVER HERRING
Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine
Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:00 midnight, Sunday, February 16, 2003, the following
restrictions will apply to the river herring fishery in the Albemarle Sound
Herring Management Area and the Chowan River Herring Management Area:
I.
SEASON CLOSURE
No person or fishing operation may take, possess, land, sell
or offer for sale river herring (blueback herring or alewife) taken with gill
nets for commercial purposes.
The Albemarle Sound Herring Management Area and the Chowan River
Herring Management Area as described in Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3J.
0209.
A) This proclamation
is issued under the authority of G.S. 113-170.4; 113-170.5; 113-182;
113-221(e); 143B-289.52; and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103 and
3M .0513.
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 67,000 pound commercial river herring quota allocated to the
Albemarle Sound Herring Management Area (ASHMA) gill net fishery is being approached
so closure is necessary.
D) This proclamation
supersedes portions of FF-68-2002 dated December 18, 2003, which set the ASHMA
commercial gill net harvest quota. This means commercial harvest of river
herring with gill nets will not be
allowed.
February 13, 2003
10:00 A.M.
FF-13-2003
/sab