Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine
Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 7:00 A.M., Thursday, February 17, 2005, the following areas WILL OPEN to peeler crab
trawling:
I. AREA DESCRIPTIONS
A. CARTERET
COUNTY
1. Waters of Core
Sound excluding designated nursery and shellfish management areas
2. Cedar Island Bay
- to the Primary Nursery Area line
3. Nelson Bay
excluding designated nursery and shellfish management areas
4. Brett Bay
5. Jarretts Bay,
Middens Creek and Bell Island Area to the Primary Nursery Area lines
6. North River - to
the Highway 70 Bridge
7. Ward Creek -
downstream of the Shellfish Management Area line
8. Back Sound
B. ONSLOW COUNTY
Bear Island (Hammocks Beach) - south of the Intracoastal
Waterway from Bear Creek to West Channel
C. DARE COUNTY
1. Outer
Shallowbag Bay to the permanent Secondary Nursery Area line
2. Waters of Kitty
Hawk Bay, Colington Creek and Buzzard Bay
II. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. This
proclamation is issued under the authority of N.C.G.S.113-170.4; 113-170.5;
113-182; 113-221.1(b); 143B-289.52 and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H
.0103, 3L .0202 and 3J .0104.
B. It is unlawful to
violate the provisions of any proclamation issued by the Fisheries Director
under his delegated authority per N.C. Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3H .0103.
C. This proclamation
supersedes all proclamations affecting peeler crab trawling issued prior to
February 1, 2005, and brings together in one document all areas that are open
to peeler crab trawling.
D. Shrimp taken in
closed shrimp waters, incidental to peeler crab harvest activities, must be returned to the waters where taken.
E. In accordance with Marine Fisheries Rule 15A NCAC 3L .0202, it is unlawful to use trawls with mesh length less than two inches or with a headrope exceeding 25 feet in length for taking soft or peeler crabs in the above areas.
F. All
Primary and Permanent Secondary Nursery Areas and Shellfish Management Areas
remain closed to all trawling activity.
G. All areas currently open to shrimp and crab
trawling are open to peeler crab trawling.
February 15, 2005 8:00 A.M.
SH-1--2005
/sab