2006 Annual Meeting Notice Saltwater Tournament

For Immediate Release
March 23, 2007

Flounder Not Eligible for Release Citations During Summer Closure

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission adopted new regulations for summer flounder that went into effect on March 1, 2007. These regulations include a closed season from July 23rd - July 28th.

The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament will not accept any Citations for summer flounder during this summer closure, including applications for release Citations. This is a slight modification of current Tournament practices, which have allowed release Citations during closed seasons.

“Scientific studies have shown substantially increased mortality associated with catching and releasing flounder when water temperatures are above 70 degrees. Since these are the exact conditions that will prevail during the July closure, we do not want to encourage any additional targeted fishing effort by offering Citation awards for the catch and release of flounder,” stated Tournament Director Claude Bain.

Except for the period from July 23rd – July 28th, applications for summer flounder Citations during 2007 will be handled in the normal manner.

The Tournament Committee of the VSWFT will consider the offering of release Citations during closed seasons and in closed areas at its annual meeting in October. “This issue has received quite a bit of comment within the recreational angling community during the early part of 2007 and the time is right for our Committee to revisit this issue in its entirety at its October meeting,” Bain added.

For more information, contact Claude Bain, Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, 968 S. Oriole Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, (757) 491-5160, mrcswt@visi.net.

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VMRC DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES; THEREFORE, IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS DUE TO A DISABILITY, PLEASE ADVISE DEBORAH CAWTHON (757) 247-2248 NO LATER THAN FIVE WORK DAYS PRIOR TO THE MEETING DATE AND IDENTIFY YOUR NEEDS.