November 26, 2019: VMRC approves a 7.66% reduction in the Chesapeake Bay area commercial quota and a 9.81% reduction in coastal area commercial quota for the 2020 fishing year. In addition, the 28” commercial maximum size limit season in the Chesapeake Bay, formerly March 26 through June 15, has been extended to March 15 through June 15 to further protect the spawning stock of striped bass. Click on following link for more results of the November meeting. [Meeting Summary]
November 22, 2019: Effective Sunset, Saturday, November 23rd, 2019, the Virginia horseshoe crab trawl commercial fishery will close. [Notice]
November 22, 2019: VMRC is holding a Finfish Management Advisory Committee meeting at 6 PM on Monday, November 25, 2019 in the Commission room. The agenda can be found here.
November 18, 2019: It is projected that 75% of the Virginia
commercial black sea bass bycatch fishery quota has been taken. After
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 6:00 P.M., vessels holding a 2019 Virginia Black
Sea Bass Bycatch Permit will be limited to possessing aboard a vessel or landing
in Virginia no more than 100 pounds of black sea bass as bycatch in addition to
the North Carolina legal landing limit or trip limit. [Notice]
November 8, 2019: The annual meeting of the Tournament Committee of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament will be held Monday, November 18th at 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96, Fort Monroe, VA, 6 PM, in the Virginia Marine Resources Commission's Board Room. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6 PM and the public is encouraged to attend. [Notice |
Agenda]
November 6, 2019: State Record Albacore Tuna Landed: A 70-pound
11-ounce Albacore Tuna, sometimes referred to as "True" Albacore or Longfin
Tuna, caught on September 22, 2019 by Wendy Brockenbrough of Virginia Beach, VA,
has been certified as a Virginia State Record by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing
Tournament. [Press
Release]
November 1, 2019: VMRC is holding a Finfish Management Advisory Committee meeting at 6 PM on Thursday, November 14, 2019 in the Commission room. The agenda can be found here.
October 31, 2019: Notice to offshore fishing fleet
east of NC and VA, bathymetric survey activity November 2019 through January
2020. [Notice]
October 22, 2019: The results of today's Commission meeting have been posted. [Meeting Summary]
October 16, 2019: Effective 6:00 P.M., Wednesday, October 16, 2019, the 2019/2020 Virginia commercial speckled trout fishery will close. Based upon landing reports from Virginia seafood buyers and speckled trout harvesters, it is projected that Virginia will have harvested and landed 100% of the 51,104 pound quota.
[Notice]
August 29, 2019: A 466-pound swordfish, caught on August 16,
2019 by Tony Gower Jr. of Virginia Beach, VA, has been certified as the new
Virginia State Record by the Director of Virginia's Saltwater Fishing
Tournament. Gower's catch surpassed the existing record of 446-pounds, caught in
October 2012, by Joseph T. Harris, of Virginia Beach. [Press
Release]
August 29, 2019: DRAFT ADDENDUM VI TO AMENDMENT 6 TO THE INTERSTATE
FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS -- VMRC will host the ASMFC
public hearing at 6:30pm, Monday September 9, 2019 at their Fort Monroe
Headquarters. Draft Addendum VI was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark
Stock Assessment, which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing
overfishing. The Draft Addendum explores a range of management alternatives
designed to end overfishing and reduce fishing mortality to the target level in
2020. [
ASMFC Notice
|
Draft Addendum VI ]
DRAFT ADDENDUM VI TO THE SPINY DOGFISH
INTERSTATE FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN is available for public comment. The public
is encouraged to submit comments regarding this document during the public
comment period. Comments will be accepted by ASMFC until 5:00 p.m. EST on
September 23, 2019. [
ASMFC Notice
|
Draft Addendum VI ]
August 27, 2019: The Commission unanimously approved the staff
recommendation to adopt the emergency amendments described in sections of
Chapter 4 VAC 20-252-10 et seq. "Pertaining to the Taking of Striped Bass," to
lower the recreational possession limit in the Chesapeake Bay area and establish
commercial maximum mesh size requirements in the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal
areas. Staff also recommends this emergency amendment be part of a September
public hearing to incorporate the amendments as part of the permanent
regulation. Public oyster harvest seasons were also set for 2019-20. See the meeting summary for other results of the Commission's
monthly meeting. [Meeting Summary
|
2019-20 Oyster Seasons]
August 16, 2019: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
has increased the retention limit for the commercial aggregated large coastal
shark and hammerhead shark management groups (Appendix 1) for directed shark
limited access permit holders in the Atlantic region from 36 to 45 sharks per
vessel per trip effective August 16, 2019. Per
Regulation 4 VAC 20-490-10 ET SEQ. "Pertaining to Sharks"
state possession limits mirror these new federal possession limits. [NOAA
Notice |
VA Commercial Shark Possession Limits]
July 24, 2019: The results of yesterday's Commission meeting have been posted. [Meeting Summary]
July 17, 2019: NOAA Fisheries has increased the retention limit for the commercial aggregated large coastal shark and hammerhead shark management groups for directed shark limited access permit holders in the Atlantic region from 3 to 36 sharks per vessel per trip effective June 25, 2019. Per Regulation 4 VAC 20-490-10 ET SEQ. "Pertaining to Sharks" state possession limits mirror these new federal possession limits. [ASMFC Notice | VA Commercial Shark Possession Limits]
June 25, 2019: Commissioner Bowman was at the CBF Brock Center on June 25, 2019 to offer remarks on the signing of Senate and House bills relating to oyster ground leasing. Commissioner Bowman also introduced Governor Ralph Northam.
June 25, 2019: The Commission voted unanimously to approve 57.74 acres of oyster planting ground in Hungars Creek in Northampton County. The Commission also voted unanimously on multiple crab fishery regulations to include: establishing commercial harvest season dates for 2019 and 2020 of March 17 through November 30 for crab pots and April 1 through October 31 for all other gears; closing the 2019-2020 winter crab dredge fishery season; increasing the November bushel limit to match October; and allowing crab license transfers to be based on eligibility rather than a purchased license. [Meeting Summary]
June 24, 2019: The Agency will be closed to the public on Friday, June 28th for training.
June 18, 2019: Notice to offshore fishing fleet east of NC and VA of bathymetric survey activity June to October 2019. This summer and fall, Avangrid Renewables will continue to study the Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind Lease Area (OCS-A 0508) by conducting High Resolution Geophysical Surveys. The purpose of the surveys is to characterize seabed/sub-surface conditions in the Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind Lease Area. [Notice]
June 11, 2019: Effective 12 noon, Wednesday, June 12th, 2019, the Virginia horseshoe crab hand harvest commercial fishery will close. The possession or landing of any horseshoe crabs in Virginia by any gear type except trawl or pound net shall be prohibited. [Notice]May 22, 2019: ASMFC Public Hearing on Amendment 1 to the Atlantic Cobia Fishery Management Plan -- VMRC will host a public meeting 6pm, June 12, 2019 at their Fort Monroe Headquarters. The draft amendment addresses a number of issues related to the transition of cobia management from the federal government to the states. Major issued addressed include establishment of processes to define biological reference points and specify harvest, changes to commercial monitoring of landings, clarification of the process for evaluating recreational harvests against state harvest targets, potential changes to commercial fishery management measures, and recommended management measures for federal waters. [Notice | Cobia Information]
May 14, 2019: Pursuant to State Senate Joint Resolution 309,
Commission staff will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, May 30th at 10AM
regarding submerged fiber optic cable protection. The meeting is primarily
intended for affected regulatory and industry participants, but the public may
attend. The meeting will be held at the Commission main office at 380 Fenwick
Rd, Ft. Monroe, 23651. [SJR
309 Text]
May 13, 2019: The Horseshoe Crab Dredge Category Permit commercial fishery will close beginning at sunset, on Wednesday, May 15th, 2019. [Notice]
May 8, 2019: Effective Sunset, Thursday, May 9th, 2019, the Virginia Horseshoe Crab General Category Permit commercial fishery will close. [Notice]
May 6, 2019: Today, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) released the results from the 2019 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey that show the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab stock remains healthy and able to support quality commercial and recreational harvests. [Press Release]
May 3, 2019: The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will continue the prohibition on issuing the permits required by Section 28.2-546 of the Code of Virginia to carry oysters out of state. [Notice]
April 23, 2019:
Virginia takes an important first step to address the striped bass decline and
calls on other states to follow suit to protect this crucial species. The
Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted unanimously (7-0) to enact an
emergency closure for the spring recreational striped bass trophy season.
[Striped
Bass Press
Release | Other
Commission Meeting Actions]
April 22, 2019: Tomorrow's Commission meeting will be live streamed. Click the link during the session to view the proceedings. [VMRC meeting live stream].
April 22, 2019: BLUE CRAB
RESOURCE INFORMATION: Recent preliminary results from the Bay-wide blue crab
winter dredge survey indicate a better blue crab stock condition in 2019, as
compared to 2018. Preliminary abundance estimates of adult female and male blue
crabs as well as juvenile crabs are substantially higher than in 2018. These
preliminary data are currently under review, and a press release will be
published once final 2019 estimates of abundance and the 2018 exploitation rate
are available.
April 19, 2019: Commission offices will
be closed after 1PM today due to inclement weather.
April 18, 2019: The Virginia Marine Resources Commission staff will
hold a public information hearing to share recent ASMFC and MAFMC management
activities related to possible reallocation of the current state-specific shares
of the commercial black sea bass coast-wide quota. The meeting will be held
at our offices at 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg. 96, Fort Monroe at 6 pm on April 18.
Should you be unable to attend in person, the meeting will be live streamed at VMRC meeting live stream.
Should you wish to participate in the discussion, you may call 1-866-842-5779
and enter conference code 8018959747.
April 17, 2018: Today Virginia joins Connecticut and
Massachusetts in calling on the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission to
take swift action this year to slow the decline of striped bass and return the
population to sustainable levels. The letter from the three states can be
found here:
April 8, 2019: The newly created Aquaculture Management Advisory Committee (AMAC) will hold its first meeting on Monday, April 8, 2019. The meeting will be from 3:30 until 5:30 PM in the Commission Meeting Room at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission Office located at 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96, Fort Monroe, in Hampton, Virginia. AMAC is charged with providing management advisory assistance to VMRC staff concerning several items identified by the Clam and Oyster Aquaculture Work Group in final their report dated December 2018, to provide advisory assistance related to recent General Assembly changes to the Code of Virginia concerning shellfish leasing and associated potential regulatory actions, and also to provide a forum for discussion and advice concerning ongoing and future issues related to shellfish management by VMRC.
April 2, 2019: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has
reduced the retention limit for the commercial aggregated large coastal shark
and hammerhead shark management groups (Appendix 1) for directed shark limited
access permit holders in the Atlantic region from 25 to 3 sharks (other than
sandbar sharks) per vessel per trip effective 11:30 p.m. April 1, 2019. The
revised retention limit will remain in effect for the rest of the 2019 fishing
season or until NMFS announces another adjustment to the retention limit, which
is expected around July 15th. Per
Regulation 4 VAC 20-490-10 ET SEQ. "Pertaining to Sharks"
state possession limits mirror these new federal possession limits. [ASMFC
Notice |
VA Commercial Shark Possession Limits]
April 1, 2019: On April 23, 2019, the Marine Resources Commission will consider an emergency staff proposal to eliminate the Bay, Coastal and Potomac River Tributaries Spring Trophy-size Striped Bass Recreational Fisheries described in Chapter 4 VAC 20-252-10 et seq. [
Notice ]
March 26, 2019: the Commission approved one habitat project,
addressed four offenders, and approved two fishery regulations. Also of note,
the Commission passed a regulation to prohibit the towing of cobia and striped
bass. [Meeting Summary]
March 25, 2019:
Tomorrow's Commission meeting will be live streamed. Click the link during the session to view the proceedings. [ VMRC meeting live stream ]
March 13, 2019: BLUE CRAB SEASON OPENING INFORMATION: Although blue crab season starts on March 17th, we are reminding people that per regulation, you cannot set pots on Sunday. The earliest pots can be set this season is 6:00 am, March 18th.
February 27, 2019: Pursuant to action by the General Assembly during the 2019 session Senate Bill # 1413 was approved by the Assembly and signed by the Governor on February 27, 2019. The bill contained an emergency clause making it effective upon signature of the Governor. The new law changes application fees for both new oyster planting ground applications and for the transfer of existing oyster planting ground leases. The new fees are now in effect. To obtain a list of the new fee structure click the following link. [New Lease Application Fees]
Virginia Marine Resources Commission Staff will host an open meeting to accept comments regarding the development of a regulation to establish and implement a fast-track permitting program, and permit application requirements, in order to authorize the selection and use of appropriate sites for disposal of dredge material on State-owned submerged lands for projects in Tidewater Virginia. The regulation is being developed pursuant to Acts of Assembly 2018 Chapter 449. The meeting will be held on March 12, 2019, at 2:00 pm in the Commission Meeting Room at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission Office located at 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96, Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. For comments or inquires contact Tony Watkinson, Chief, Habitat Management Division at 757-247-2250 or Tony.Watkinson@mrc.virginia.gov.
February 26, 2019: The Commission met today and approved a wetlands project for Virginia Electric and Power Company, denied two oyster ground leases, and approved public hearings for several fishery items. Also of note, the Commission approved the Oyster Replenishment and Restoration Plan for 2019. MRC will disperse 587,000 bushels of shell over 587 acres and will supplement shell planting with 18,000 tons of alternative substrate over 72 acres. Click on the following link to see the results of today's Commission Meeting. [Meeting Summary]
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission also voted to approve the 2019 period one opening for the Virginia offshore summer flounder fishery. The landing limit for the offshore (EEZ) fishery from March 1 through April 19, 2019 is 10,000 pounds. [Notice]
February 26, 2019: Virginia Department of Health has issued an emergency closure of James River shellfishing, effective February 26th through March 7th, 2019. [Notice]
January 31, 2019: Attention Virginia Black Sea Bass Anglers, the 2019 February recreational black sea bass fishing season will start February 1st and end on February 28th 2019. We want to remind all anglers that a recreational black sea bass permit is required ONLY for the captain or operator of the vessel and that it is their responsibility to report all black sea bass caught or released during the 2019 February recreational black sea bass season. Click on the notice link for more details on the 2019 black sea bass season. [Notice]
January 29, 2019:
the Commission's new main office at 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg. 96, Fort Monroe, VA
23651 is officially open as of Tuesday, 1/29/19.
[Map
to New Office]
January 24, 2019:
Due to an unexpected delay, the Commission's new
offices at Ft. Monroe will not open until Tuesday, 1/29/19 at 8AM. Check
our web site next week before traveling to our new office in case there is any
additional delay in our re-opening. [Map
to New Office]
January 23, 2019:
VMRC is moving! The VMRC main office at 2600
Washington Avenue will close today at 3PM, remain closed the rest of the week,
and reopen January 28th, 2019 at our new location at 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg. 96,
Fort Monroe, VA. Check our web site next week before traveling to
our new office in case there is any unexpected delay in our re-opening. [Map
to New Office]
January 23, 2019: The Commission met yesterday and unanimously voted to uphold the decision of the Northumberland County Wetlands Board to approve the installation of a 125 linear foot riprap revetment on a jurisdictional beach adjacent to the Potomac River. Also of note, the Commission approved NASA's request to construct offshore breakwaters and place approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of sandy beach nourishment material along approximately 19,850 feet of shoreline adjacent to Wallops Island. The Commission also unanimously voted to establish a February 2019 black sea bass fishery with modifications to the recreational black sea bass reporting requirements. [Meeting Summary]
January 20, 2019: The MAFMC will hold a scoping
hearing/internet webinar Thursday, February 7, 2019, 6:00 pm at the Commission's
new office at Ft. Monroe (380 Fenwick Road, Ft. Monroe, VA 23651) to solicit
public input on an amendment to review and consider modifications to both the
permitting system for Illex squid and the goals and objectives of the entire
Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). [Notice
|
Webinar Link]
January 9, 2019: VMRC is moving! On
January 28th, 2019 we will open our doors at our new location at 380 Fenwick
Road, Bldg. 96, Fort Monroe, VA. To prepare for the move, our current main
office will be closed January 24-25, 2019. Should you have any
communications, permits, reports, etc. that need to be attended to the week
of January 21 to 25, we ask that you try and have
them delivered no later than January 17, 2019. We will make every effort to
avoid any interruptions in service and should you have any questions or concerns
please call 757-247-2200. [Map]
