Menhaden fish; total allowable catch for those landed in State. (HB1840)

Introduced By

Del. Lee Ware (R-Powhatan) with support from co-patron Del. Barry Knight (R-Virginia Beach)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Total allowable catch for menhaden landed in Virginia. Establishes a total allowable catch for menhaden landed in Virginia by the reduction and other menhaden fisheries. The annual menhaden harvest cap in the Chesapeake Bay for the reduction fishery is reduced from 109,020 to 87,216 metric tons. The reduction fishery includes those vessels that harvest menhaden for the purpose of manufacturing menhaden into fertilizer, fish meal, or oil. The bill provides that if the harvest of the reduction fishery does not reach the cap, the difference between the actual harvest and the cap is applied as credit to the allowable harvest for the following year. The bill establishes an annual total allowable catch for menhaden landed in Virginia at 144,272.84 metric tons, 80 percent of which can come from the reduction fishery with all other menhaden fisheries authorized to land 20 percent of the allowable catch. The Marine Resources Commission is authorized to adopt regulations consistent with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact and Amendment 2 of the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The bill authorizes an increase in the license fee on each vessel fishing with a purse net for the harvest of menhaden to be used as bait from $3 to $5 and extends the current $5 fee that has been charged on vessels harvesting menhaden for reduction that are over 70 gross ton to all vessels harvesting for reduction purposes regardless of size. The bill provides that anyone who lands menhaden in Virginia after the date of closure of the fishery is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. In addition, the bill repeals the scheduled January 1, 2014, sunset date for the establishment of a total allowable catch of menhaden and the closure date announcement process. Read the Bill »

Status

01/23/2013: Merged into HB2254

History

DateAction
01/08/2013Committee
01/08/2013Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/09/13 13103435D
01/08/2013Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
01/14/2013Assigned ACNRsub: Chesapeake
01/17/2013Subcommittee recommends incorporating (HB2254-Scott, E.T.)
01/23/2013Incorporated by Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (HB2254-Scott, E.T.)