Hearings Set For Bay Scallop, Commercial License Eligibility Rules

[NCangler]

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing Oct. 9 to accept comments on proposed permanent rules for the Bay Scallop fishery and eligibility requirements for a Standard Commercial Fishing License.

Proposed rules to implement a Bay Scallop Fishery Management Plan:

• Clarify the criteria under which an area may be designated as a Shellfish Management Area, and that the harvest of all shellfish is prohibited in these areas
• Clarify activities that are prohibited in established bed of submerged aquatic vegetation
• Eliminate the December bay scallop harvest season and shorten the January through May harvest season
• Repeal an outdated rule that prohibits soaking bay scallops

Proposed rules regarding eligibility requirements for a Standard Commercial Fishing License:

• Remove application criteria and Eligibility Board meeting dates pertaining to the years 1999 and 2000
• Delete a procedure for a random drawing of applications from the eligibility pool that has yet to be necessary
• Eliminate a requirement that the Eligibility Board meet at least quarterly to review applications
• Relax certain criteria for receiving a Standard Commercial Fishing License

The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in room 306 of the N.C. State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technologies, 303 College Circle, Morehead City, N.C.

Comments also may be submitted to Catherine Blum by mail at P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557, by phone at (252) 808-8013, by fax at (252) 726-0254 or by e-mail to Catherine.blum@ncmail.net. The deadline for submitting comments is Nov. 5.

Complete text of the proposed rules can be found on pages 291 through 294 of the Sept. 4, 2007 N.C. Register on the Office of Administrative Hearings Web site at http://www.oah.state.nc.us/rules/reg...ember42007.pdf.