RICHMOND, Va. — January 17, 2013 — Friday, January 18, is the final day for legislators to file bills and joint resolutions for consideration during the 2013 General Assembly session. All bills and joint resolutions must be filed by 3 p.m.
Among bills filed last week, Del. R. Lee Ware Jr. of Powhatan filed legislation to establish a total allowable catch for menhaden landed in Virginia by the reduction and other menhaden fisheries.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, where it was assigned to the Chesapeake subcommittee. Del. Ware is a member of both.
According to the House Bill 1840 summary, the annual menhaden harvest cap in the Chesapeake Bay for the reduction fishery would be reduced from 109,020 to 87,216 metric tons. The reduction fishery includes those vessels that harvest menhaden for the purpose of manufacturing 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 would be 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% of which can come from the reduction fishery with all other menhaden fisheries authorized to land 20% of the allowable catch.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission would be 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 tons to all vessels harvesting for reduction purposes, regardless of size.