Delaware/Maryland and Virginia Atlantic Sturgeon Bycatch Reduction Areas
Spiny dogfish vessels fishing with gillnets in the Sturgeon Bycatch Reduction Areas are subject to gear restrictions described below. These restrictions are intended to reduce bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the federal gillnet fishery for spiny dogfish.
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Area
These areas (as seen above) is defined by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated below:
| Delaware and Maryland Atlantic Sturgeon Bycatch Reduction Area | |
|---|---|
| N lat. | W long. |
| 38°27’ | 75°60′ |
| 38°21′ | 74°48′ |
| 37°30′ | 75°12′ |
| 37°48′ | 75°30′ |
| 38°27’ | 75°60′ |
| Virginia Atlantic Sturgeon Bycatch Reduction Area | |
|---|---|
| N lat. | W long. |
| 37°18’ | 75°54′ |
| 36°48′ | 75°36′ |
| 36°33′ | 75°51′ |
| 36°54′ | 76°6′ |
| 37°18’ | 75°54′ |
Overnight Soak Prohibition
Season: November 1 through March 31
Vessels issued a Federal spiny dogfish permit must remove roundfish gillnet gear with mesh size equal or greater than 5.25 inches and less than 10 inches from within these areas from 8:00 PM Eastern Time each day through 5:00 am the following day.