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NOTICE
2012
Limited Entry Drawing Winners
Hook & Line
Dina Hendrickson – Woodbridge, VA
Gill Net
Timothy James Trivett – Colonial Beach, VA
November 2, 2011
THE FOLLOWING LIMITED ENTRY PRFC
COMMERCIAL LICENSES ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS YEAR’S RANDOM LICENSE DRAWING:
One Commercial Hook and Line
One Commercial Gill Net
THE PUBLIC RANDOM LICENSE DRAWING
WILL TAKE PLACE ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012, AT NOON.
Registration Details are available by
calling (804) 224-7148 or (800) 266-3904
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
Office location: 222 Taylor Street, Colonial Beach, VA 22443
Mailing address: P.R.F.C., P O Box 9, Colonial Beach, VA 22443
- EACH RANDOM LICENSE DRAWING TICKET
COSTS $25.00 (non-refundable).
- Tickets may be purchased at the
Potomac River Fisheries Commission Office during regular office hours 8:30
AM – 4:30 PM, Monday thru Friday (closed legal holidays) or by mail from
November 2, 2011 to January 27, 2012.
- Mailed registration for the random
license drawing ticket must be received in the office by Friday, January 29,
2011 by 4:30 PM. Postmarked mail is not honored if it is not in the office
by 4:30 PM on Tuesday, January 31, 2012.
- The registration application must
include the person’s name, address and a non-refundable $25.00 fee. No
person may register more than once per year per fishery and the registration
shall be for that year’s random drawing only.
- A person is allowed to have only
one PRFC Commercial Hook and Line license.
- Commercial licenses are only issued
to persons who are at least 14 (fourteen) years of age.
- Licenses obtained by random
drawing are non-transferable for 5 (five) years.
- Notice of being selected will be
mailed, first class postage, to the persons selected at the address shown on
their registration forms.
- The selected persons will be given
the opportunity to purchase the subject license(s) for the balance of the
year.
- Failure to obtain said license(s)
by March 31st will result in forfeiture of the license(s),
thereby making it (them) available for the next year’s drawing.
Potomac River Fisheries Commission’s
New Oyster Revitalization Plan
September 19, 2011
Under direction from the Commission, the Blue Ribbon Oyster Panel developed a
Revitalization Plan for the Potomac River public oyster fishery as a means of
“jump starting” the oyster resource in the river. The Panel was directed to
develop a “put - and – take” public oyster fishery that would be
self-sustaining. All of the commercial license holders in the Potomac will be
investing in the future health of the resources in the river. Funding for this
Revitalization Plan would come from the new Commercial License Registration fee,
oyster license fees, the new oyster surcharge fee, oyster taxes, money set aside
by the Commission for oyster repletion, and public/private sponsorships from
businesses along the Potomac and citizens who are passionate about restoring the
oyster resource and traditional way of life on the river. The Blue Ribbon Oyster
Panel visualized replenishment of the oyster fishery in three phases: (1)
rotational planting of triploid oyster seed (a put-and-take public oyster
fishery) on the oyster management reserve areas; (2) planting of diploid seed on
other productive oyster bars; and (3) planting diploid seed on sanctuary areas
to protect brood stock.
Phase 1 - Oyster Management Reserve Program and Surcharge Fee
The Commission designated Cobb Island Bar and Ragged Point Bar as Oyster
Management Reserve Areas and closed them to the harvest of oysters as of January
1, 2011. The Oyster Management Reserve Program will start with the purchase of
5,000 bushels of triploid spat on shell, planted in the spring of 2012 (2,500 bu
/ 5-acre plot) on each of the management reserve areas. The second planting of
5,000 bushels will occur in the spring of 2013, and the third planting will
occur in the spring of 2014. The first harvest would take place in 2014 from the
first planting. This rotational harvest plan would continue in this pattern.
Only hand scrapes will be used to harvest these oysters. The goal is to produce
about 10,000 bushels of market oysters per year initially, and to harvest when
the market price is best. Participation in the Oyster Management Reserve Program
requires the purchase of a hand scrape license (either personal or vessel) and
payment of the $300 oyster surcharge for three consecutive years.
A model has been developed to help illustrate this Oyster Management Reserve
Program (available from the PRFC office) and it takes into account a certain
amount of planting mortality and natural mortality. There are no guarantees that
there will be 10,000 bushels available to harvest during the third and
subsequent years, but there could be. As most of the watermen are aware, there
are risks in the oyster fishery such as predation by cow nose rays, freshets,
illegal harvest and weather events that could wipe out or severely limit
survival of the oysters. Members of the Blue Ribbon Oyster Panel support this
program and feel that is the best direction to take to get the public oyster
fishery back on track. In order for this Management Reserve Program to be
self-sustaining, it will need at least 35 people initially to participate
(purchase hand scrape license and pay surcharge fee for three consecutive
years). In the event that less than 35 people choose to participate in the
Management Reserve Program this year, the program will be cancelled and the
money will be directed to the replenishment program with diploid seed on other
oyster bars in the river.
Phase 2 – Oyster Replenishment
Oyster license fees and surcharge fees collected from tongers and oyster buyers
will be directed to oyster replenishment using diploid seed on oyster bars in
the hand tong area of the river. In addition, public and private sponsorships
will be encouraged to help finance this replenishment program.
Public/Private Sponsorship Program for Revitalization of the Oyster Fishery
Important stakeholders who conduct business either on or adjacent to the Potomac
River are being contacted to participate in helping to revitalize the Potomac
River public oyster fishery by sponsoring part of the oyster replenishment
program. The Potomac River Fisheries Commission is interested in planting native
oyster seed on some of the historically productive oyster bars to help “jump
start” the oyster population, as one phase of the replenishment program. These
oyster bars will be carefully managed and monitored, and the public oyster
fishery will be conducted under a controlled plan. Harvesting oysters has been a
traditional way of life for the watermen and the stakeholder’s participation
will help preserve and continue it; however the traditional public fishery is
undergoing change. Now watermen will be sharing in the investment for the
revitalization of the resource and their future fishery as well.
We anticipate that this program will involve the corporate sponsorship of
several stakeholders and it may also include service sponsors such as marinas,
restaurants, seafood dealers and any business along the Potomac River, as well
as private citizen sponsors who are passionate about the river and want to
preserve our public oyster fishery as a traditional way of life on the river.
There may be graduated levels of sponsorship. Participation in this program
should draw positive publicity to the region and be considered as an example of
cooperative effort and community support.
Phase 3 – Sanctuary Areas
This phase of the Revitalization Plan entails planting diploid seed on sanctuary
areas in the river to protect oyster brood stock. Funding for this phase of the
plan may come from some of the public/private sponsorships; however this is
still in the developmental stage.
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
“Oyster Gardening” Policy
Adopted March, 11, 2011
The Potomac River Fisheries Commission, having
determined that there is a public interest in “Oyster Gardening” in the Potomac
River for educational and environmental purposes, and having found oyster
gardening in floats located under private or public piers in the Potomac would
be in the public interest, and recognizing that both Maryland and Virginia allow
the practice.
Now Therefore, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission recommends that persons
desiring to raise oysters in floats under piers on the Maryland shore follow the
MD Department of Natural Resources’ and the MD Department of the Environment’ s
guidelines, and for piers on the Virginia shore they follow the VA Marine
Resources Commission’s and the VA Department of Health’s guidelines.
The Potomac River Fisheries Commission further recognizes that oysters grown in
near shore waters have the potential to be adversely impacted by elevated levels
of coliform, and therefore, are NOT intended and should NOT be used for human
consumption. All live oysters grown in the Potomac River, under piers as part of
an oyster gardening project, should at the end of the project, be transplanted
to either a designated oyster sanctuary area or a suitable natural oyster bar in
the Potomac.
2011
Limited Entry Drawing Winners
Hook & Line
Jim Moser – Dumfries, VA
John Bond, Jr. – Brandywine, MD
Gill Net
Robert Boarman – Newburg, MD
REWARD FOR LIVE STURGEON
The reward program for sturgeon is ongoing and will continue
as long as funds are available for monetary rewards. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service & Maryland Department of Natural Resources are offering monetary rewards
for Atlantic sturgeon captured in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries. The reward program will operate from October 1 through May 31.
For Additional Information
Click
Here
O R D E R #2009-06
(replaces #2007-09)
VIRGINIA
MARINE INSTITUTE of MARINE SCIENCE (VIMS) &
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT of
NATURAL RESOURCES (MD DNR)
STRIPED BASS TAGGING STUDY 
THE POTOMAC RIVER FISHERIES COMMISSION, having
determined the VIMS and the MD DNR tagging study to assess the effects of
mycobacteriosis on the health of striped bass is very important and wishing to
help further the study,
a)
the season and size limits as may be
set from time to time by Commission Orders.
b)
the recreational possession limits as
may be set from time to time by Commission Orders, and
c)
the commercial tagging requirements of
Reg. III, Sec. 10(b).
Provided, however, these fish are kept on ice and VIMS or MD
DNR is contacted as soon as feasible. Under no circumstances shall any such VIMS
or MD DNR tagged striped bass be stored for future use or sale or delivered to
any person except a VIMS or MD DNR authorized representative.
AND, IT IS FURTHER DECLARED AND ORDERED: That this
Order #2009-06 shall become effective April 6, 2009, shall supersede and repeal
Order #2007-09 and remain in effect through
December 31, 2010.
For additional information
Click Here
Northern Snakehead
Recently, a non-native air breathing freshwater fish known as a Snakehead has
generated national media attention as the latest invasive species to threaten
native fish and wildlife resources and the economic sectors that depend on them.
For Additional
Information on the Northern Snakehead
Click Here
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