4VAC20-490-30: Commercial gear restrictions

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set, or fish any longline in Virginia's tidal waters.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, set, or fish any shark shortline in Virginia's tidal waters with more than 50 hooks. All hooks must be corrodible circle hooks. In addition, any person aboard a vessel fishing shortlines must practice the protocols and possess the federally required release equipment, for pelagic and bottom longlines, for the safe handling, release and disentanglement of sea turtles and other nontarget species; all captain and vessel owners must be certified in using handling and release equipment.

C. It shall be unlawful for a person to possess more than two shark shortlines on board a vessel.

D. It shall be unlawful for any person fishing for commercial purposes to possess any shark caught by means other than permitted commercial gear.

E. Any person fishing commercially for sharks shall check all large mesh gill nets at least once every two hours.