4VAC20-720-70: Gear restrictions

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to harvest oysters in the James River Seed Area, including the Deep Water Shoal State Replenishment Seed Area, except by hand tong. It shall be unlawful for any person to have a hand scrape or oyster dredge on board a boat that is harvesting or attempting to harvest oysters from public grounds by hand tong. When used in catching of seed oysters, hand tongs shall be operated entirely by hand from the surface of the water and have no external or internal power source. When used in catching clean cull oysters, hand tongs may use power to assist lifting the tongs with a single lifting cable or rope attached at only a single point on one shaft of the tongs.

B. It shall be unlawful to harvest oysters by any gear from the seaside of the Eastern Shore except by hand or hand tong. It shall be unlawful to harvest oysters that are not submerged at mean low water by any gear other than by hand.

C. It shall be unlawful for any person to have more than one hand scrape on board the vessel while the person is harvesting oysters or attempting to harvest oysters from public grounds. It shall be unlawful for any person to have a hand tong on board the vessel while the person is harvesting or attempting to harvest oysters from public grounds by hand scrape.