Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 02, November 27, 2024
(1) Bait Fishery Defined; Fishery
Restrictions: An experimental offshore bait purse seine fishery in Alabama's
territorial waters of the Gulf of Mexico for schooling, pelagic fish species
(listed in paragraph (c) hereof) to be marketed exclusively as bait is herein
authorized. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to use a
bait purse seine in Alabama's territorial waters of the Gulf of Mexico except
as follows:
(a) Gear Specifications: Purse
seines utilized in taking or attempting to take bait fish species in the
offshore territorial waters of the State of Alabama must b constructed entirely
of one-half (1/2) inch knot to knot mesh webbing. This gear will be referred to
in this rule as a "bait purse seine." The use of any purse seine in this bait
fishery constructed of webbing sized other than as provided herein is illegal,
and the possession on board in the waters of Alabama of a bait purse seine in
which the webbing is sized other than as specified in this rule is
prohibited.
(b) Waters Open to the
Fishery: The taking of finfish species as bait by bait purse seine shall be
permitted in all of Alabama's territorial waters of the Gulf of Mexico south of
a line one-fourth (1/4) mile from the shoreline, including Pelican/Sand Island,
seaward to a distance of three (3) miles from shore. These waters shall be open
Monday through Friday except on state or national holidays. It shall be
unlawful to take or attempt to take bait species using a bait purse seine in
any inside waters of the State of Alabama defined by Rule
220-3-.04(1) or
in Pelican Bay (described as those waters encompassed by a line running south
from Mobile Point Light at Fort Morgan to Sand Island Tower (Lighthouse), then
northwesterly along the contour of Sand/Pelican Island, and then from the west
end of Pelican Island to the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board pier, then
east along the shoreline of Dauphin Island to the most southeastern tip of
Dauphin Island and from this point southeastwardly across the mouth of Mobile
Bay to Mobile Point Light at Fort Morgan).
(c) Species Restrictions. A bait purse seine
may lawfully be used for taking or attempting to take only the following fishes
to be market expressly as bait:
Round scad Decapterus punctatus
Round scad Trachurus lathami
Bigeye scad Selar crumenopthalmus
Chub mackerel Scomber japonicus
Ladyfish Elops saurus
Blue runner Caranx crysos
(d) License Requirement: The operator of any
vessel upon which a bait purse seine is possessed must hold a valid Alabama
purse seine license.
(e) Observer
Requirement: Any vessel upon which a bait purse seine is possessed must have a
bona fide fishery observer on board or comply with reporting requirements as
determined by criteria established by the Director, ADCNR/Marine Resources
Division when such vessel is away from port and on the fishing
grounds.
(f) Landing Requirement:
All fish taken as bait by bait purse seine in Alabama waters by a duly licensed
bait purse seine vessel must be landed in the State of Alabama.
(g) Reporting Protocol: Each bait purse seine
vessel operator must submit reports in standardized form detailing catch,
fishing conditions, and fishing equipment by individual fishing trip to the
ADCNR/Marine Resources Division at weekly intervals. Reports will be submitted
each Tuesday, detailing fishing activities for the previous Monday through
Friday fishing week.
(h) The bait
purse seining activities conducted pursuant to this rule shall not be construed
as purse seining for the purpose of Section
9-12-115.1,
Code of
Ala. 1975.
(2) By-catch Restrictions. It shall be
unlawful in the territorial waters of Alabama to retain or possess any duly
designated "game fish" on board any vessel upon which at bait purse seine is
concurrently possessed. By-catch allowances for species other than gamefish
expressed as a percentage of targeted catch will be deferred until such time as
representative biological and catch data can be compiled. Data regarding
allowable by-catch (non-gamefish) will be compiled on a per trip
basis.
(3) Closure Provisions: Due
to the novelty of this fishery, and a subsequent lack of data regarding its
prosecution in the territorial waters of Alabama, this bait fishery shall be
subject to immediate closure and/or reopening upon order of the Director,
ADCNR/Marine Resources Division. Entry into the fishery may be limited, or
annual, species-specific quotas may be developed as fishery data become
available.
Author: Riley Boykin Smith