§ 28.2-226.1 Recreational gear license required
A. Any person desiring to take or catch finfish or shellfish for recreational purposes in the tidal waters of the Commonwealth using commercial gear authorized under § 28.2-226.2 shall first obtain the appropriate commercial gear license for recreational purposes. A license to use such gear for recreational purposes shall be issued to an individual for his exclusive use and shall not be transferable.
B. All gear licenses issued for recreational purposes shall be so marked.
C. Any person who has obtained a commercial gear license for recreational purposes only shall be exempt from the commercial fishing registration requirements of §§ 28.2-241 and 28.2-242.
D. For purposes of this section and §§ 28.2-226.2 and 28.2-232, “recreational purposes” means finfish or shellfish taken for personal use and not sold, traded, bartered, or given to another in order to be sold, traded, or bartered.
E. Holders of licenses under this section shall report catch and other data as is deemed necessary by the Commission for effective fisheries management.
F. Any person who engages in an activity for which an exemption is provided in § 28.2-226, holds a saltwater recreational fishing license and uses a gear type listed in § 28.2-302.1, or is exempt from the requirements of obtaining a saltwater recreational license pursuant to subdivision A 11 of § 28.2-302.5 shall be exempt from the requirement of obtaining a commercial gear license for recreational purposes.
History
This law was first created in 1993. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 219 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1993 “Acts” aren’t available online. It has been modified 3 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2005, chapter 124; in 2015, chapter 468; in 2018, chapter 118.
1993, c. 219; 2005, c. 124; 2015, c. 468; 2018, c. 118.