The Fisheries Management Division carries out current and long-term State policies affecting saltwater fisheries - recreational and commercial in Virginia's tidal waters. The Division's goal is to provide the maximum benefit and long-term use of the Commonwealth's finfish and crustacean resources through conservation and enhancement.
Related LinksAtlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
The Data Management Division monitors Virginia's finfish and shellfish fisheries data and provides this information for management purposes.
Related LinksIndividual Harvester Data Request Form
Online Commercial Fishing Reporting
Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program
NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program
The Age and Growth Lab was established at Old Dominion University (ODU) in 1998, and has been funded by the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program (Wallop-Breaux) and the Virginia Saltwater Recreational License Fund through Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). In the Summer of 2019, the lab moved to the VMRC offices at Ft. Monroe. The lab personnel collect, process, and age several thousands of calcified structures (including otoliths, scales, opercula, and fin spines) from fish annually to help determine age and growth characteristics of fish important in Virginia marine waters.
The lab devotes effort to increasing the efficiency of data collection and the quality of the age and growth data to best use state funds. The ageing and biological data are used by the VMRC, other states, and federal agencies for stock assessment and fisheries management to support sustainable fisheries in Virginia and along the east coast of the United States. As of 2022, the lab has aged more than 96,000 calcified structures of 14 marine finfish species and donated over 51,500 pounds of fresh fish to local non-profit organizations.
