The following are the agenda items from the Commission's regular March meeting held Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at Commission headquarters. The Commission's action is in bold.
1. MINUTES of previous meeting. The Commission voted, 8-0, to approve the minutes.
2. PERMITS (Projects over $50,000 with no objections and with staff recommendation for approval). The Commission voted, 8-0, to approve the permits with staff recommendations.
3. CLOSED SESSION: The Commission discussed with counsel two agenda items: #4 and #7.
4. WAYNE SAWYER, #02-2440. Commission consideration of Mr. Sawyer's request to construct a 200-foot long pier, a portion of which includes a 16-foot wide by 75-foot long floating dock, adjacent to his property situated along a cove of Linkhorn Bay in Virginia Beach, and Mr. Sawyer's request for Commission consideration of the Commissioner's direction to initiate the process to establish a private pier line in the cove before final action can be taken on the pier request. Several nearby property owners protest the project. The Commission voted, 8-0, that no private pier line was necessary and upheld the staff recommendation that no permit was necessary for the pier.
5. VOLVO-PENTA PROPERTIES, INC., #03-2365, requests authorization to remove 3,379 square feet of fixed, open-pile pier to be replaced with 4,365 square feet of floating pier, and to install nine (9) mooring piles, reducing the existing 26 slips to 15 slips at the applicant's boat testing facility situated along Chuckatuck Creek in the City of Suffolk. Two adjoining property owners protest the project. The Commission voted, 8-0 to approve the permit.
6. JAMES W. WYNE, ET AL, #03-1113, requests authorization to dredge 748 cubic yards of subaqueous material to create a 600-foot long by 33-foot wide channel with maximum depths of minus six (-6) feet at mean low water into Ewell's Prong of White House Creek in Lancaster County. The sandy material will be removed by clamshell and transported to a previously approved upland site off Route 354 in Bertrand. Two nearby residents protest the project. The Commission voted, 8-0, to approve the permit.
7. JOSEPH M. DUFRESNE, #03-2105, requests authorization to replace an
A-frame, enclosed boat house with a 336 square-foot, open-sided flat roof/deck
with railings and stairs, resulting in platforms at the pier end totaling 830
square feet, at his property situated along Broad Bay in Virginia Beach. The
applicant asked for a deferral until the Commission's May meeting. The
Commission voted, 8-0, to defer.
8. BAY BRIDGE ENTERPRISES, #04-0286, requests after-the-fact authorization
to retain 200 linear feet of bulkhead adjacent to property situated along the
Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake and to dredge 1,407 cubic
yards of material. The Commission voted, 8-0, to approve the permit.
9. CHARLES BROWN, #03-1250, requests after-the-fact authorization to retain a 32-foot long by 18-foot wide private, open-sided boathouse at a previously authorized pier adjacent to property situated along Roberts Creek in Poquoson. The adjacent property owners protest the project. The property owners withdrew their protests. Therefore, the permit can be handled administratively.
10. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None
11. Haul Seine/SAV Interactions: Review of the 2002/2003 database and report from Dr. Bob Orth, VIMS. The Commission approved a budget of $20,533 to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science for continued monitoring of this issue. The money will come from the Recreational Fishing Development Fund and the Marine Improvement Fund.
12. Public Hearing: Proposed amendments to Regulation 4VAC20-950-10 et seq. (black sea bass) and Regulation 4VAC20-910-10 et seq. (scup). The Commission voted, 8-0, to approve modifications to the black sea bass and scup regulations to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Fishery Management Plan.
13. Public Hearing: Proposed amendments to Regulation 4VAC20-620-10 et seq. to establish recreational summer flounder harvest restrictions for 2004. The Commission voted, 6-2, to establish a statewide 17-inch minimum size limit with a 6 fish possession limit with no closed summer season.
14. Blue Crab: Discussion and request for public hearing on regulatory amendments to extend the license sales moratorium, to modify the crab dredge limited entry program, adjust sponge crab restrictions and other issues. The Commission voted, 8-0, to set a public hearing for its April 27th meeting.
15. Discussion on exemptions for limited entry programs: The Commission sent the issue back to the Finfish Management Advisory Committee for further refinement.
16. Black Drum: Requests for limited entry fishery permits. The Commission voted, 8-0, to approve five requests for permit transfers and asked the Finfish Management Advisory Committee to reevaluate the need for a limited entry program for black drum.
NEXT MEETING: April 27, 2004
