Advisory committee recommends phased expansion for blue catfish electrofishing, debates size limits and buffers

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission's Fin Fish Advisory Committee on Feb. 12 discussed staff-proposed changes to commercial blue catfish electrofishing regulations, recommended expanding the fishery's permitted areas and increasing the number of electrofishing licenses, and heard extended public comment on trophy-size protections and buffer zones near shore recreation areas.

Alexa Galvan, VMRC staff, summarized the proposed changes: "Proposed changes include expanding the number of licenses from 3 to 10, expanding areas. This would include adding the Chickahominy River as a separate harvest area and adding the Mattaponi to the area that already includes the Pamunkey," she said, reading the staff proposal.

Staff proposals presented to the committee included: increasing the number of commercial electrofishing licenses, adding the Chickahominy River as a separate harvest area, adding the Mattaponi River to the Pamunkey/Pamunkey-area harvest area, removing the existing maximum-size limit and tolerance for blue catfish taken by electrofishing, and removing eligibility constraints that had limited entry to electrofishing licenses to harvesters with a history of catfish harvest.

The committee heard detailed public comment from charter captains, commercial electrofish operators and recreational anglers. Christian Moore, a charter captain who fishes the James River, asked why a stakeholder work group that had been suggested at the committee's November meeting had not met; staff said the rulemaking timeline (targeting a Feb. 25 commission meeting) meant staff did not form a separate outside committee in the interim.

Recreational angler Olivia addressed the committee about ecological studies and the value of the trophy fishery: "We have to do so from as unbiased of a standpoint as we can," she told the committee, urging that science guide decisions and that larger trophy fish have recreational and economic value for charters, hotels and restaurants.

Committee members debated the size limit for fish taken by electrofishing. Currently VMRC electrofishing rules (as explained at the meeting) allow no blue catfish greater than 25 inches in total length, with a tolerance permitting a limited number between 25 and 28 inches; the staff proposal would remove the maximum-size limit for electrofishing and lift the tolerance. Several public commenters and several committee members urged preserving a measure to protect very large "trophy" fish; others argued removing the maximum would allow commercial harvesters to reduce catfish abundance more effectively.

On licensing and area coverage the committee made specific recommendations and votes: it supported a phased expansion of licensed electrofishing effort by increasing available licenses from three to six in the near term (committee recommendation to the commission), and it supported adding the Chickahominy and the Mattaponi/Pamunkey area to the list of permitted electrofishing harvest areas. Both were forwarded as recommendations to the full commission.

The committee also discussed user-conflict protections. Staff proposed increasing a buffer around certain shore-based uses from 100 yards to 300 yards for public piers and fixed fishing devices and keeping 100 yards for other marked gear types; committee members proposed a narrower approach to avoid excluding large stretches of riverbank where private piers are common. The committee ultimately recommended a compromise buffer approach (motion passed with multiple abstentions): maintain 100 yards for most marked fishing gear, require 300 yards from fixed fishing devices, and add a higher buffer for public commercial campgrounds and public fishing piers (committee recommended 150 yards for those features in the motion recorded). Staff noted it will need to develop clear definitions (for example, what qualifies as a "public fishing pier" versus a private riparian pier) and that enforcement guidance will be part of the rulemaking materials for the commission.

On the maximum-size limit, the committee did not reach a final consensus; a motion to modify the size restriction in alignment with pending state legislation was proposed but did not receive a second. Several commenters described economic importance of larger fish to processors and charters, while others, including some electrofish operators, supported a modest slot limit that would allow a commercial take of marketable-size fish without eliminating the trophy segment.

The committee also recommended that staff move ahead with the package to the commission, with explicit notes on: a phased license expansion (3 to 6 initially, revisited after operational experience), adding the Chickahominy and Mattaponi/Pamunkey areas to permitted harvest areas, and the revised buffer approach to protect public shore-based recreation. Staff told the committee these recommendations and the public record will be included in the commission packet for the Feb. 25 meeting.

Ending: The VMRC commissioners will receive the committee recommendations and public comments at their Feb. 25 meeting and will make the final decisions on rule text and licensing details.