Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Advisory committee tables proposal to move dark‑sponge rule from June 15 to June 1 pending more data
Summary
Advisory committee members debated shifting the start date of the 'dark sponge' protection from June 15 to June 1 but substituted a motion to table the change so staff can supply additional analysis and fit the change into the commission's regulatory timeline.
The Marine Resources Commission’s CMAQ advisory committee debated whether to change the start date of the state’s "dark sponge" rule for blue crabs, but members ultimately agreed to pause final action pending further staff analysis.
Speaker 8 reopened a May agenda item and presented juvenile trawl survey data from VIMS showing that brown and black sponge-bearing females are largely concentrated in the main stem, with tributaries showing fewer sponge-bearing crabs. Based on those survey results, staff proposed ending the dark‑sponge law when sanctuaries close, or alternatively setting a June 1 start date instead of the current June 15.
Co…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
