The Nets

I met today with the VMRC Board in their regular public meeting to talk about the problems with nets around the Pier and was impressed with their thorough and serious attention to the matter.

Specifically with regard to the haul-seine nets, there are quite a number of issued permits, most of which are inactive. According to VMRC, the fishermen are fishing withing the rules of their permits, but VMRC does not have jurisdiction over beach access - that belongs to the City of Virginia Beach. The distance they must maintain from the Pier is controlled by State statute, not by the VMRC rules, and so is out of VMRC jurisdiction.

It seems that the net fisherman who was in the news recently had a good summer in 2010 and stirred the interest of additional permit holders who had been inactive prior to the 2011 season. What also seems to have led to increased fishing this season is a policy change by the City staff with regard to vehicle access to the beach, most likely as the unintended consequence of the City's acquisition of easements from the recent sand replenishment efforts. This policy change by the city staff was not open to public comment or debate; it's not known who requested it nor who approved it.

VMRC has agreed to informally ask the fishermen to voluntarily halt fishing on the weekends to give the pier fishermen a chance to catch some fish. There is no guarantee how successful this will be.

If you are a resident of Virginia Beach and would like to weigh in on the matter pro or con, I suggest you contact your City Council borough representative, as well as the at-large members, the Mayor and the Vice-mayor. A list of names and addresses can be found at http://socuteurl.com/goopandaboobers.

If you are not a resident of Virginia Beach, I suggest you contact the Mayor at the address above or the City Manager, whose address can be found at http://socuteurl.com/mykittymuffins.

I know many of you are understandably upset by all this, but in all cases please be brief and polite in your message. For the larger issue of nets in general, the consensus we get from our community of fishermen and neighbors is that the City of Virginia Beach has grown into a community where commercial net fishing has become incompatible with recreational fishing and residential use and it's time to end the noble, traditional pursuit of commercial net fishing in local waters.

State Delegate Chris Stolle has in the past sponsored a bill to end the practice of commercial net fishing in Virginia Beach waters but did not pursue it. Perhaps it's time to give this bill more consideration and open discussion. You can contact him through http://delegatechrisstolle.com/ to express your opinion, pro or con. Again, we ask you to be brief and polite.

It's a big Bay. Big enough for us all to enjoy. Big enough for us all to earn a living if we only work cooperatively. That's our hope.

Hoyt Duff, co-owner
Lynnhaven Pier