PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE REGULATIONS

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE REGULATIONS
of the
POTOMAC RIVER FISHERIES COMMISSION
March 9, 2023
Pursuant to the Potomac River Compact of 1958, as duly enacted into law by the General Assemblies of the States of Maryland and Virginia and duly ratified by the Congress of the United
States of America, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission hereby proposes to amend and/
or adopt regulations as follows, so as:
Amend Reg. I, Sec. 5(d)(8) Reduction of License Fees – amend language from
“a single boat or vessel used by the licensee…” to “a natural person using a
license to…”
2.
Amend Reg. I, Sec. 2(u) Charter Boat Captain – amend language to include
“Whenever a vessel is used to carry fee paying passengers, they must fly the pennant
that was issued with their Charter Boat Captains license”.
3.
Repeal Reg. VI, Sec. 5(d) Recreational Striped Bass Permit – Repeal
4.
Repeal Reg. VI, Sec. 5(e) - Barbless Hooks Required – Repeal
5.
Amend Reg. I, Sec. 2(g)(1) – Oyster Buyer Registration Fee – remove the words
“registration” and amend to “license”. Enables Reg. I, Sec. 2 – Commercial License
Registration and oyster buyers would pay the CLR fee.
6.
Amend Reg. II, Sec. 2(a) (4) Closed Areas for Hand Scraping / Hand Tonging- move
line to Swan Pt across to Bluff Pt.
7.
Amend Reg. I, Sec. 2(d)(5) CP ID Tags/Decals Fee and Replacement – to set fee
by order
8.
Amend Reg. VI, Sec. 4(a), 4(b), 4(c), 4(d), and 4(e) (Sport Crabbing) – to limit
free sport crabbing to only private landowners and change the existing sport crabbing
boat license to a sport crabbing individual license
9.
Amend Reg. VII, Sec. 2(a)(1) - Size limits – allow minimum size to be set by order
10.
Adopt Reg. VIII, Sec. 4(f) - Establishing an OMR Administrative Fee
11.
So as to propose new commercial license fees under Reg. I, Sec. 2 – License Fees
as follows: PN - $200, GN - $75, HS - $200, FN - $75, FTL - $75, FP - $100, EP - $150, BP
- $100, HL - $100, CBC - $100, Crab Dip Nets & Trot Lines - $100, PT - $50, CP–300 - $200,
CP-400 – $300, CP-500 – $400, Oyster Tonger - $150, “OT” Tags for boat - $50, P.A. Hand
Tongs - $100, HSV - $300, HS Ind. - $225, Registered Oyster Buyer - $75 and Clam Dredge $375.
1.

NOTICE OF HEARING
March 9, 2023
Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing will be held by the Potomac River Fisheries Commission on adoption of the foregoing proposed regulations or
amendments to the regulations of the Commission on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. in
the John Thomas Parran Hearing Room of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission Building,
222 Taylor Street, Colonial Beach, Virginia. The precise text of the proposed amendments is
available at the Commission office or by calling (804) 224-7148 or visiting our website – www.
prfc.us.