Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact; withdrawal from compact.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details about the impact on fishermen and fishing industries in Virginia.

Virginia Leaving a Fishing Agreement

This bill removes Virginia's membership in an agreement called the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact and sets deadlines for leaving the group.

What This Bill Does

• Removes authorization for the Commonwealth of Virginia to be part of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact.
• Requires the Marine Resources Commission to notify other states that Virginia will leave the Compact by July 31, 2026.
• Directs the Marine Resources Commission to complete all actions necessary for withdrawal from the Compact no later than July 1, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Commonwealth of Virginia
• Other states in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact

Terms To Know

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact

An agreement among East Coast states to manage fish populations together.

Marine Resources Commission

A group that manages marine resources in Virginia, including fishing regulations.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens after July 1, 2027.
• It is unclear how other states will respond to Virginia's withdrawal from the Compact.

Official Summary Text

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact; withdrawal.
Removes authorization for the Commonwealth's membership in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact. The bill directs the Marine Resources Commission, on or after February 1, 2027, to take all actions necessary and appropriate to effectuate the Commonwealth's renunciation of and withdrawal from the Compact and to complete such actions no later than July 1, 2027. The bill also directs the Commission, no later than July 31, 2026, to provide written notice to all states that are a party to the Compact that the Commonwealth intends to renounce and withdraw from the Compact. Finally, the bill removes from the Menhaden Management Advisory Committee the Virginia appointee to the Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to amend and reenact §
28.2-208.2
of the Code of Virginia and to repeal Article 1 (§
28.2-1000
) of Chapter 10 of Title 28.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact; withdrawal.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
28.2-208.2
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§
28.2-208.2
. Menhaden Management Advisory Committee established.

The Commissioner shall establish a Menhaden Management Advisory Committee (the Committee) to provide guidance to the Commission on the sustainable management of the menhaden resource and harvest of the bait and reduction fisheries in the waters of the Commonwealth, including the Chesapeake Bay. The Committee shall consist of not more than 12 nonlegislative citizen members who shall be residents of the Commonwealth with knowledge of the menhaden resource, to be appointed by the Commissioner, including one representative of the menhaden reduction fishery, one representative of the menhaden bait fishery, one representative of a labor organization involved in the menhaden fishery, one recreational angler, one member of a Virginia-based conservation organization,
and
one representative of the sportfishing industry
, and the Virginia appointee to the Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
.

2. That Article 1 (§
28.2-1000
) of Chapter 10 of Title 28.2 of the Code of Virginia is repealed.

3. That the Marine Resources Commission shall, no later than July 31, 2026, provide written notice to all states that are a party to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact (the Compact) that the Commonwealth intends to renounce and withdraw from the Compact as provided for in Article XII of §
28.2-1000
of the Code of Virginia, as repealed by this act.

4. That the Marine Resources Commission shall, on or after February 1, 2027, take all actions necessary and appropriate to effectuate the Commonwealth's renunciation of and withdrawal from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact pursuant to the second enactment of this act and shall complete such actions no later than July 1, 2027.