Title 28.2, Fisheries and Habitat of the Tidal Waters

A. It is unlawful for any person to use the following nets: 1. A pound net or a mullet gill net that is less than 200 yards long having a smaller mesh than two inches, stretched measure, after having been tarred; 2. A haul seine longer than 1,000 yards and if over 200 yards long …

It is unlawful for any person to use any snatch hook, grab hook or gang hook for the purpose of taking or catching fish in the Rappahannock River below the Downing Bridge at Tappahannock between January 1 and March 15. Nothing in this section shall apply to any licensed fixed fis…

A. It is unlawful for any person to use a single fixed fishing device having a total length greater than 1,200 feet. Clear and unobstructed intervals of at least 200 feet shall be maintained between successive fishing structures in the same row, and adjoining rows of fishing stru…

From the Friday immediately preceding Memorial Day through September 15 of each year, gill net operators along the southern oceanfront boundary of the United States Dam Neck Military Base south to the North Carolina border shall maintain unimpeded breaks of 500 feet between adjac…

A. It is unlawful to set or fish any net or nets across any river, bay, estuary, creek, or inlet which are longer than one-fourth the width of the body of water from mean low water to mean low water at the point where the net or nets are set or fished. B. It is unlawful to set or…

It shall be unlawful to set a fish trotline on the ocean side of the Counties of Accomack and Northampton. The Commission officers may seize any fish trotline set in such an area. A violation of this section is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

It is unlawful for any person to take or catch fish, shellfish, or marine organisms, on or within 500 yards below the Chickahominy Dam at Walker's, on the Chickahominy River, other than with rod and line or hand line. A violation of this section is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

It is unlawful for any person to use any haul seine (i) within 100 yards of mean low-water mark or 3 feet of water in depth at mean low water, whichever is closer to the shore, or (ii) over any oyster ground held under lease from the Commonwealth and marked as required by law in …

A. It is unlawful to capture or kill any fish, shellfish, or marine organisms by means of explosives, drugs, or poisons in any waters of the Commonwealth or in any waters under its jurisdiction. B. It is unlawful to possess, sell, or offer to sell, within the Commonwealth, any fi…

A. It is unlawful for any person (i) to take or catch fish, shellfish, or marine organisms with a trawl net, drag net, or similar device drawn through the waters by a vessel, boat, or other craft or (ii) to buy, sell, or offer for sale any fish taken or caught in the waters of th…

It is unlawful for any vessel, boat or other craft equipped for trawling and having a trawl net on board to be licensed for any other net or fishing device. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Any vessel, boat, or other craft found in the waters of the Commonwealth, or in the waters under the joint jurisdiction of the Commonwealth, equipped for trawling and having a trawling net, drag net, or a similar device aboard with fresh or live fish on deck or in any portion of …

Nothing in this article shall prohibit (i) the use of trawl nets to catch fish outside the territorial limits of Virginia or (ii) the transport of such fish into Virginia ports for sale.

Any net, pot, or other fishing device or gear used in violation of any of the provisions of this article shall be seized and forfeited to the Commonwealth. The forfeiture shall be enforced as provided in Chapter 22.1 (§ 19.2-386.1 et seq.) of Title 19.2. The officer or other pers…

Except in areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Wildlife Resources and as provided in § 28.2-302.5, a person shall not take or catch fish with rod and reel, hand line, by spearing or gigging, with a cast net, with a dip net, or by using up to two eel pots in the tidal…

A. Any resident who is permanently and totally disabled, as defined in § 58.1-3217, who applies for a special lifetime saltwater recreational fishing license shall receive such a license for a fee of five dollars or as subsequently revised by the Commission pursuant to § 28.2-201…

A. Any resident or nonresident individual may apply for and receive from the Commission a lifetime saltwater recreational fishing license after payment of a fee of $250, except as provided in subsection C. This license shall be valid for the life of the individual and shall not b…

The Commission shall establish the Fisherman Identification Program, which shall be consistent with the National Saltwater Angler Registry Program. Those persons who purchase a license under this article shall not be required to register with the Fisherman Identification Program.

A. The annual fee for the saltwater recreational fishing license shall be seven dollars and fifty cents or as subsequently revised by the Commission pursuant to § 28.2-201. Agents of the Commission shall retain the agent's fee established by the Board of Wildlife Resources pursua…

A. Residents and nonresidents of the Commonwealth may obtain: 1. A special combined sportfishing license to fish in all inland waters and the tidal waters of the Commonwealth during the open season. For residents, this license shall be in lieu of the state resident freshwater fis…

There is hereby established a special, nonreverting fund in the state treasury to be known as the Virginia Saltwater Recreational Fishing Development Fund, hereafter referred to as the Fund. The interest earned on the principal of the Fund also shall not revert to the general fun…

A. There is hereby established the Virginia Recreational Fishing Advisory Board, which shall hereinafter be known as the Board. The Board shall advise the Commission in the expenditure of moneys received in the Fund. B. The Board shall consist of nine members selected from a list…

A. The following persons shall be exempt from the requirements of obtaining a saltwater recreational fishing license as set forth in § 28.2-302.1: 1. A person under the age of 16 or a person who has attained the age of 65. 2. A person fishing from private real property that he ow…

A. The Commission shall provide for issuance of a temporary saltwater recreational fishing license, which shall be valid for a stated period of time not to exceed ten consecutive days. The fee for the temporary license shall be five dollars or as subsequently revised by the Commi…

A. The owner or operator of a recreational boat used for saltwater recreational fishing shall have the option of purchasing a saltwater recreational fishing license which covers his passengers and himself to meet the licensing requirements set forth in § 28.2-302.1. The cost of t…

The Commission shall provide for the reissuance of a saltwater recreational fishing license to a person who holds a valid license for a recreational boat issued pursuant to § 28.2-302.7 and who owns or operates another recreational boat. The cost of reissuing a license shall be f…

A. The Commission may establish the sale of a fishing guide license. If established, such fishing guide license shall be required for each charterboat and headboat captain. The Commission may limit the sale of such licenses when deemed necessary by the Commission for effective fi…

A. The owner of a commercial fishing pier, as defined in § 28.2-302, shall have the option of purchasing a saltwater recreational fishing license, covering his customers, in order to meet the licensing requirements set forth in § 28.2-302.1. The cost of the license shall be $450.…