Pound net notice off of Dividing Creek

[Tom Powers]

November 12, 2009: Notice is hereby given that Thomas Moore of Heathsville, Virginia has applied to the Marine Resources Commission to license and locate a pound net in Chesapeake Bay, approximately 3200 yards north of Dividing Creek, bearing 3488 True, in a water depth of 17 feet, at N 37° 44’ 46” W. latitude and W. 76° 17’ 33” longitude. The net is proposed to be 1200 feet in length.

Send comments/inquiries within 30 days of the date a notice is posted to: Marine Resources Commission, Fisheries Management Division, 2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Newport News, Virginia 23607.

You can also email to:

Jack Travelstead

Jack.Travelstead@mrc.virginia.gov

[dell30rb]

what exactly is a pound net, and can I run over it? is it one of those fish traps that stick out of the water

[Diamond Reef]

out of the water no running over. where is it going close to dividing creek

[Tom Powers]

If you go to this web site.

NOAA (http://demo.geogarage.com/noaa/)

and use 37d 44.7666mN 76d 17.55mW

Zoom into the area of interest. The lat/long of the cursor in the middle of the screen is shown in the bottom right hand corner. I am not sure which end of the net is indicated by the Lat. Long. but it looks like that would be the head of the net if most of the net is going to be in 17 feet of water like the notice says. If which end is which is important to you, contact Jack and ask.

Anyway the coordinates are on the other side of the 17 foot "deep" water and is about 1 1/2 miles off of Ingram's cove.

Wasn't there a net approved just south of that last year off of Hughlett Point? If so you could be doing some dodging and weaving up in that area soon.

Oh and pound nets are the long nets that are strung between poles about 25 feet apart. Running over one is not the problem. Running into it after dark or being in a sailboat that is pushed by winds and tides conspiring against you is a problem.

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/fsb/Images/MainPage/nets9.jpg

Tom

[jwas1]

Deja vu all over again. In my sailboat racing days, we hit a pound net in 42ft off Dividing Creek one night. I had not seen nets in water that deep before or since. We had to cut our way out (35ft boat) which was bad for the waterman but if he had a light on the net we probably would not have hit it. Hopefully, the reappearance of pound nets is a sign the Bay's fisheries are improving.