VIRGINIA NOW HAS SALTWATER FISHING LICENSE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 3, 1993                   TAG: 9301040289
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR   (staff)
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
VIRGINIA NOW HAS SALTWATER FISHING LICENSE
If you plan to fish for blues in the Reedville area, go after black drum off Cape Charles or cast for trout along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, you'll need a saltwater fishing license this season.
On Jan. 1, Virginia became one of about 10 states that require such a license. It will apply to the Chesapeake Bay and certain tidal portions of its tributaries. The license will not be necessary for ocean fishing or for along the Eastern Shore seaside.
The basic annual fee will be $7.50 for both residents and non-residents, and will be required of anglers ages 16 to 65. A 10-day license sells for $5. Anglers will be able to purchase the license from agents who sell freshwater fishing and hunting licenses, which means they will be available throughout the state.
Charter boats, headboats, boat liveries and fishing piers can be covered under a special blanket rate; therefore, an angler using such services won't be required to purchase a license of his own. Recreational boat owners also can purchase a license that covers everyone aboard their craft. The annual fee is $30 for boats under 27 feet; $60 for larger boats.
Approved by the 1992 General Assembly amid considerable controversy, it is uncertain how much revenue the license will raise. Estimates are that it will generate $2-million annually for projects to improve saltwater sport fishing.
"We just don't know how many recreational fishermen are out there," said Jack Travelstead of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Nine people have been named as members of the Virginia Recreational Fishing Advisory Board, created to advise the commission on how license funds should be spent. Ann L. Lawson of Troutville is the only member from west of Interstate 95.
Lawson said she has fished for mountain trout, but is not a saltwater angler.
"I will work more like a person on jury duty," she said, explaining that she plans to give careful consideration to data presented to the panel. The fact that she lives near the headwaters of the James River may have had something to do with her assignment, she said. Attention is expected to be given to the re-establishment of anadromous species - such as the American shad - which have been driven from their historical habitat by dams, pollutions and other factors.
Both freshwater and saltwater fishing regulations have been combined in a booklet available at license agents. The booklet includes information on the freshwater-saltwater boundaries of Virginia's major rivers, including the James, Potomac and Rappahannock.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB