THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603280348
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
Fifteen days after it opened, the hook-and-line spring season for striped bass will close in the Albemarle Sound Management Area at sunset on Sunday.
Bruce Freeman, director of the Division of Marine Fisheries, announced the season closure after determining the recreational harvest quota of 14,500 pounds of striped bass will be reached by that date.
Under rules of the season that opened March 16, anglers were allowed to keep three stripers of at least 18 inches a day on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.
Many fishermen easily caught their limit, with one of the hottest spots being the bridge between Roanoke Island and Manns Harbor, over the Croatan Sound.
If the weather is decent, hordes of fishermen are expected to troll and cast along the bridge for the popular gamefish.
The harvest quota is part of a state management plan to conserve and restore the striped bass fishery.
The Albemarle Sound Management area includes the Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan and Roanoke sounds and their inland and joint water tributaries, except for the Roanoke, Eastmost, Middle and Cashie rivers.
For more information, contact Harrel B. Johnson, District Manager, Northern Regional Office, 1367 Route 17 South, Elizabeth City, N.C. 27909, or call (800) 338-7805 or (919) 264-3911. by CNB