Commissioner’s Message

Welcome to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.  We serve as stewards of the Commonwealth’s marine and aquatic resources, and protectors of its tidal waters and homelands, for present and future generations.

We manage saltwater fishing, both recreational and commercial.  We work to create and maintain sustainable fisheries for the benefit of all anglers and the ecosystem.

We also manage water bottoms in public trust for the citizens of the Commonwealth.  Our Habitat Management Division works with those who wish to use them for piers or water-dependent projects.

Our Law Enforcement Division, the Virginia Marine Police, patrols the waterways to enforce the regulations and to assist citizens in need.

We take our duties seriously, striving always to serve the public in a professional, responsive and responsible way.

Please join us as protectors of our critical natural resources so that they remain for our children and grandchildren to enjoy them as we do.

Important Links

Agency News

February 26, 2016:  2016 Final specifications and opening notice for Virginia's offshore summer flounder fishery. [Notice]

February 25, 2016: Upcoming date changes for 2016 Cobia season. [Updated News on Cobia]

February 23, 2016:  The Virginia Marine Resources Commission today froze the issuance of new oyster gear licenses and expressed its support for establishing a limited public oyster fishery later this year. The Commission instructed staff to work with the shellfish advisory committee to consider options to reduce participation in this fishery. The number of participants in the public oyster fishery has grown substantially over the past three years and the stock is not large enough to support all the people who want to make a living harvesting oysters. In other action, the Commission revoked the fishing licenses and tidal fishing privileges of four individuals who were convicted in court of serious oyster violations. [Meeting Summary]

February 19, 2016:  A new federal law regarding the inspection of both farmed and wild-caught catfish will go into effect on March 1, 2016. Filed under the name “Mandatory Inspection of Fish of the Order Siluriformes and Products Derived From Such Fish,” the federal law requires all processing and labeling of catfish of the order Siluriformes (which includes American species of catfish as well as some foreign species) be done under inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Exempt from such requirements will be catfish that are caught and directly delivered to restaurants or retailers without labeling the product.  [Notice]

January 27, 2016: Effective Thursday, January 28, 2016, fishing vessels entering Virginia waters will be allowed to possess aboard, but not land, the legal North Carolina trip limit. [Notice]

January 26, 2016: The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted today to take a seven-month pause in the processing or assigning of any new or appending shellfish leases in the Lynnhaven River or its tributaries in Virginia Beach, in order to seat a study panel to attempt to resolve user conflicts between shellfish industry practices, recreational boaters and waterfront property owners. In other action, the Commission revoked the licenses and tidal fishing privileges of eight commercial watermen after their court convictions for serious natural resources violations. [Meeting Summary]

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