Ed. — Archived from the Sunday, April 24, print edition.
THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
COURTHOUSE — The City Council on Tuesday, April 19, voted to hold off on prohibiting beach fishing in part of Sandbridge at Little Island Park during the day.
City Councilmember Barbara Henley, whose district includes Sandbridge, asked for the matter to be deferred until May after an organization representing anglers objected. She noted the intention of the change was to avoid fishing around where people swim at Little Island Park to address safety concerns during certain hours.
“In other words, that time when the park is full of swimmers,” Henley said during the meeting.
Fishing from the beach during the resort season already is banned during certain hours at the Oceanfront from Rudee Inlet to 42nd Street. The revised ordinance adds a prohibition at Sandbridge between the Sanctuary Condominiums to 1,400 feet from the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The change would apply only during the resort season, according to proposal language and a public briefing held in March.
“The concern with this one is that it’s a continued erosion of access for residents and even some tourists to resources that the city has, in particular for surf fishing,” said George Gabriel, an officer in the Virginia Beach Anglers Club, during remarks shortly before the council decided to defer the matter.
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