4VAC15-170-30. Game: Otter. Pelts to be sealed before sale, etc.
Summary
The proposal is to enable the Department to authorize individuals other than Department staffs to affix a CITES tag to an otter pelt to enhance efficiency of administering the CITES program in Virginia.
Proposed Language
Note: In the “Proposed Language” document, underlined text denotes proposed new language, while text with a strikethrough denotes language that is proposed to be deleted.
Rationale
The proposed change will allow for trappers to receive and affix a CITES tag to an otter pelt themselves after providing harvest information to the department. Currently only agents of the Department can affix CITES tags to otters. The proposed change will make it easier and more cost effective for trappers to receive the tags, improve the data collection process for otter harvest, and decrease the administrative burden on Department staff who currently administer most of the tags for otters.
This proposed change provide consistency with the current Department regulation for affixing CITES tags to bobcat pelts (4VAC15-170-30).