The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will hold a public hearing at noon Tuesday, Dec. 13, to consider proposed increases to licensing fees. The meeting will be held at commission headquarters at 2600 Washington Avenue, Newport News.

The proposed increases are intended to keep pace with rising management costs, according to VMRC spokesperson Laurie Naismith. If approved by the commission, these fee increases would take effect Dec. 1, 2017, a public notice said.

The last time the commission raised fees for any commercial gear or other licenses was in 2006, Naismith said.

According to the proposal, any fee increase would be capped at $5 or a percentage equal to the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculated from the time the fee was last set or adjusted, whichever is greater.

The commission proposes to increase the fees on 89 commercial licenses and permits. Of those being considered, 37 will be capped at a $5 increase and the remaining 52 will be raised by the change in ...