Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries

The Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries (formerly the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries) oversees the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The Code of Virginia provides that "the Board shall consist of not more than one member from each congressional district". Following Census 2000, Virginia was allocated 11 Congressional districts; therefore, the Board was limited to a maximum of 11 members.

Members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly.

The Board has power to:

The Board holds meetings every year to consider amendments to the Virginia Administrative Code. In even-numbered years, fish and aquatic regulations are reviewed. In odd numbered years, game and terrestrial nongame wildlife regulations are reviewed. Procedures for emergency situations had not yet been developed, as of 2004.

A high profile regulation issued by the Board is 4VAC15-30-40, which bans the importation of snakehead fish.

4VAC15-30-10 bans possession of wild animals in Virginia. 4VAC15-20-50 defines a wild animal as "Any member of the animal kingdom, except domestic animals, including without limitation any native, naturalized, or nonnative (exotic) mammal, fish, bird, amphibian, reptile, mollusk, crustacean, arthropod or other invertebrate, and includes any hybrid of them, except as otherwise specified in regulations of the board, or part, product, egg, or offspring of them, or the dead body or parts of them."

The regulation then lists 26 domestic animals (dogs, cats, horses, etc.) which are exempt from the definition. Some Virginians, such as ferret and skunk enthusiasts, would like to see additional animals added to the list of allowed pets. See Legal status of pet skunks in Virginia.

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