MOREHEAD CITY-- At the urging of Gov. Jim Hunt, the North Carolina General Assembly has passed a budget that includes $2.7 million to improve marine fisheries management in North Carolina.

“The Fisheries Reform Act provides tremendous support for the state’s efforts to maintain a healthy coastal environment and a strong commercial and recreational fishing industry,” Hunt said. “This budget will help us move forward with fisheries reform and build on the progress we’re making at the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).”

North Carolina has the largest estuarine system of any single state on the east coast - 2.4 million acres; and the coastal fisheries are overwhelmingly estuarine-dependent. Fish from North Carolina estuaries migrate throughout the eastern seaboard, supporting significant commercial fisheries along the Atlantic coast. Traditionally ranked in the top-10 seafood producing states, North Carolina leads the east coast in landings of croaker, spot, bluefish, blue crabs, summer flounder and sharks. The state’s coastal fishing industry (commercial and recreational) contributes more than $1 billion annually to North Carolina’s economy.

Last year, the General Assembly passed the Fisheries Reform Act, a far-reaching reform package that set up the framework to restructure fisheries management in North Carolina. The law requires the development of fisheries management plans, which will identify problems in the state’s major fisheries and focus efforts toward long-term management of these stocks. Additionally, the law requires the development of coastal habitat protection plans, which will improve protection of wetlands, spawning areas, threatened/endangered species habitat, nursery areas, shellfish beds, submerged aquatic vegetation and outstanding resource waters. The Reform Act also requires the DMF to restructure its licensing system effective July 1, 1999.

MOREHEAD CITY - The Division of Marine Fisheries will be holding a meeting on November 12, 1998 at 7 p.m. at the Duke Marine Lab Auditorium, Pivers Island in Beaufort, to discuss changing the mesh size requirements in beach haul seines used in the Atlantic Ocean.

To reduce the bycatch of small or undersized fish, the Division is considering implementing a statewide minimum mesh size of 2 7/8" stretch measure (1 7/16" bar) or greater, for beach haul seines that operate in the Atlantic Ocean. The Marine Fisheries Commission’s Finfish Committee has already voted to recommend this minimum mesh size to the Marine Fisheries Commission for Dare and Hyde county beach haul seine operations.

Fishermen are invited and encouraged to attend this meeting. The Division is interested in receiving information from the public regarding the impact this potential requirement would have on beach haul seine fishermen in central and southern areas of the coast.

Written comments can also be submitted to the Committee on or before November 16, by writing to Dr. Louis Daniel, Division of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557.

For more information about this meeting, please call Dr. Daniel at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.

MOREHEAD CITY - Officials with the Division of Marine Fisheries have announced that the fall commercial season for flounder in the Atlantic Ocean will open on Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998 on a limited basis, with a 100 pound trip limit per vessel.

On Dec. 2, 1998, the trip limit will increase and fishermen will be allowed to land up to 5000 pounds of ocean-caught flounder per week, for two weeks. Fishermen with flounder permits will be able to land up to 5,000 pounds of ocean-caught flounder between Dec. 2 - 8, and then again between Dec. 9 - 16. The season will close at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 1998, unless the quota of 1,250,000 is harvested earlier.

Seafood dealers are required to obtain a flounder permit and report flounder landings to the DMF on a daily basis beginning Dec. 2, 1998. Staff with the DMF’s Commercial Statistics Program will process the data and compile daily totals to ensure that the quota is not exceeded.

For more information on flounder, please call David Taylor, DMF- Morehead City, at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.

MOREHEAD CITY -- Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) will hold two public meetings in October regarding the upcoming striped bass fishing season.

Fishermen are encouraged to attend these meetings to discuss proposed time frames and harvest restrictions for the commercial striped bass seasons in the Albemarle Sound Management Area and the commercial striped bass season in the Atlantic Ocean.

The meeting to discuss the striped bass season in the Atlantic Ocean is:

MOREHEAD CITY -- Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) have announced that oyster season will open at sunrise on Thursday, October 15, 1998.

The following restrictions apply to commercial oyster harvest:

Oysters may be taken by hand-harvest methods only.
The minimum size limit for oysters is three inches.
Oysters may be harvested from sunrise to sunset, Monday-Friday.
Individual fishermen will be allowed to hand-harvest no more than five bushels of oysters per day.
Fishing operations will be allowed to hand-harvest no more than 10 bushels per day, regardless of the number of persons or boats involved.
Oysters may not be transferred from the harvesting vessel to any other vessel.

Fishermen should also note that it is unlawful to possess or sell oysters without a harvest tag affixed to each container, except for oysters harvested for personal consumption.

The following restrictions apply to recreational oyster harvest:

The minimum size limit for oysters is three inches.
Oysters may be harvested from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week.
Recreational fishermen will be allowed to hand-harvest no more than one bushel of oysters per person, per day.

For more information about oysters, please contact Mike Marshall in Morehead at 800/682-2632 or Rich Carpenter in Wilmington at 800/248-4536.

MOREHEAD CITY -- Beginning October 12, 1998 commercial fishermen in the Albemarle Sound, west of the Alligator River, will be exempt from a requirement to place escape panels in flounder pound nets.

During recent Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) hearings, fishermen from the western Albemarle Sound area requested the exemption until further studies on the escape panels could be made in their specific area. The Commission agreed to the exemption at a business session held in Morehead City on Sept. 30 - Oct. 2.

Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) staff are now conducting additional testing to determine the effectiveness of the panels west of the Alligator River. The DMF has done extensive research in Pamlico and Core sounds, and the Mann’s Harbor area, that showed escape panels significantly reduced the number of undersized flounder while retaining legal-sized fish. Fishermen in Carteret County and areas of Albemarle and Pamlico sounds worked closely with the DMF to develop these bycatch reduction devices.

Escape panels have been required for several years in the central coastal waters of the state and have proven effective in reducing bycatch while decreasing the culling time at nets for fishermen. Earlier this spring, DMF Director Pres Pate issued a proclamation requiring the escape panels in flounder pound nets in all state waters by September 1, 1998.

For more information about escape panel requirements, contact Rick Monaghan, DMF-Morehead City, at 1-800/682-2632 or 252/726-7021.

MOREHEAD CITY - New markers and signs posted by the Division of Marine Fisheries will make it easier for fishermen who frequent the Cape Lookout rock jetty to determine areas where gill nets and seines are prohibited.

The rock jetty is an extremely popular fishing site for both commercial and recreational anglers. Throughout the years, problems have arisen because it has been difficult to determine gear boundaries - gill nets and seines are prohibited within 300 feet of the jetty. Markers and signs have been posted around the jetty so that fishermen on shore, or in a boat, can easily distinguish the 300 foot limit. The Marine Patrol, which is the law enforcement branch of the Division, will be patrolling the jetty area to ensure compliance with the markers and monitor fishing activities in the area.

If violations are observed, fishermen are requested to call the Marine Patrol at 1-800/682-2632 and report the violations. Fishermen who have access to cellular phones are also able to use either U.S. Cellular or Intell’s toll free number - #MF (#63) - to report fishing violations directly to the Marine Patrol. In addition, the Marine Patrol continuously monitors marine VHF radio, channel 16, to receive reports of violations.

For more information on the new markers and signs, please call Marine Patrol Lt. Gary Rucienski at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.

MOREHEAD CITY - Area residents and visitors attending the 12th Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival are invited to stop by the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Open House, 3441 Arendell Street, Morehead City, on Saturday, October 3 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. to learn more about our state’s valuable fisheries resources.

The Division will have exhibits explaining the new licensing system that goes into effect July of 1999, division programs and activities, displays of local fish, a touch tank and lots of fishy games for kids. Kids will also be able to crawl through a turtle excluder device, pretend they are piloting a Marine Patrol boat and get a an up-close look at a law enforcement helicopter.

Marine Fisheries is the agency responsible for regulating the state’s commercial and recreational fishing industry. Fishing is a billion-dollar-a-year business in North Carolina, with the Tar Heel state traditionally ranking in the top-10 sates in seafood production. The Division’s jurisdiction includes 4,000 miles of shoreline, encompasses 2.3 million acres of coastal waters and extends to three miles offshore.

For more information on the Division’s Open House, please call Nancy Fish or Kelly Odom at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.