Temporary Rules to be Considered for Adoption as Permanent Rules:

For more information on this meeting, contact Jess Hawkins, DMF- Morehead City, at 1-800/682-2632 or 252/726-7021.

MOREHEAD CITY -- Representatives from the Marine Fisheries Commission and the Wildlife Resources Commission will meet on September 15, 1998 at 10:30 a.m. at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Archdale Building - 3rd Floor Conference Room, 512 Salisbury Street, Raleigh.

The meeting is open to the public.

For more information, contact Jess Hawkins, DMF- Morehead City, at 1-800/682-2632 or 252/726-7021.

NOTE: Meeting Agenda

MOREHEAD CITY - The N. C. Marine Fisheries Commission has passed new preventative measures to protect declining stocks of red drum until a fishery management plan can be developed and implemented.

The following temporary rules, which will impact both commercial and recreational fishermen, will become effective October 22, 1998:

Size Restrictions - Prohibit the possession or sale of red drum larger than 27 inches.
Bag Limits - Reduce the recreational bag limit to one fish per day between the sizes of 18-27 inches.
Harvest Limits - Implementation of a year-round commercial daily trip limit of 100 pounds with a 250,000 pounds annual quota.
Gear Restrictions - Requirement to attend gill nets less than five-inch stretched mesh from May 1-October 31 of each year.

Red drum, which is the state’s saltwater fish, has a long life span and can live 40, 50 and even 60 years. Unlike many fish that reproduce at an early age, red drum do not reach maturity (spawn and reproduce) until they are approximately 4-years-old and 27 to 30 inches in length.

In the Division of Marine Fisheries’ most recent stock status report, it was noted there had been a dramatic decline in the number of red drum reaching maturity and listed the fish as “stressed-declining.” A stock is considered to be in trouble if there are not enough mature fish to continue producing young fish at a consistent level.

As part of the fishery management planning process, the Commission is required to develop measures to stabilize the red drum stock until a fishery management plan can be completed and implemented. The Division will immediately begin the three-year process of developing a management plan for red drum. The new temporary rules will be in effect until the plan is completed.

For more information on these temporary rules, please contact Jess Hawkins, Morehead City, at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.

MOREHEAD CITY - The Division of Marine Fisheries has announced that a commercial trip limit for red drum will go into effect Saturday, September 12, 1998.

Earlier in the summer, the Division established a 250,000 pound commercial harvest quota on red drum because of severe declines in the number of fish that are reaching maturity and able to spawn. In the latest Division stock assessment issued in July, red drum - the state’s saltwater fish, slipped from “stressed-recovering” to “stressed-declining.”

It is estimated that commercial landings of red drum have now reached 200,000 pounds and the Division is establishing a commercial limit of 100 pounds of red drum per fishing trip to ensure that the quota is not exceeded. The Division will continue to closely monitor the quota and may reduce the trip limit prior to the end of the season.

The commercial season for red drum is scheduled to close on December 31, 1998 unless the harvest quota is reached earlier.

For more information about trip limits for red drum, please contact David Taylor, DMF- Morehead City, at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.

MOREHEAD CITY - The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) will hold a public meeting, followed by a business session, on Wednesday, September 9, 1998 at 3 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel in New Bern to discuss potential new commercial and recreational restrictions on red drum, the state’s saltwater fish.

In it’s most recent stock status report released in July, the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) noted there had been a dramatic decline in the number of red drum reaching maturity and listed the fish as “stressed-declining.” As part of the fishery management planning process, the MFC is developing measures to stabilize the red drum stock until a plan can be completed and implemented.

The MFC would like to receive comment from the public on the following proposed management options:

1) Size Restrictions - Prohibit the possession or sale of red drum larger than 27 inches.

2) Bag Limits - Reduce the recreational bag limit to one fish per day between the sizes of 18-27 inches.

3) Harvest Limits - Implementation of a year-round commercial trip limit of 100 pounds with a 250,000 pounds annual quota.

4) Gear Restrictions - Requirement to attend gill nets less than five-inch stretched mesh from May 1-October 31 of each year.

For more information on this meeting, please contact Jess Hawkins, DMF- Morehead City, at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.

Images available here.

MOREHED CITY - Hurricane Danielle left a parting gift as the storm worked it’s way up the east coast - more tires on Bogue Banks. The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), which is spearheading the clean up effort, estimates that approximately 3,000 more tires washed ashore in the Emerald Isle area.

At 7:30 a.m., as soon as the tides allowed, work crews hit the beaches from Atlantic Beach to Emerald Isle continuing the tire clean up. Mild surf conditions and the addition of extra equipment and manpower from the National Guard made today’s recovery efforts very productive. The DMF estimates that approximately 5,000 tires were removed from Bogue Banks today. Even with the additional tires that washed ashore, the DMF still estimates recovery efforts should be completed by late Thursday afternoon.

Today, in addition to the 20 DMF employees on the beaches, the N.C. Department of Corrections provided 100 inmates and 10 prison guards, the N.C. Department of Transportation provided four dump trucks with drivers, and the National Guard provided 49 citizen soldiers from the 30th Engineer Brigade with 16 dump trucks and four front-end loaders.

For more information on the DMF tire recovery efforts, please contact Nancy Fish at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.

MOREHEAD CITY -- Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) Director Preston Pate, Jr. today announced that David L. Taylor has been named head of the division’s Fisheries Management Section. His new responsibilities will begin immediately.

"We are very excited and fortunate to have David in this critical position," Pate said. "His management skills and experience in coastal issues, make him an excellent choice to help lead our fisheries management into the next century."

Taylor, 42, who has been serving as acting chief of Fisheries Management since February, will oversee the 55-person section that is responsible for conducting fisheries research, gear research, resource monitoring, and collection of biological information.

During his DMF career, which began in 1978, Taylor has had broad experience in fisheries issues. He has served in various biological and research positions, including two years aboard the research vessel R/V DAN MOORE and six years as a shellfish biologist. For the last 12 years, Taylor served as the district manager for the Morehead City area, overseeing biological activities for Carteret, Craven and part of Onslow counties.

Taylor is a 1977 graduate of North Carolina State University, with a B.S. degree in Zoology with an emphasis on fisheries and marine biology.

Click on image for larger version.

MOREHED CITY - As dawn broke over the Crystal Coast this morning, work crews were already out on Bogue Banks removing tires that had washed ashore from an artificial reef during Hurricane Bonnie.

During today’s clean up activities, the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) estimates that approximately 2,000 tires were removed from Bogue Banks before high tide and heavy surf generated by Hurricane Danielle forced work crews off the beaches. The DMF estimates another 4,000 to 5,000 tires are left on Bogue Banks and recovery efforts should be completed by Thursday afternoon.

The DMF is being assisted in the tire recovery efforts by the Department of Corrections and the National Guard. Approximately 100 inmates, 20 DMF employees and 14 National Guardsmen participated in today’s clean up activities.

For more information on the DMF tire recovery efforts, please contact Nancy Fish at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.