October 20, 1999 ~ October 19, 1999
October 14, 1999 ~ October 13, 1999
MOREHEAD CITY -- The striped bass hook-and-line season will open in the Albemarle Sound Management Area at 6 a.m. on Saturday, November 6, 1999.
Striped bass may be taken by hook-and-line on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday of each week during the season. Fishermen may take two striped bass per person, per day at a minimum length of 18 inches.
Undersized striped bass that are caught must be handled carefully and returned to the water where taken as quickly as possible. By practicing careful release techniques and observing fishing regulations, fishermen help preserve fish for the future.
It is illegal to sell or purchase striped bass taken by hook-and-line.
The Albemarle Sound Recreational Harvest Management Area includes the Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan and Roanoke Sounds and their inland and joint water tributaries, except for the Roanoke, Eastmost, Middle and Cashie Rivers.
The hook-and-line season on striped bass will close at 6 p.m. on December 29, 1999, unless the harvest quota is reached earlier.
For more information contact, Harrel Johnson, DMF- Elizabeth City, at 252-264-3911 or 800-338-7805.
Fishermen may take three striped bass per person, per day at a minimum length of 18 inches in all state waters except the Albemarle Sound Management Area (ASMA), which includes the Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan and Roanoke Sounds and their inland and joint water tributaries, except for the Roanoke, Eastmost, Middle and Cashie Rivers. The ASMA has a separate hook-and-line season for striped bass.
Undersized striped bass that are caught must be handled carefully and returned to the water where taken as quickly as possible. By practicing careful release techniques and observing fishing regulations, fishermen help preserve fish for the future.
It is illegal to sell or purchase striped bass taken by hook-and-line.
For more information contact, Harrel Johnson, DMF- Elizabeth City, at 252-264-3911 or 800-338-7805.
MOREHEAD CITY - Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) have announced new restrictions for commercial fishermen in the area of the Sunset Beach Fishing Pier effective, Monday, October 25, 1999.
All DMF-licensed fishing piers, that are properly marked and maintained, are allowed to have a 750-foot buffer around the pier, where commercial fishing activities are prohibited. The buffer gives recreational fishermen an equal opportunity to catch available fish in the vicinity of the pier.
Sunset Beach Fishing Pier owner Marc Kaplan, contends that gill nets set around his pier are catching the majority of available fish resulting in a negative impact on his business, even though the nets are set outside the buffer zone. The DMF held a public meeting in Boliva in early October to discuss this user-group conflict. In order to resolve this conflict, the following additional restrictions will be effective from October 25 through November 15, 1999:
· No more than four gill nets, up to 200 yards in length, per vessel,
can be set between Mad Inlet and Tubbs Inlet
· Gill nets set between 750 feet to 1,500 feet, east of the Sunset Beach
Fishing pier, must be attended - attendance
means fishermen must be within 100 yards of their gill nets at all times
For more information about these new restrictions, please call Rich Carpenter, Wilmington –DMF, at 910-395-3900 or 800-248-4536.
MOREHEAD CITY - Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) have canceled all scheduled flounder pound net inspections due to unusually severe weather conditions associated with Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd and Irene.
DMF rules state that all pound nets must be inspected during their peak harvest season by the N.C. Marine Patrol to ensure they are fully operational. October is the peak harvest season for flounder pound nets; however, severe hurricane-related weather conditions have damaged many pound nets and prevented fishermen from making repairs and setting new stakes. The DMF has canceled this year's inspection to allow fishermen time to repair their nets when weather conditions are more favorable. Fishermen do need to make sure all pound nets are properly marked and identified.
For more information, please contact Captain Mike Davis, N.C. Marine Patrol, at 252-726-7021 or 1-800-682-2632, or refer to Marine Fisheries Rule 3J.0107(3)(c) .
MOREHEAD CITY - Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the Office of Shellfish Sanitation have announced that all shellfishing areas in Carteret County have returned to their pre-Hurricane Floyd status and are reopened for harvest beginning at sunrise, Friday, Oct. 15.
On September 15, all coastal waters were closed to the harvest of shellfish because of the potential for high bacteria levels from stormwater runoff associated with Hurricane Floyd. Most state waters were reopened on October 6, but North River, Newport River, Ward Creek, Oyster Creek, and Sleepy Creek remained closed due to high bacteria counts. Bacteria sampling indicated it was safe to reopen shellfish beds on Oct. 8, in Newport and North rivers and Ward Creek. Continued sampling now shows that Oyster and Sleepy creeks are safe for shellfish harvest.
The Intracoastal Waterway between Beacon #49 through Beacon #58 in Onslow county has also been reopened for shellfish harvest; except for Queens Creek, which will reminaed closed until further notice.
All, or portions of, the Pamlico, Pungo, White Oak, New and Cape Fear rivers remain closed until further notice due to high bacteria counts.
Shellfish Sanitation continuously samples 1,142 coastal sites to ensure that shellfish are safe for the public to consume. There has never been a major outbreak of illness from North Carolina shellfish, due largely to intensive water quality sampling and aggressive enforcement by the Marine Patrol of closed shellfish areas.
MOREHEAD CITY -- Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) have announced that oyster season will open at sunrise on Friday, October 15, 1999.
All or portions of the following areas continue to be closed to shellfish harvest due to high bacteria counts generated by Hurricane Floyd’s flood waters: Pungo River, Pamlico River, Oyster Creek, Sleepy Creek, Ward Creek, White Oak River, Intracoastal Waterway from Beacon #49 to Beacon # 58, New River, and Cape Fear River.
Commercial restrictions:
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.
Recreational restrictions:
For more information about oysters, please contact Mike Marshall in Morehead at 1-800-682-2632, or Rich Carpenter in Wilmington at 1-800-248-4536.
MOREHEAD CITY - Fifty-five North Carolina residents have been named to the Marine Fisheries Commission’s (MFC) Blue Crab Regional Stakeholder Committees.
Blue crabs are North Carolina’s most lucrative fishery; in 1998 Tar Heel fishermen harvested $40.5 million of crabs. To effectively manage this valuable public trust resource, the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan recommends that effort needs to be controlled or reduced. At its September meeting, the MFC agreed to only consider open access management options.
Five management regions were created to address geographical differences in the fishery. The stakeholder committees will provide the MFC with information on regional characteristics of the blue crab fishery, the needs of fishermen in the regions, and the best ways to control effort in these areas. The following are advisors for each region:
Region 1- Albemarle Sound and Tributaries
Zack Brickhouse, David Pham, Dossey Pruden, Fred L. Waterfield, Jr., Timothy Gene Williams, David Gallop, Terry Pratt, Watson Stuart, and Riley Williams
Region 2 - Outer Banks and Roanoke Island
Dana Beasley, Leroy T. Farrow, Rudolph H. Gray, Ted Moseley, Michael Oden Peele, Scott Bridges, Tex R. Gallop, Michael K. Lutz, Rex B. O’Neal, and Charles Wilson
Region 3 - Pamlico and Neuse rivers and Tributaries
Robert Bortz, Albert Campen, Cindy P. Midyette, Ed Robinson, Richard C. Seale, Tom Tosto, Wayne Dunbar, Joe Kilby, Jimmy Nobles, Pete Rollins, and James M. Smith
Region 4 - Pamlico Sound and Tributaries
Leslie G. Anderson, Joe Bunn, Chad Bond, Vaughn T. Hill, Jr., Dell Newman, Reggie Bishop III, Doug Cross, David M. Goodwin, Thomas Jeanette, and Vernon T. Sadler
Region 5 - Core Sound to S.C. Line
Paul V. Biermann, Clarence Wade Grant, Jr., John M. Hood, David A. Hughes, Johnny Wayne Midgett, Carl D. Phelan, Jeff Wolfe, Tom Elbertson, Jr., Francis R. Gromadzki, Mark Hooper, Luke Ingraham, Scott L. Rader, Myron W. Willis, Jr., and Eustace W. Wood
For further information on these committees please contact Lynn Henry at 800-405-7774 or Jess Hawkins at 800-682-2632.
MOREHEAD CITY - Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) will be holding meetings on October 19 and 21 to receive public input on the upcoming striped bass season in the Albemarle Sound.
Public comment is needed on utilizing the most recent striped bass quota in the Albemarle Sound Management Area for both recreational and commercial fisheries. The DMF would also like to receive comments on proposed mandatory harvest reductions in striped bass aged 8+ in the recreational and commercial ocean fisheries.
The meetings will be held at the following locations:
Oct. 21 Festival Park 7:00 p.m.
Manteo
(The Oct. 21 meeting is being held in conjunction with the Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northeast Regional Advisory Committee Meeting.)
For more information about these meetings or striped bass management, please call Harrel Johnson at 252-264-3911 or 1-800-338-7805.
MOREHEAD CITY - Leading scientists from North Carolina’s universities and researchers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are gathering an unprecedented amount of water quality information as part of a comprehensive assessment of the impact of Hurricane Floyd on our coastal waters.
According to Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) Director Pres Pate, “The state has been gathering a tremendous amount of data on many different fronts, in the wake of Floyd. Unfortunately, as we release the results of the studies, many questions are being generated. We’ve received innumerable calls from people who are having problems trying to understand what’s going on in our coastal waters. One report states that North Carolina seafood is safe to consume, while another report talks of a “Dead Zone” spreading throughout our rivers and sounds. News reports talk of sick and dying fish and shellfish. It’s all very confusing for the general public.”
Here is the latest rundown of the studies being conducted and what their initial results mean for Tar Heel residents and tourists:
MOREHEAD CITY - Fishermen have recently reported a great deal of confusion over the current status of commercial regulations for red drum harvest, according to officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).
The following rules regarding commercial attendance of gill nets less than five-inch stretched mesh are in effect until October 31, 1999:
All Primary and Secondary Nursery Areas
Within 200 yards of any shoreline, except in waters from Core Sound south to the S.C. line
All current and modified “No Trawl” areas
Upper portions of the Pamlico, Pungo, Neuse and Trent rivers
The following red drum restrictions are still in effect:
Size Restrictions - possession or sale of red drum larger than 27 inches is prohibited
Recreational Bag Limits - one fish per day between the sizes of 18-27 inches
Harvest Limits - the year-round commercial daily trip limit is 100 pounds with a 250,000 pounds annual quota
After Oct. 31, 1999, commercial fishermen will still have to attend gill nets less than five-inch stretched mesh Upper portions of the Pamlico, Pungo, Neuse and Trent rivers.
These restrictions were put in place to protect declining stocks of red drum.
Gill net attendance is still required for recreational fishermen who hold the Recreational Commercial Gear License. Under this license, recreational fishermen can set up to 100 yards of gill nets with a stretched mesh length of 2 ½ inches or larger; fishermen must stay within 100 yards of their gill nets at all times. If the stretched mesh length is 5 ½ inches or larger; fishermen only have to stay within 100 yards of their gill nets from one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset.
For more information on these rules, please contact Dr. Louis Daniel, DMF- Morehead City, at 252/726-7021 or 1-800/682-2632.
MOREHEAD CITY - The first round of toxin sampling on finfish, shrimp and crabs collected from North Carolina coastal waters produced normal results, according to officials with the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).
In order to ensure that North Carolina seafood was safe to consume and contaminants contained in flood waters did not adversely affect seafood, the DMF collected samples of finfish, shrimp and crabs from 10 different coastal locations from the Albemarle Sound to the Cape Fear River. These samples were sent to the National Ocean Service’s Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research in Charleston, South Carolina, to test for an array of 29 toxins, including heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides. Water quality samples were also collected at the same locations.
Both the tissue and water samples tested within normal limits, showing that finfish, shrimp and crabs are safe to consume.
The DMF will continue collecting tissue and water quality samples from the same locations throughout the month of October to ensure that N.C. seafood continues to be safe to harvest and consume.
Earlier this week, State Health Director Dennis McBride, gave the go ahead to open up most of the state’s shellfish beds after extensive water quality sampling for bacteria, metals and pesticides showed it was safe to allow fishermen to harvest shellfish. Coastal waters were closed September 15, 1999, to the harvest of shellfish, because of the potential for high bacteria levels from stormwater runoff associated with Hurricane Floyd.
MOREHEAD CITY - Fishermen will be allowed to harvest shellfish from most of North Carolina’s coastal waters beginning at sunrise on Wednesday, October 6, 1999.
Extensive water quality sampling for bacteria, metals and pesticides has shown that it is now safe to allow fishermen to harvest shellfish from most coastal areas, according to Dennis McBride, the State Health Director. Coastal waters were closed September 15, 1999, to the harvest of shellfish, because of the potential for high bacteria levels from stormwater runoff associated with Hurricane Floyd.
Extensive areas of coastal waters are opening to shellfish harvest, including Pamlico, Core, Bogue and Stump sounds. The following is a brief description of areas that will remain closed to shellfish harvest due to high bacteria levels:
-Pungo River - all waters upstream of Wades Point
-Pamlico River - all waters upstream of Fulford Point
-Oyster Creek - all waters
-Sleepy Creek - all waters
-North River - all waters upstream of Ward Creek
-Ward Creek - all waters
-Newport River - all waters upstream of Penn Point
-White Oak River - all waters upstream of Hwy. 24 Bridge
-Intracoastal Waterway - all water between ICWW Fl. Beacon #49 to ICWW Fl. Beacon #58, including Queens and Bear creeks
-New River - all waters upstream of Grey Point
-Cape Fear River - all waters
-Lockwoods Folly River - all waters upstream of Howells Point
-Shallotte River - all waters upstream of Bowen Point
For more detailed information about areas that are open to shellfishing, contact the Division of Marine Fisheries at 252-726-021. For information regarding water quality sampling contact the Office of Shellfish Sanitation at 252-726-6827.