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MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION SEEKS ADVISORS

Morehead City - The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) is looking for interested individuals to fill vacancies on all eight of its advisory committees.

MFC advisors serve three-year staggered terms, many of which expire at the end of 2002. The MFC is soliciting advisors for the Finfish, Habitat and Water Quality, Crustacean, and Shellfish committees, in addition to four regional advisory committees from the following areas:

Northeast -Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington counties.

Central -Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Hyde, Jones, and Pamlico counties.

Southeast -Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties.

Inland -All other counties.

Advisory committees provide information and guidance to the MFC when developing future fisheries regulations. Individuals interested in serving as advisors should be willing to attend at least bimonthly meetings and actively participate in the committee process. Advisors will be reimbursed for travel and other expenses incurred in relation to official duties.

The MFC will be accepting applications for these openings until January 17, 2003. Applications are available at North Carolina Division of Marine Fishers offices or can be obtained by calling Jess Hawkins or Stephanie Bodine at 800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021.

FISHING LICENSE OFFICE TO BE CLOSED DEC. 17

MOREHEAD CITY - Division of Marine Fisheries' license office, located at 127 Cardinal Drive in Wilmington, will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 17, for employee training. The license office in Morehead City will remain open during this time.

For more information, please contact Brenda Clark by e-mail at Brenda.Clark@ncmail.net or by calling 252-726-7021 or 1-888-254-2024 (toll free).

STATE LAUDS TUNA DECISION

MOREHEAD CITY - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced last week the transfer of 60 metric tons, or about 132,000 pounds, into the tuna general category and reopened the season Dec. 1, giving North Carolina fishermen the opportunity to catch the valuable fish in Tar Heel waters.

"We are extremely pleased NMFS is willing to give North Carolina fishermen the opportunity to harvest bluefin tuna when they are off our coast," said state Division of Marine Fisheries Director Pres Pate. "This is a great prospect for our fishermen and local businesses."

Tuna management is extremely complicated and complex. The International Council for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna sets the amount countries can harvest each year and in the United States, the NMFS determines how to divide that allotment among user groups/categories and sets fishing seasons to regulate the harvest. The agency can transfer unused quota among categories. The general category season runs from June 1 - Dec. 31 and includes commercial hand-held fishing gear. NMFS closed the general category on Oct. 25, 2002 after the 777 metric ton quota was met.

Usually, tuna are caught off the New England and Mid-Atlantic coast earlier in the season and quota is rarely left by the time the fish migrate down the coast to North Carolina waters in late November and December. However, in the last few years, there has been late season quota available so North Carolina fishermen have been able to harvest some of these valuable ocean giants.

In 2000, there were 129,737 pounds of bluefin tuna landed at North Carolina ports, valued at $1.2 million. Last year, fishermen hauled in 106,025 pounds of bluefin tuna, worth $382,495 - the value was lower due to decreased demand from Japanese markets.

As interest in the tuna fishery has grown, North Carolina began pursuing a commitment from NMFS for Tar Heel fishermen to be guaranteed some of the general category tuna each year. The state has worked collaboratively with the Winter Bluefin Tuna Association, a group of coastal Carolina fishermen, and state and national legislative leaders, to send a clear message to NMFS about North Carolina's needs for this fishery.

"While the transfer of the 60 metric tons does not ensure North Carolina will have access to the tuna each year, it does show NMFS recognizes the value of the fishery to our state and is making an effort to see the fishery is managed on an equitable basis," said Pate.

The state continues to pursue long-term management options that will improve predictability of fish for North Carolina and has filed a petition for rulemaking with NMFS to extend the general category season until Jan. 31 of each year and allocate 150 metric tons to be harvested from Dec. 1 - Jan 31, annually.

MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION TO MEET DECEMBER 9 - 11

MOREHEAD CITY -- The Marine Fisheries Commission will hold a business meeting December 9, 10 and 11 at the Outer Banks Resort and Conference Center at the Ramada Inn in Kill Devil Hills.

The meeting is open to the public.

The proceedings will start at 7 p.m. with a public meeting for anyone wanting to address the commission regarding fisheries issues. At 7:30 p.m. the business meeting will begin.

For more information, contact Jess Hawkins by e-mail at Jess.Hawkins@ncmail.net or by calling 1-800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021.

Click on http://www.ncdmf.net/mfc/advisor.html to review meeting summaries of past commission meetings.