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NEW FLOUNDER RULES TO GO INTO EFFECT APRIL 1

MOREHEAD CITY – Both recreational and commercial fishermen need to be aware that new catch and gear limits for southern flounder are going into effect April 1.

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission approved the conservation measures as part of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan – a plan designed to protect declining stocks of the state’s inshore flounder population. The current flounder stock is comprised primarily of very young fish, with few older, more productive spawners. A healthy stock generally has fish of all ages.

The new restrictions include:

• 14-inch size limit, eight fish possession limit for recreational fishermen in internal waters, including gigged fish; and
• 14-inch size limit for commercial fishermen in internal waters.

Additional flounder restrictions will be forthcoming in future months.

CRAB POT AUCTION TO RAISE FUNDS FOR STATE

MOREHEAD CITY – The great crab pot auction is underway! State Surplus is accepting sealed bids for abandoned crabs pots collected earlier this year by the North Carolina Marine Patrol. Money from the sale of these pots will go into the N.C. General Fund.

Each year, fishermen are required to take their crab pots ashore for a two-week period so the Marine Patrol can remove all abandoned gear from Tar Heel coastal waters. This year, officers braved cold winter winds and choppy waters to collect 2,735 abandoned pots between Jan. 24 – Feb. 7.

Rather than send all abandoned pots to the landfill, this year the Marine Patrol decided to auction off pots in decent condition. The 700 pots that made the cut are being held at the Wanchese Industrial Seafood Park for potential bidders to view.

Release: Immediate Contact: Nancy Fish, Marine Fisheries

Date: March 8, 2005 Phone: (252) 726-7021

FISHERIES HEARINGS SCHEDULED

MOREHEAD CITY - The Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) will be holding a series of four public hearings in eastern North Carolina in March and April.

The MFC will receive public comment on the following proposed rules at these hearings:

• Require white-line peeler crabs be held separately from pink and red-line peelers;
• Shorten attendance period for crab pots from seven days to five days;
• Unlawful to possess trawl-caught finfish in designated crab pot areas during certain times of the year;
• Restrict the taking of blue crabs by channel nets, except for bycatch that cannot exceed 50 percent of the catch or 300 lbs., whichever is greater;
• Extend the crab pot clean-up period to Jan. 15 – Feb. 7 of each year;
• Prohibit the use of yellow or pink buoys for crab pots;
• Give the DMF director proclamation authority to settle user conflicts;
• Establish a conflict resolution process;
• Allow the DMF director to implement a 6 ¾ inch size limit for female crabs and culling tolerance if the spawning stock biomass falls below levels set in the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan;
• Expand the DMF director’s proclamation authority to increase crab trawl mesh size to minimize waste;
• Allow possession of white-line peeler crabs for use in permitted shedding operations;
• In order to stay in compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, it is unlawful to possess an American lobster with a carapace less than 3 3/8 inches or greater than 5 ½ inches;
• In order to stay in compliance with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, allow the sale of recreationally-caught dolphin and wahoo by for-hire charter boats possessing appropriate state and federal permits, establish bag and trip limits and dealer and operator permits for dolphin and wahoo;
• Revoke dealer permit for ocean-intercept shad fishery because fishery is closed;
• Technical adjustments to the Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan;
• Change the boundary lines of the Mallard’s Bay primary nursery area to exclude the mouth of the waterbody; and
• Change the designated pot area boundary descriptions to a standardized 6-ft. depth contour in Hyde, Beaufort, Pamlico and Craven counties.

All hearings begin at 7 p.m.

March 22
Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources' Regional Office
127 Cardinal Drive
Wilmington

March 29
Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources – Archdale Building Ground Floor Hearing Room
Raleigh

April 5
Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources' Regional Office
943 Washington Square Mall
Washington

April 20
Clarion Oceanfront Hotel - 1601 S. Virginia Dare Trail
Kill Devil Hills

Written comments may be submitted by mail to Belinda Loftin, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557 or by e-mail at belinda.loftin@ncmail.net until May 2, 2005. The MFC will vote on these proposed rules at their June 28-29 business meeting in Raleigh.

MARINE FISHERIES ADVISORS SELECTED

MOREHEAD CITY – Marine Fisheries Commission Chairman Jimmy Johnson has made the following selections to fill vacancies of the panel’s advisory committees:

Habitat and Water Quality - Jim Stephenson (Gloucester), Jim Banks (Jacksonville), Wayne Mathis (Buxton), and Buddy Faircloth (Wilmington)

Shellfish - Elaine Davis (Davis), Jim Swartzenberg (Jacksonville), Larry Gill (Swanquarter)

Finfish - Jeff McBane (Beaufort), Larry Coble (Southport), Glenn Montgomery (Beaufort), Bill Preast (Richlands)

Crustacean - Mark Hooper (Smyrna), Dr. Martin Posey (Wilmington); Jimmy Lee (Oriental)

Inland - Bill Christain (Sanford), Tom Smith (Charlotte), Dr. Hans Vogelburg (Grimesland)

Northeast - Frank Folb (Avon), Owen Maxwell (Edenton), Fred Waterfield (Knotts Island), Riley Williams (Belvidere)

Central - Bob Hines (New Bern), Pam Morris (Davis), Doug Sinclair (Alliance), David Hilton (Ocracoke)

Southeast - David Beresoff (Bolivia), Joe Clem (Wilmington), Andy High (Wilmington), and Bobbi White (Wilmington)

River Herring Fishery Management Plan - Riley Williams (Belvidere), Ronnie Smith (Edenton), Dr. Chuck Manooch (Morehead City), James Pierce (Williamston), Jesse Ambrose (Manns Harbor), Benny Scott (New Bern), Rick Hamil (Fountain), C. J. Belch (Roper), Herbert Byrum (Tyner), Leslie Gardner (Jamesville),Terry Pratt (Merry Hill), and Dr. Doug Rader (Raleigh)

For months, the MFC has solicited advisors for an advisory panel to review spiny dogfish compliance issues, with little response.This fishery falls under the jurisdiction of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic and New England fishery management councils. In recent years, many Tar Heel fishermen have felt spiny dogfish management measures have been biased against N.C. Chairman Johnson is trying one last time to form a committee to review these issues more thoroughly and urges anyone interested to apply.

Advisor applications are available at any Division of Marine Fisheries office or by calling 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632.  Applications should be returned by April 15 to the Division of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, NC  28557, Attn:  Jess Hawkins.