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Contact: Patricia Smith MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will hold its regular business meeting Thursday and Friday, Sept. 6-7, at the Clamdigger Inn in Pine Knoll Shores. The commission is scheduled to give final approval to a River Herring Fishery Management Plan and rules to implement a no harvest provision contained within it. A draft of the plan can be found online at http://www.ncfisheries.net/download/RiverHerringMFCapprovedFeb07FMP.pdf. Additionally, the commission is slated to discuss fishery management plans in various stages of development for several other species, and to continue talking about whether limited access privilege programs would be good for North Carolina fisheries. The meeting is open to the public and begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 6 and 8:30 a.m. Sept. 7. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5, the commission will hold an open meeting in the same location to receive public comments on any issues pertaining to state fisheries management. Contact: Patricia Smith NEW WEAKFISH LIMITS GO INTO EFFECT OCT. 1 MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will reduce the harvest limits on weakfish for both recreational and commercial fishermen Oct. 1 The recreational creel limit will be reduced from seven fish per person per day to six fish per person per day. The size limit will remain at 12 inches. The commercial by-catch allowance for non-directed fisheries will drop from 300 pounds per day or trip to 150 pounds per day or trip. DMF Director Louis Daniel signed a proclamation today establishing the new regulations. The state is changing the weakfish harvest limits to implement management measures approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in February. The changes are needed because a 2004-2005 weakfish stock assessment concluded that weakfish populations, which appeared to be recovering in the late 1990s, experienced a sudden decline between 1999 and 2003. Scientists do not believe fishing caused the decline. Instead, evidence suggests there was a significant rise in natural mortality, possibly resulting from insufficient food supply, high predation or other environmental factors. However, projections indicate stock recovery will require a very low total mortality, necessitating stricter controls on fishing. Press Release from Invasive Australian Jellyfish Sighted in Gulf of Mexico, Summer 2007; The invasive Australian jellyfish, Phyllorhiza punctata, first reported in great quantities in the Gulf of Mexico in 2000, has made a vigorous reappearance this summer in waters from southwestern Louisiana to Morehead City, North Carolina. Beachgoers and boaters are encouraged to report their sightings of these exotic jellies to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s jellyfish website, Dockwatch, at http://dockwatch.disl.org. Since 2000, Phyllorhiza sightings have occurred in the Gulf as far west as Galveston Bay, Texas, but only in a handful of numbers. This year, not only are their numbers higher, but their range has extended up to the Mid-Atlantic states. “Reports from the Panhandle of Florida and North Carolina indicate they’re pretty concentrated elsewhere,” states Dauphin Island Sea Lab Senior Marine Scientist Dr. Monty Graham. Ranging in size from a softball to a basketball, the Australian jellyfish present little to no danger in terms of their sting. A preponderance of jellies, however, could pose a threat to the commercial fishing and shrimping industry as they foul up trawling nets and consume eggs and larvae of important fishery species. “We just started getting reports of Phyllorhiza appearing on the east coast of Florida and as far up as North Carolina this year. We don’t think that jellies from the Gulf are pouring up the coast, necessarily, but the appearances and concentrations of these animals in both places may be related,” says Dr. Graham. “Phyllorhiza are prolific feeders; they can compete with commercially important fish for food, and they also eat the larvae of these fish. In their native waters, they tend to be fist-sized; here in the Gulf, they can be a big as dinner plates.” “We absolutely depend on the public’s reporting the appearance of these creatures. We don’t have the resources to survey the waters continuously, and by tracking their numbers and locations, we can try to get a handle on why they’re here in such concentrations and what impact they have on the ecosystem,” he concludes. Note to reporters/editors: Dr. Monty Graham is available to speak to reporters. Contact mgraham@disl.org, or call Lisa Young at 251-861-7509 to set up an interview. North Carolina Media Only: Besides reporting their sightings at http://dockwatch.disl.org, spotters in North Carolina can report their sightings to: Trish Murphey, Division of Marine Fisheries, North Carolina, Trish.Murphey@ncmail.net, 252-808-8091 Patricia McNeese, N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, Patricia.McNeese@ncmail.net
Contact: Patricia Smith CORRECTED DATE IN SECOND PARAGRAPH FISHERIES COMMEMORATES DECADE OF REFORM MOREHEAD CITY – Tuesday marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Fisheries Reform Act and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is sounding off about its successes in meeting the mandates of the law. Signed Aug. 14, 1997, by then Gov. James B. Hunt, the act completely changed the way North Carolina approaches coastal fisheries management. It legally recognized the importance of balancing the interests of both commercial and recreational fishermen with the need to protect the marine resource for the benefit of all. It also tied the protection of marine fisheries with the conservation and enhancement of coastal habitat. “The Fisheries Reform Act was the guiding factor that helped the Division of Marine Fisheries become one of the best marine fisheries agencies in the nation,” said Secretary William G. Ross Jr. of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “It is a crucial law that led the state to make ecosystem management a central theme in our conservation strategy. It also required a cooperative approach to conservation that we see at work today in the form of the state’s Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.” “Without this impetus of state law and subsequent funding, the division would not have been able to move forward as it has,” said DMF Director Louis Daniel. One of the requirements of the act was that DMF redesign its commercial fishing license system, capping the total number of Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses and Retired Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses that can be issued at 8,896. The law also required this new licensing system to distinguish between commercial fishermen who sell their catch and those who fish with commercial fishing gear for recreational purposes. The new licensing system was implemented on July 1, 1999. The cap on commercial fishing licenses has never been met. The act also expanded the data collected with an existing Trip Ticket Program, allowing DMF to cross-reference landings reports, commercial fishing licenses and commercial vessel registrations to track when, what and where fishermen were catching seafood and what gear they were using, as well. This detailed tracking ability has provided vital information used in fisheries management decisions. An unforeseen benefit of this change has been the use of the detailed data in helping fishermen gain financial assistance through Hurricane Floyd grants and shrimp and blue crab economic assistance programs. Another provision of the law created a smaller, more balanced marine fisheries commission. It reduced the number of members from 17 to nine with three seats reserved for persons representing commercial fishing, three representing recreational fishing, one scientist and two at-large seats. The act also directed DMF to prepare draft fishery management plans to be adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission for all commercially and recreationally important marine species in North Carolina. And it set up an advisory committee process through which these plans were to be adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission. Four regional advisory committees were set up to review region specific issues for the northeast, central and southern coastal areas and inland areas of the state. Four standing advisory committees were set up to review issues pertaining to finfish, shellfish, crustaceans and habitat and water quality. The result was fishery management plans adopted only after a comprehensive and very public review of the fishery that took into account the species’ life history, stock status and commercial, recreational, economical and sociological issues. To date, DMF has completed or revised nine fishery management plans covering numerous species. Lastly, the act required the development and adoption of a Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, a multi-agency ecosystem management plan for coastal fish habitats. The plan was developed by agencies within the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission, the Coastal Resources Commission and the Environmental Management Commission in December 2004. The three commissions and DENR subsequently approved integrated implementation plans specifying more than 100 specific actions to be taken. Many of these actions have been put into place and new implementation plans are ongoing. So far, 18 new permanent state funded positions have been established in DENR agencies to implement various CHPP implementation actions, such as establishing oyster sanctuaries in Pamlico Sound, monitoring compliance with conditions of Coastal Area Management Act permits, and closing swine farm waste facilities in the 100-year flood plain. The CHPP was the first of its kind and is being used as a blueprint for other ecosystem management plans on the state and national level. Contact: Patricia Smith FISHERIES COMMEMORATES DECADE OF REFORM MOREHEAD CITY – Tuesday marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Fisheries Reform Act and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is sounding off about its successes in meeting the mandates of the law. Signed Aug. 14, 2007, by then Gov. James B. Hunt, the act completely changed the way North Carolina approaches coastal fisheries management. It legally recognized the importance of balancing the interests of both commercial and recreational fishermen with the need to protect the marine resource for the benefit of all. It also tied the protection of marine fisheries with the conservation and enhancement of coastal habitat. “The Fisheries Reform Act was the guiding factor that helped the Division of Marine Fisheries become one of the best marine fisheries agencies in the nation,” said Secretary William G. Ross Jr. of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “It is a crucial law that led the state to make ecosystem management a central theme in our conservation strategy. It also required a cooperative approach to conservation that we see at work today in the form of the state’s Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.” “Without this impetus of state law and subsequent funding, the division would not have been able to move forward as it has,” said DMF Director Louis Daniel. One of the requirements of the act was that DMF redesign its commercial fishing license system, capping the total number of Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses and Retired Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses that can be issued at 8,896. The law also required this new licensing system to distinguish between commercial fishermen who sell their catch and those who fish with commercial fishing gear for recreational purposes. The new licensing system was implemented on July 1, 1999. The cap on commercial fishing licenses has never been met. The act also expanded the data collected with an existing Trip Ticket Program, allowing DMF to cross-reference landings reports, commercial fishing licenses and commercial vessel registrations to track when, what and where fishermen were catching seafood and what gear they were using, as well. This detailed tracking ability has provided vital information used in fisheries management decisions. An unforeseen benefit of this change has been the use of the detailed data in helping fishermen gain financial assistance through Hurricane Floyd grants and shrimp and blue crab economic assistance programs. Another provision of the law created a smaller, more balanced marine fisheries commission. It reduced the number of members from 17 to nine with three seats reserved for persons representing commercial fishing, three representing recreational fishing, one scientist and two at-large seats. The act also directed DMF to prepare draft fishery management plans to be adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission for all commercially and recreationally important marine species in North Carolina. And it set up an advisory committee process through which these plans were to be adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission. Four regional advisory committees were set up to review region specific issues for the northeast, central and southern coastal areas and inland areas of the state. Four standing advisory committees were set up to review issues pertaining to finfish, shellfish, crustaceans and habitat and water quality. The result was fishery management plans adopted only after a comprehensive and very public review of the fishery that took into account the species’ life history, stock status and commercial, recreational, economical and sociological issues. To date, DMF has completed or revised nine fishery management plans covering numerous species. Lastly, the act required the development and adoption of a Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, a multi-agency ecosystem management plan for coastal fish habitats. The plan was developed by agencies within the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission, the Coastal Resources Commission and the Environmental Management Commission in December 2004. The three commissions and DENR subsequently approved integrated implementation plans specifying more than 100 specific actions to be taken. Many of these actions have been put into place and new implementation plans are ongoing. So far, 18 new permanent state funded positions have been established in DENR agencies to implement various CHPP implementation actions, such as establishing oyster sanctuaries in Pamlico Sound, monitoring compliance with conditions of Coastal Area Management Act permits, and closing swine farm waste facilities in the 100-year flood plain. The CHPP was the first of its kind and is being used as a blueprint for other ecosystem management plans on the state and national level. Contact: Patricia Smith COURT AWARDS BLUEFIN TUNA VALUE TO CONSERVATION FUND MOREHEAD CITY – A recent court judgment has added more than $8,500 to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Conservation Fund. Carteret County District Court Judge Cheryl Spencer awarded the money to the state July 31 as restitution for illegally sold bluefin tuna. Walter James Harmstead Jr., 39, of 139 Sunnysail Dr., Manteo, pleaded guilty to a charge of commercial fishing without holding a standard commercial fishing license and received a prayer for judgment for eight months. Harmstead was cited Dec. 11 after Marine Patrol officers David Morris and Carter Witten checked records of landings at a Morehead City marina. The officers found Harmstead had sold four tunas under someone else’s commercial fishing license, without legal permission to do so. The fish were seized and sold to a federal tuna dealer for $8,590.25. The amount was awarded to the Conservation Fund. The Conservation Fund is administered by the Marine Fisheries Commission and used for such purposes as educating the public about the importance of marine and estuarine conservation management. For more information on these cases, contact Marine Patrol Capt. Steve Anthony at (252) 726-7021 or (800) 682-2632. Contact: Patricia Smith DEE LUPTON NAMED FISHERIES DEPUTY DIRECTOR
She replaces former Deputy Director Mike Buhl as second-in-command at DMF and the person who serves as acting director in the event of a prolonged absence of the director. Buhl resigned July 18 to take a job with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regional office in Winston-Salem. Lupton, 39, brings more than 13 years experience at DMF to the position. She currently heads DMF’s License and Statistics Section, where in 1999 she helped coordinate implementation of a new commercial fishing license and more recently the Coastal Recreational Fishing License. “Dee has demonstrated the skills and determination to take this leadership role at a time when the division is moving forward with so many new goals,” said DMF Director Louis Daniel. In her new position, Lupton will head the day-to-day administration of the agency, supervising eight section chiefs who oversee about 300 employees. She will develop and implement long-range administrative goals for the agency and set priorities for its $21 million budget. Lupton will also coordinate DMF and Wildlife Resources Commission procedures for the Coastal Recreational Fishing License. Lupton started with DMF in 1994 as a fisheries biologist and became biologist supervisor in 1995. In 1999 she was named section chief for License and Statistics, a position she had held on an interim basis for the previous year. Prior to coming to DMF, Lupton worked for four years as an environmental technician for Weyerhaeuser. Lupton grew up in Vandemere, graduated from Pamlico County High School and holds a bachelor of science in marine biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Lupton lives in Arapahoe with her husband, Hiram, and daughter, Cheyenne, 6. She may be reached by telephone at (252) 726-7021 or by e-mail at dee.lupton@ncmail.net. Click on the image above to download a high resolution version. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 7, 2007 Contact: Kim Iverson, SAFMC Public Information Officer 843/571-4366 or Toll Free 866/SAFMC-10 Council Seeks Input on Measures Needed for Gag and Vermilion Snapper Reductions in harvest needed to end overfishing within the year The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is holding a series of 6 public scoping meetings to solicit public comment on an amendment to reduce both commercial and recreational harvest of gag grouper and vermilion snapper. Recent stock assessments show that overfishing is occurring for these economically important species. During its June 2007 meeting, the Council received a report from its Scientific and Statistical Committee stating its approval of the Southeastern Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock assessments for gag and vermilion snapper. The Council is charged to end overfishing within a one year period and in response, has begun development of Amendment 16 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan for the South Atlantic. The Scientific and Statistical Committee determined that in order to fish at the Council’s Optimum Yield (OY), a reduction of 61% is needed for vermilion snapper. Substantial reductions in harvest are also anticipated for gag in order to end overfishing. The scoping meetings and a public comment period are being held to receive input regarding possible measures to end overfishing, including modifications to current regulations and potential new measures (closed seasons, recreational boat limits, commercial trip limits, etc.) to achieve the necessary reductions. Alternatives will be included in Amendment 16. The Council is scheduled to approve the amendment for public hearings during its December 3-7, 2007 meeting in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. The final public scoping meeting will be held in conjunction with the September Council meeting in N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (see schedule below). Public scoping meetings for Snapper Grouper Amendment 16 will be held in coastal areas in the southeast. All meetings begin at 6:00 PM. Written comments for Amendment 16 are being accepted by the Council until 5:00 PM on September 17, 2007. Copies of the Amendment 16 scoping document will be posted on the Council’s web site at www.safmc.net or may be obtained from the Council office. Comments should be addressed to: Bob Mahood, Executive Director, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, Charleston, SC 29405. Email comments to: SGAm16Scoping@safmc.net. SNAPPER GROUPER AMENDMENT 16 PUBLIC SCOPING MEETINGS All meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
September 4, 2007 September 4, 2007 September 5, 2007 September 6, 2007 September 10, 2007 September 17, 2007
Contact: Patricia Smith GRANT MONEY AVAILABLE FOR BOATING DOCKS MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting proposals for the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program for federal fiscal year 2008. BIG is a program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that reimburses up to 75 percent of projects that provide docking and other facilities for recreational transient vessels that are at least 26 feet long. It was authorized by Congress in 1998 and is funded by excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel. DMF serves as the liaison between projects in North Carolina and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the BIG program. Types of project that could be funded include mooring buoys, day-docks, transient slips, safe harbor facilities (including temporary safe anchorage or a harbor of refuge during a storm), floating and fixed piers and breakwaters, dinghy docks, restrooms, retaining walls, bulkheads, dockside utilities, trash collections and recycling facilities, dockside electric, water and telephone capabilities, navigational aids and marine fueling stations. BIG may also fund one-time dredging to provide access between open water and a tie-up facility. BIG funds are distributed each year over a four-year period. Grants are provided on a two-tiered basis. For Tier-I grants, all states get at least $100,000 per grant cycle as long as their proposals meet the program's guidelines. Tier-II projects are designated for larger, more expensive undertakings and are awarded on a nation-wide competitive basis. Last year the towns of Morehead City and Washington competed successfully at the Tier II national level for money to help build transient boat slips near their downtowns. Morehead City received $310,000 and Washington received $200,000. For information about grant availability contact Brian Cheuvront, federal aid coordinator, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, by mail at PO Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557-0769; by phone at (252) 808-8015 or (800) 682-2632 (in NC only); or via e-mail at Brian.Cheuvront@ncmail.net. The deadline for applications to be received by the Division of Marine Fisheries is Sept. 28. |
