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Contact: Patricia Smith CULTCH PLANTING MEETINGS TO BE HELD IN MARCH WILMINGTON - The Division of Marine Fisheries has changed the date of a cultch planting meeting scheduled for Wilmington. The meeting had originally been set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Wilmington Regional Office, 127 Cardinal Drive Extension, Wilmington. The meeting is now set for 6 p.m. Monday, March 10 at the same location. The change in date is necessary to avoid a scheduling conflict with a Marine Fisheries Commission Southeast Regional Advisory Committee meeting. For questions, contact Stephen Taylor, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, 1-800-248-4536, Extension 7289, or 910-796-7289. Contact: Patricia Smith MEETINGS TO DISCUSS FUTURE RED DRUM MANAGEMENT MOREHEAD CITY – A series of meetings will begin next week offering the public an opportunity to discuss future management of North Carolina’s red drum fishery. The meetings will be held: Tuesday, March 4 6 p.m. These meetings are being held in conjunction with scheduled advisory committee meetings for the Marine Fisheries Commission. Since April 2007, an advisory group, consisting of commercial and recreational fishermen, scientists, and N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries staff, has been discussing issues relating to the red drum fishery so as to revise the 2001 fishery management plan. The advisory committee drafted the proposed plan, now going out for public input. Once the public meetings are complete, the Marine Fisheries Commission will endorse all or portions of the plan, which is then sent to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the General Assembly for review and comment. The draft plan will come back before the Marine Fisheries Commission for any modifications and then the rulemaking process begins. When rulemaking is complete, the commission adopts the final plan and implements any needed rules.
Continue the current commercial regulations, which are a 250,000-pound annual harvest cap, prohibited possession of fish greater than 27 inches and a seven fish trip limit with a provision requiring that red drum make up no more than 50 percent of the total catch. The director of the Division of Marine Fisheries has authority to modify the trip limit. Continue the current 250,000-pound annual harvest cap, but increase the trip limit to 10 fish; allow possession of up to three fish while fishing, prior to meeting the 50-percent bycatch provision, so long as the total catch, upon landing, meets the 50-percent bycatch provision Recommended changes to attendance requirements for small mesh gill nets (smaller than 5-inches stretched mesh) Lengthen the seasonal attendance requirement for small mesh gill nets (currently May 1 – Oct. 31) to May 1 through Dec. 31 in primary and permanent secondary nursery areas and modified no-trawl areas, within 200 yards of the shoreline in areas north of Core Sound and within 100 yards of the shoreline in Core Sound and waters south. Or Require year-round attendance of small mesh gill nets in primary and permanent secondary nursery areas, except for the Albemarle Sound Management Area, Core Sound and waters south; lengthen the seasonal attendance (currently May 1 – Oct. 31) to May 1 – Nov. 31 in primary and permanent secondary nursery areas and modified no-trawl areas in Core Sound and waters south; and lengthen the attendance season to May 1 – Nov. 31 within 200 yards of the shoreline statewide, except for Core Sound and waters south during October and November. Recommended changes to attendance requirements for large mesh gill nets (greater than 5 inches stretched mesh) Require unattended large mesh gill nets to be set a minimum of 25 yards from shore from June through October. Or Require unattended large mesh gill nets to be set parallel from shore and a minimum of 10 feet from shore in all state waters. Recreational size and bag limits No changes are recommended to the current recreational slot size and creel limit of one fish per day between 18 inches and 27 inches. Visit http://www.ncdmf.net/download/RDFMP_revised%20draf_%202-19-08.pdf to view the Red Drum Fishery Management Plan. For more information about red drum management, please contact Lee Paramore by e-mail at lee.paramore@ncmail.net or by calling 252-473-5734.
Contact: Patricia Smith ADVISORS TO DISCUSS WATERFRONT ACCESS PROPOSALS MOREHEAD CITY – A citizen’s advisory committee on Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund proposals will meet at 10 a.m. Monday in Room 1 of the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City. The committee is scheduled to discuss final presentations of funding proposals. Advisors will be asked for their input on prioritizing projects for approval. The N.C. General Assembly created the $20 million WAMI Fund, in its 2007 session, to improve and/or develop public and commercial waterfront access. The legislature gave the director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries oversight of the fund. The meeting is open to the public. However, no public comment period is scheduled. The meeting agenda is below:
Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund Executive Order One mandates the Chair inquire as to whether any member knows of any known conflict of interest or appearance of conflict with respect to matters before the committee. If any member knows of a conflict of interest or appearance of conflict, please so state at this time in accordance with N.C.G.S. 138A-15(e). 10:00 a.m. Neal Lewis Call to Order - Executive Order One 10:30 a.m. Louis Daniel Update on WAMI Decisions 10:50 a.m. Break Noon - 1:30 p.m. Lunch 2:30 p.m. Break 2:40 p.m. Patricia Smith Continue Project Presentations 3:30 p.m. Patricia Smith Questions/Comments
MORE CULTCH PLANTING MEETINGS TO BE HELD IN MARCH WILMINGTON - The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold three additional public meetings in March to receive suggestions and comments on cultch planting. Cultch planting is where shells and rock are placed to enhance shellfish habitat in potentially productive shellfish areas. Oysters, clams and other aquatic life are attracted to the cultch and will begin to immediately colonize the material. The meetings are set for: Monday, Mar. 3 Town Hall 6 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 11 Division of Marine Fisheries 6 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 12 North Topsail Beach Town Hall 6 p.m. These meetings are in addition to previously announced cultch planting meetings. Contact: Patricia Smith FLOUNDER SIZE LIMIT INCREASES MOREHEAD CITY – The size limit for recreationally caught flounder will increase to 15.5 inches in many coastal waters of the state beginning March 1. The new size limit applies to flounder caught in the ocean and eastern sounds, from the Virginia state line to Browns Inlet. Specific lines are detailed in the attached proclamation. The current size limit for flounder caught in these areas is 14.5 inches. The size limit increase is necessary to account for overages in the 2007 recreational harvest of summer flounder, so that the state may remain in compliance with an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission coast-wide quota. North Carolina had been allocated 137,000 fish for recreational catches in 2007. Fishermen caught 174,000 fish. The creel limit will remain at 8-fish-per-day-per-person in all North Carolina coastal waters. The flounder size limit will remain at 14 inches in the western rivers and sounds, and south of Browns Inlet. The increased size limit does not apply to commercial flounder catches. Commercial flounder harvests are managed under a separate quota system. The commercial quota for 2008 was reduced Jan. 1. For more information, contact DMF flounder biologist Chris Batsavage at (252) 808-8088, (800) 682-2632 or chris.batsavage@ncmail.net.
MOREHEAD CITY – David Stevens has been named 2007 Marine Patrol Officer of the Year by the N.C. Wildlife Federation. Contact: Patricia Smith CULTCH PLANTING MEETINGS TO BE HELD IN MARCH MOREHEAD CITY - The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold six public meetings in March to receive suggestions and comments on cultch planting - where shells and rock are placed to enhance shellfish habitat in potentially productive shellfish areas. Oysters, clams and other aquatic life are attracted to the cultch and will begin to immediately colonize the material. DMF’s Shellfish Rehabilitation staff continuously look for ways to improve the program. Annual meetings are held to provide fishermen and other interested parties the opportunity to give input regarding planting sites and on methods, materials and quantities of materials used. Though previously the program worked only with oysters, it has expanded to include clams. The meetings are on the following dates: Wednesday, March 12 Pamlico County Courthouse 6 p.m. Thursday, March 13 Carteret County Courthouse 6 p.m. Monday, March 17 Ocracoke Fire Station 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 18 Meeting Room above Post Office 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 19 Roanoke Island Festival Park 6 p.m. Monday, March 31 Swan Quarter Fire Station 6 p.m. For more information contact DMF Resource Enhancement Chief Craig Hardy at (252) 808-8046 or (800) 682-2632. Contact: Patricia Smith PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULED ON MONKFISH LARGE MESH GILL NET PERMIT MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public meeting to discuss the Monkfish Large Mesh Gill Net permit on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 7-9 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo, NC. The purpose of the meeting is to educate local fishermen on the requirements and conditions of participating in a gill net fishery for monkfish. The fishery is scheduled to open on March 16, and will close no later than April 14. The fishery is limited to waters within three miles of the beach from the North Carolina/Virginia state line to Wimble Shoals, located offshore of Avon, NC. The permit serves to reduce the threat of gill net interaction with marine mammals or sea turtles, while the traditional monkfish fishery continues in North Carolina. The season will close by proclamation if sea surface temperatures exceed 11 degrees Celsius, or approximately 52 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which sea turtles become more active. The season will also close if interactions with marine mammals or sea turtles occur. For more information, please contact Red Munden at (800) 682-2632 or (252) 808-8009. Contact: Patricia Smith
PUBLIC HEARINGS SET ON PROPOSED FISHERIES RULES MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will hold two public hearings next week on proposed rules that will affect striped bass fishing and criteria for obtaining certain fishing licenses. The hearings will be held at 7 p.m.: Tuesday, Feb. 19 Thursday, Feb. 21 Many of the proposed rules implement amendments to the state’s Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. If adopted, they will:
Other proposed rules, if adopted, will:
Written comments will be accepted until April 1 and may be sent to Catherine Blum, Division of Marine Fisheries Rulemaking Coordinator, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557. A copy of the proposed rules may be found on pages 1395 through 1406 of the N.C. Register, published Feb. 1. For more information, call Catherine Blum at (252) 808-8013. States Schedule Hearings on Draft FMP for Atlantic Coastal Sharks (PDF)
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