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NOAA Fisheries Service Announces New Regulations for the Contact: Patricia Smith SOUTHERN FLOUNDER INTERIM RULES MEETINGS SET MOREHEAD CITY – Several advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will discuss possible interim rules for southern flounder at meetings scheduled for August. At its May meeting, the MFC asked its regional advisory committees and its Finfish Advisory Committee to review and comment on whether the state should implement interim rules southern flounder for season closures for both commercial and recreational fisheries and a recreational size limit increase and creel limit decrease. The MFC also asked the advisory committees to provide comments on how to address user conflicts in the southern flounder fishery. State law allows the MFC to implement temporary management measures while a fishery management plan is being developed if it determines the regulations are necessary to ensure the viability of a species or fishery. State law also requires such interim measures to be reviewed by the MFC’s regional advisory committees. The following committee meetings have been slated for the discussion: Finfish Advisory Committee Inland Advisory Committee Northeast Advisory Committee Southeast Advisory Committee Central Advisory Committee For more information, contact Lauren Morris in the Fisheries Marine Fisheries Commission Office at (252) 808-8023 or Lauren.Morris@ncdenr.gov. Contact: Patricia Smith SEATROUT INTERIM RULES MEETINGS SET MOREHEAD CITY – Several advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will discuss possible interim rules for spotted seatrout at meetings scheduled for July. At its May meeting, the MFC asked its regional advisory committees and its Finfish Advisory Committee to review and comment on a proposal to ask the director of the Division of Marine Fisheries to raise the minimum size limit for spotted seatrout from 12 to 14 inches. The MFC also asked the advisory committees to provide comments on how to address user conflicts in the spotted seatrout fishery. State law allows the MFC to implement temporary management measures while a fishery management plan is being developed if it determines the regulations are necessary to ensure the viability of a species or fishery. State law also requires such interim measures to be reviewed by the MFC’s regional advisory committees. The following committee meetings have been slated for the discussion: Central Advisory Committee Southeast Advisory Committee Inland Advisory Committee Finfish Advisory Committee For more information, contact Lauren Morris in the Fisheries Marine Fisheries Commission Office at (252) 808-8023 or Lauren.Morris@ncdenr.gov. Contact: Patricia Smith GRADES IMPROVE FOR FOUR SPECIES ON STOCK STATUS REPORT MOREHEAD CITY – The stock status of four species improved in this year’s North Carolina Stock Status Report of Important Coastal Fisheries. State fisheries authorities believe this is a sign that fishery management plans are working. “All four of the improved species are managed under scientifically-based plans,” said Louis Daniel, director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. Most notably, bay scallops moved from “depleted” to “recovering.” The commercial bay scallop season opened in Core and Pamlico sounds in 2009 for the first time since 2006. The state had closed the fishery due to poor harvests in 2004 and 2005. Stocks had never fully recovered from a red tide event in 1987 and several hurricanes in the 1990s, and were unable to sustain fishing pressure and predation from cownose rays. In 2009, populations in Core Sound and Pamlico Sound showed signs of increased abundance and were reopened for limited harvest. The abundance levels of bay scallops in all other areas of the state showed improvements in numbers, but not enough to reach a target for reopening, and therefore remained closed during the 2009 harvest season. Summer flounder and monkfish moved from the “concern” category to the “recovering” category, and scup moved from “concern” to “viable.” These upgrades were based on updated stock assessments that indicate the species are no longer overfished. Summer flounder, monkfish and scup all fall under federal and/or interstate fishery management plans. The stock status of three species declined in this year’s report. Spotted seatrout, king mackerel and croaker all dropped from “viable” to “concern.” North Carolina’s first stock assessment for spotted seatrout, released in January, determined that the stock is overfished for the assessment years of 1991 to 2006. The stock assessment is being updated to include 2007 and 2008 data. Advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet this month to consider whether to recommend that the state adopt interim regulations while a Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan is being developed. While the most recent stock assessments for South Atlantic king mackerel and Atlantic croaker show the species are not overfished, there is concern about heavy fishing pressure on king mackerel and a drop in commercial landings of croaker. The full stock status report can be found on the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Web site at http://www.ncfisheries.net/stocks/index.html. For more information, contact DMF Biologist Supervisor Trish Murphey at (252) 808-8091 or Trish.Murphey@ncdenr.gov. Contact: Patricia Smith NEW CIRCLE HOOK SEASON STARTS JULY 1 MOREHEAD CITY – A new seasonal requirement for using circle hooks in the Pamlico Sound and its tributaries starts Wednesday. From July 1 to Sept. 30, fishermen must use circle hooks, short leaders and fixed weights when fishing between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. with natural bait using large hooks (greater than 4/0) in the Pamlico Sound and its tributaries. The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission adopted the rule in November in an effort to reduce post-release mortality in the recreational catch-and-release red drum fishery. Research has shown that the use of large or intermediate sized circle hooks, combined with a short leader and a fixed weight, reduces the incidence of deep hooking (gut hooking) in the red drum fishery. The regulation was recommended in a N.C. Red Drum Fishery Management Plan. For the purposes of this regulation, a circle hook is defined as a hook with the point of the hook directed perpendicularly back toward the shank and with the barb either compressed or removed. The fixed sinker should weigh at least 2 ounces and be secured within six inches of the circle hook. The exact wording of the rule, with GPS coordinates, can be found on page 24 of the 2009 North Carolina Rules for Coastal Fishing Waters, which can be downloaded from the DMF Web site at http://www.ncfisheries.net/download/2009_MFC_Rulebook.pdf. An illustration of the appropriate circle hook tackle can be found at http://www.ncdmf.net/download/circlehookreddrum.pdf. For more information about the requirement, contact DMF biologist Lee Paramore at (252) 473-5734 or Lee.Paramore@ncdenr.gov. Contact: Patricia Smith FISH FOR FREE JULY 4 MOREHEAD CITY – Anglers can cast their lines into the surf without a fishing license and without fear of getting a ticket on Independence Day. State law establishes July 4 every year as a free fishing day for all public fishing waters in North Carolina – both saltwater and freshwater – as a way to promote the sport of fishing. Free fishing runs from midnight to 11:59 p.m. July 4 and applies to residents and non-residents alike who fish with recreational gear. However, those fishing coastal waters with gill nets, trawl nets, crab pots or other commercial gear still need appropriate licenses. All size and bag limits and other fishing regulations remain in effect, as well. Fishermen age 16 and older who want to fish the remaining 364 days of the year need to hold a fishing license. Annual saltwater fishing licenses sell for $15 to N.C. residents and $30 to non-residents. Ten-day licenses sell for $5 to residents and $10 to non-residents. A variety of lifetime and combined saltwater, freshwater and hunting licenses are available, as well. Fishermen can purchase a license 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Web site at www.ncwildlife.org or by calling (888) 248-6834 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays. Licenses are also sold through many tackle shops and other stores that sell sporting goods, and at N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries offices. Contact: Patricia Smith CORRECTION: Corrects date in second graph. WAKE COUNTY CREATES 12 NEW OYSTER SHELL RECYCLING SITES MOREHEAD CITY – Raleigh-area residents will soon have 12 new places to dump their used oyster shells and help the environment at the same time. Wake County Solid Waste and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will create oyster shell recycling drop-off areas at all 11 county waste convenience centers and the county’s landfill in Apex on June 25, starting at 9 a.m. The first installation will be at the Landfill Station Gate site at 6025 Old Smithfield Road, Apex. The drop-off centers will be the most recent additions to a growing number of spots in North Carolina where the public can help reduce the landfill waste flow and restore oyster reefs by recycling oyster shells. People can recycle other calcium-based shells, such as clams or mussels, too. “Wake County is proud to support the Division of Marine Fisheries in its efforts to rebuild oyster shell beds off the North Carolina coast” said Tommy Esqueda, Environmental Services director for Wake County. “The county aims to be a leader in the state by providing convenient and efficient oyster shell collection service for its citizens and businesses.” Division of Marine Fisheries’ Director Louis Daniel said he is pleased with the program’s expansion into Wake County. “Not only is it a great opportunity to enhance our recycling efforts, I hope it will bring greater visibility to this important program west of Interstate 95,” Daniel said. Wake County restaurants produce the highest volume of shells of any county in the state. In 2008, the program collected more than 5,000 bushels of shells from four Wake County oyster bars participating in a pilot project that ended in November 2008. This project will provide a way for these restaurants to re-join the recycling efforts, and allow other businesses and the public to drop off their discarded shells. Wake County will maintain its 12 sites, collect the shells and stockpile them for the state Division of Marine Fisheries to pick up once a year. “I hope this initiative will help encourage other counties, as well as private entities, to participate,” said Sabrina Varnam, the state agency’s Oyster Shell Recycling coordinator. “The state cannot continue to expand this program without support from local governments.” Oyster shells collected through the program are placed back in North Carolina coastal waters to provide a place for baby oysters to attach and grow. Oysters are not just a food source for humans, birds and fish. They clean pollutants from the water. Oyster reefs also provide habitat for baby fish and other marine life. When oysters spawn, the larvae need a hard substrate on which to attach and grow. And oysters prefer to attach to shell material. For years, the state has used oyster shells in oyster rehabilitation programs, primarily purchasing the shells from oyster shucking operations. However, as demand for oyster shells has increased, so has the cost. The Oyster Shell Recycling Program started in the fall of 2003 to establish public places where people could donate their shells. The program has grown from collecting 711 bushels of oyster shells in 2003 to more than 32,000 bushels in 2007. More than 86,700 bushels have been collected since the program’s inception. For information on oyster shell recycling in Wake County, contact Environmental Program Coordinator Lowell Shaw at (919) 518-0273. Contact: Patricia Smith
STUDY FINDS DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN OCEAN AND ESTUARINE FISHERMEN MOREHEAD CITY – Commercial fishermen that work in the Atlantic Ocean tend to make more money and express more optimism about the future of the industry than their estuarine counterparts, according to an economic analysis of a survey by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. Although 29 percent of the fishermen in this study reported breaking even or losing money in the previous fishing year, 20 percent made more than $30,000. “While a $30,000 annual income is no fortune in today’s economy, it is higher than was seen in previous surveys of estuarine fisheries in Albemarle, Pamlico and Core sounds,” said Scott Crosson, the division’s Socio-Economics program manager. A few, 4 percent, reported fishing income in excess of $75,000 per year. Consequently, the number of active oceangoing fishermen has increased while the overall number of active commercial fishermen has declined in the past decade, and 58 percent of those surveyed said they expect to still be commercial fishing in 10 years. The study surveyed 177 North Carolina commercial fishermen who reported landing at least $1,000 worth of seafood from the ocean in 2007. Fishermen were asked various questions concerning demographics and their perceptions of the fishing industry. The survey found that fishermen who work in the Atlantic Ocean were the most diverse group of commercial fishermen surveyed to date, but also the most specialized, focusing on one type of fishery. Estuarine fishermen in North Carolina often move between different fisheries throughout the year. Oceangoing fishermen also own fewer, but more valuable boats. When asked their level of concern on a variety of issues impacting commercial fishermen, the oceangoing sector ranked fuel prices at the top of the list. The same was true for the estuarine fisheries surveyed in the past several years. The survey was administered in the summer of 2008, when fuel prices exceeded $4 per gallon. Inability to predict the business future ranked second, followed by development on the coast, weather and loss of working waterfronts. A copy of the economic analysis can be downloaded on the division Web site at http://www.ncdmf.net/download/2009AtlanticOceanReportCrosson.pdf. For more information, contact Crosson at (252) 808-8107 or Scott.Crosson@ncdenr.gov. Strategy for Sea Turtle Conservation and Recovery in Relation to Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Public Scoping Meeting NOAA Fisheries Service is holding public scoping meetings on a range of alternatives for the Phase I of the rule for the Strategy for Sea Turtle Conservation and Recovery in Relation to Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Under this regulation, NOAA Fisheries Service will begin to regulate those trawl fisheries known to interact with sea turtles in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. The public will be asked to comment on the trawl fisheries to be affected, the temporal and spatial aspect of the regulation and the mitigation measures to be taken, such as Turtle Excluder Devices. The public comment period will close on July 10, 2009. Manteo, North Carolina
For a copy of the Notice of Intent and Scoping Document Information Please Visit -- http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/regulations.htm Contact: Patricia Smith The fund, which receives proceeds from the sale of Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses, provides grants for projects that help manage, protect, restore, develop, cultivate and enhance the state’s marine resources. This is the first request for proposals issued for the fund. Only universities, North Carolina local government entities, the state Division of Marine Fisheries and Wildlife Resources Commission are eligible to apply. Others must partner with an eligible entity. Proposals will be evaluated based on the CRFL Strategic Plan for the Conservation and Improvement of North Carolina’s Marine Resources. The plan considers priority research needs identified in fishery management plans approved by the Marine Fisheries Commission, issues identified in the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan and research needs identified cooperatively with other agencies. The strategic plan can be found on the Division of Marine Fisheries Web site at http://www.ncfisheries.net/CRFL/index.html. Projects submitted for this funding cycle should fall under one of the three programmatic areas: Fish – Projects that estimate fishing effort, harvest and mortality of important coastal fish species, the socio-economic attributes of coastal fisheries or the characterization of catch and release mortality; Habitat – Projects that improve the effectiveness of existing environmental programs or that identify, designate or protect coastal fish habitat; People – Projects that provide increased access to fisheries resources and enhancement structures or provide better public education and enrichment products. All proposals must be submitted to the director of the Division of Marine Fisheries by 5 p.m. July 31. Directions for submitting a proposal and an application form can be downloaded from the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Web site at http://www.ncfisheries.net/CRFL/index.html. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. For more information, contact CRFL Project Coordinator Bonnie Jones at (252) 808-8113 or (800) 682-2698. You may also e-mail Jones at Bonnie.B.Jones@ncdenr.gov. Contact: Patricia Smith NEW PERMIT REQUIRED FOR OYSTER LEASE HARVEST MOREHEAD CITY – Shellfish lease holders need to drop by or contact the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Morehead City office to get a new permit for harvesting oysters during the closed season. The permit went into effect today, and is required through Sept. 30. The permit is free. DMF implemented the permit to comply with an Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference-recommended Vibrio parahaemolyticus Control Plan for North Carolina. The control plan requires oysters harvested during June, July, August and September to be placed under continuous mechanical refrigeration within five hours of the beginning of harvest. The mechanical refrigeration must be approved by the state Division of Environmental Health’s Shellfish Sanitation Section. Permit conditions require the harvester to record the date and time harvest begins on a Certification to Ship or Possess Oysters from a Private Shellfish Lease or Franchise form and sign the form to attest to the time and date recorded. The recipient of the oysters must record the date and time the oysters were placed under continuous refrigeration and sign the form to attest to the date and time recorded. The required certification forms are also available from the Resource Enhancement Section for free. DMF’s Resource Enhancement Section will issue a Closed Oyster Season Harvest Permit for Leases and Franchises only to shellfish lease and franchise holders who possess a North Carolina Standard Commercial Fishing License or a Retired SCFL with a shellfish endorsement or a shellfish license. Designees will be allowed to harvest if in possession of a copy of the permit and proper written authorization from the lease or franchise holder. The person holding this permit or his designee must contact the Marine Patrol communications center prior to harvesting under this permit. The permit is available only through the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Morehead City office. For more information, contact DMF Resource Enhancement Chief Craig Hardy at (252) 808-8046 or Craig.Hardy@ncdenr.org.
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