Ahab's Journal

Local fishermen eye 'branding' local seafood

BY SUSAN WEST, OUTER BANKS SENTINEL | The Dare County Commission for Working Watermen hopes to net strong community support for a program promoting Dare County seafood.

"We bring in a premium product here in Dare County, but consumers don't always know where to find it," said Wanchese commercial fisherman Dewey Hemilright.

HB 918 - Designation of Coastal Game Fish

Reps. Paul Luebke (D-Durham) and Carolyn Justice (R-New Hanover) are primary sponsors of a bill that would make spotted sea trout and red drum gamefish.

"A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO DESIGNATE THE RED DRUM AND SPOTTED SEA TROUT AS COASTAL GAME FISH, TO PROHIBIT THE TAKING OF RED DRUM AND SPOTTED SEA TROUT OTHER THAN BY HOOK-AND-LINE, AND TO COMPENSATE COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN FOR CERTAIN LOSSES DUE TO THE DESIGNATION AND PROHIBITION."

 

Read the full bill text here

 

Mourners pack service as Pamlico County fishermen laid to rest

"GRANTSBORO -- Three Pamlico County natives who died when their scallop boat sank off the southern coast of New Jersey were  remembered Monday afternoon as two of them were  laid to rest, surrounded by images of their family's fishing vessel and of the work that was surely in their blood."

Read "Mourners pack service as Pamlico County fishermen laid to rest"

End jettisoning of safety rules

"The sinking of a scallop ship off the Cape May coast last week that left six crew members dead prompted the Coast Guard to schedule a hearing next week to investigate what went wrong. We hope the hearing will result in more stringent safety regulations, including some that were proposed but never implemented after a rash of sinkings 10 years ago."

Read "End jettisoning of safety rules"

'Worst ever' lobster season ends on low note

"A disastrous spiny lobster harvesting season comes to an end today. That's the assessment of fishermen and marine wildlife experts.

Florida Keys commercial lobster fishermen found themselves receiving less than usual for the few lobsters that made their way into their traps this season, which started Aug. 6."

Read "'Worst ever' lobster season ends on low note" 

EIGHT RESPECTED INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS JOIN RFA BOARD

TOP TACKLE, TOURNEY & MEDIA REPS UNITE TO PROTECT ANGLER RIGHTS

In its ongoing efforts to build strategic alliances within the recreational fishing and boating industry while strengthening its representation of individual members, the Executive Board of Directors for the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) appointed eight, highly qualified new members to begin two-year terms starting in 2009.  

Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Formalized Through MOU

This March, the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) formally took effect with the signature of the final party to its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). ACFHP aims to accelerate the conservation, protection, restoration, and enhancement of habitat for native Atlantic coastal, estuarine-dependent, and diadromous fish species through the coast wide collaborative efforts of its state, federal, tribal, and nongovernmental partners.  Ultimately, ACFHP will focus its efforts on supporting on-the-ground projects, implemented cooperatively by its partners, through endorsement, funding, coordination, and other opportunities.  Through collaborative effort the Partnership will generate conservation outcomes exceeding those that partners could accomplish independently.  

NC seafood is local and sustainable

SB 1067 - Sustainable Local Food Policy Council/Goal - was introduced last week by Senator Charlie Albertson.  The local food policy council would be an independent agency located within the state Department of Commerce.  Shouldn'tcommercial fishermen be represented on the council?

Here's sections of the bill: 

"A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO ESTABLISH AS A STATEWIDE GOAL THAT TEN PERCENT OF THE FOOD PRODUCTS THAT ARE CONSUMED IN NORTH CAROLINA BE SUSTAINABLY AND LOCALLY PRODUCED IN NORTH CAROLINA BY THE YEAR 2020 AND TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA SUSTAINABLE LOCAL FOOD POLICY COUNCIL TO ADDRESS POLICY AND PROGRAMMATIC CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY IN NORTH CAROLINA."

Steller sea lions gobbling up sturgeon below Bonneville Dam

"Amid debate over the government's response to salmon-eating sea lions, which includes killing the mammals with gunshots or injections, a parallel but very different predator-prey phenomenon has evolved.

Sea lions have gone from practically ignoring sturgeon at the dam to eating them by the hundreds, which could eventually threaten the fish and force wildlife experts to make some difficult choices.

"Sturgeon is now on the menu," said John North, Columbia River program manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In 2005, sea lions were observed eating only one white sturgeon at Bonneville. Last year they ate about 800."

Read "Steller sea lions gobbling up sturgeon below Bonneville Dam"

Grouper closure coming, after all, likely in January

"The dawn of 2010 seems almost certain to bring with it a four-month closure for most shallow-water grouper species in federal South Atlantic waters.

The National Marine Fisheries Service said Wednesday that the agency has "partially approved" changes to grouper and snapper regulations in federal Atlantic waters from North Carolina to Key West.

Those changes, expected to become law within a few months, include a January-through-April closed season for red grouper, black grouper and several related species."

Read "Grouper closure coming, after all, likely in January"

Little seafood label fraud found in Charleston area

"In Charleston, the sustainable seafood initiative, the South Carolina Seafood Alliance, other groups and legislators have mounted a public education campaign that — along with new federal labelling requirements in supermarkets — heightened awareness. Tightened fishery regulations on offshore species that managers say are depleted have also made people more conscious of just what they eat.

More people are asking the question Dean has long asked: "Where did this come from? And you can't say the ocean." That's given retailers a competitive reason to stock and sell local products.

"I think they have been effective in using a market approach, getting customers to ask," Dean said."

Read "Little seafood label fraud found in area"

N.C. Coastal Reserve and NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research Awarded $717,000 Grant for Shoreline erosion Study

*BEAUFORT, N.C.* – The Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine
Environmental Technology has awarded a $717,000 grant to the N.C.
National Estuarine Research Reserve and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat
Research to examine different methods of erosion prevention in sheltered
coastlines.

Opinion: Eco-friendly fisheries are a good investment

"The Environmental Defense Fund created the California Fisheries Fund to demonstrate that, just as in energy and other sectors, there are viable investment opportunities in transforming fishing into a green business. The Fund makes loans to fishermen who, because they are pioneering new techniques or working with regulators to test new rules, can't otherwise get the capital needed."

Read "Opinion: Eco-friendly fisheries are a good investment"

Lobster industry considers traceability

"Though traceability may require more paperwork for people in the lobster industry, it could help give it a boost, too, people at the conference agreed.

It could prove to be a way for the industry to promote its product as sustainable and healthy, they said, without having to get such confirmation or certification from outside groups. If consumers have to be informed somehow that their lobster came from a fisherman who lives and works in New England or Atlantic Canada, it also could be an opportunity for them to find out how the lobster was caught and about the relatively robust health of the lobster fishery."

Read "Lobster industry considers traceability"

Darelicious Seafood

If you don't believe the Dare Commission for Working Watermen needs help creating a brand name for Dare County seafood, read this suggestion from Jamie Reibel, commission vice-chairman.  For the record, Jamie's wife thinks Darelicious sounds like the name of a performer at a strip joint.

"dare-li-cious~  adj. [ME <AN<LLat. Pleasing  < Lat. Delicia,]: 1. Fresh Dare County seafood product highly enjoyable to taste.  2. DELIGHTFUL.  Dareliciously adv. – dareliciousness n.;:,  syns. SOFT CRABS,  SHRIMP, TROUT, DRUM, SCALLOPS, GROUPER, SWORDFISH, BLOW TOADS, MACKEREL, MAHI, WAHOO, FLOUNDER, BLUE CRABS, OYSTERS, TUNA, BLUE FISH, ect., YUMMY adj.  core meaning: highly healthy and pleasing to the taste <a darelicious meal>"

Cape Cod sees rare large gathering of right whales

"BOSTON– Nearly a quarter of the world's population of North Atlantic right whales, one of the most endangered species on earth, have gathered off Cape Cod in Massachusetts in a rare feeding frenzy, scientists say.

The nearly 80 right whales are the largest number seen in Cape Cod Bay for this time of year, said scientists who attributed the spectacle to an unusually large presence of zooplankton – a marine species that is favorite whale food."

Read "Cape Cod sees rare large gathering of right whales"

Ample evidence Florida's feeling effects of climate change

"Maybe the fish are on to something. Don Hammond, who catches, tags and releases dolphin-fish (also known as mahi-mahi), says those Florida natives are being hooked in some unusual places.

Like Massachusetts and Canada.

People who study South Florida's environment say global warming is starting to have a significant impact on Florida's fish, fowl and flora.

Among those beginning to see the signs is Hammond, a private researcher in Charleston, S.C., who retired after 35 years with that state's Department of Natural Resources. He now runs a company called Cooperative Sciences Services. His fish, tagged in waters between South Florida and North Carolina, appear to be migrating farther north. Last year, one in five were hooked anew between North Carolina and Massachusetts, and one swam its way to the waters off of Nova Scotia."

Read "Ample evidence Florida's feeling effects of climate change"

Bycatch cap for Bering Sea fishery weighed

"Every year a powerful commercial fishing fleet scoops up billions of pounds of Bering Sea pollock to make products such as fish sticks and imitation crab.

It's an immense harvest, and many Western Alaska villagers have grown upset about it. They say the fleet increasingly is catching and killing a far more precious fish -- chinook, or king salmon -- while in pursuit of pollock.

This week in Anchorage, the issue is expected to produce an epic debate as federal fishery managers consider an unprecedented limit on how many chinook the pollock fleet can catch each year.

To many in this fight, the stakes couldn't be higher."

Read "Bycatch cap for Bering Sea fishery weighed"

Saving whales adds to pinch

"Kristan Porter has to spend $8,000 to $10,000 on new sinking ropes for his lobster traps before he puts them back into the ocean off Cutler next month.

A federal rule that kicks in April 5 bans the use of floating rope to connect lobster traps, so endangered right whales won't become entangled.

Porter doesn't think the rule will help whales nearly as much as it will hurt Maine's largest commercial fishery. And he's already worried about what is shaping up as a possible next step: reducing the number of buoy lines – and traps – off the coast of Maine.

"Now they're going for the nail in the coffin," Porter said."

Read "Saving whales adds to pinch"

Let's Promote Dare County Seafood

The Dare County Commission for Working Watermen needs volunteers to help launch a project promoting Dare County seafood.

The project will be patterned after the successful Carteret Catch: Select North Carolina Seafood from the Fishermen of Carteret County (www.carteretcatch.org), but tailored to fit Dare County.

Carteret Catch has flourished due to a strong network of support in that county.  Community members have created a market identity and promotional activities for fish and shellfish landed by Carteret County fishermen. 

The Dare County Commission for Working Watermen believes a Dare County program similar to Carteret Catch would benefit from a broad range of knowledge and experience in fields such as business and advertising, finance, restaurant management, cooking, health, education, marine biology, resource management, graphic arts, as well as commercial fishing, and seafood wholesaling and retailing.

Individuals interested in the project should call Jamie Reibel, vice-chairman of the Commission for Working Watermen, at 252-473-2901.

U.S. Deters Hiring of Foreigners as Joblessness Grows

 

"Jack Brooks is the rare employer who calls himself "desperate to find people." Every year, the co-owner of the century-old J.M. Clayton Co. in Cambridge, Md., has relied on a dozen seasonal guest workers, mostly from Mexico, to pick the meat out of Maryland blue crabs all day long, March till November. But H-2B visas, as they are known, were all exhausted this year. So Mr. Brooks is trying to find Americans to do the job."

Read "U.S. Deters Hiring of Foreigners as Joblessness Grows"

North Carolina Watermen United Happy Hour Fundraiser

 

North Carolina Watermen United

Happy Hour Fundraiser

Tuesday March 31, 2009 at 5:30pm

Hurricane Mo's at Pirates's Cove

2000 Sailfish Drive
Manteo, North Carolina 27954

Come and support our local fishermen!

Free Door Prizes for the 1st - 25 guests

Beach 104.1 will be there to kick off the Fun, Food and Winning from

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Over 70 Gifts and Gift Certificates to give away in Raffle prizes.

We'll be there until they are all given away to our supporters.

Ticket Info: $20.00

Online Game Encourages Students to Learn About Estuaries

NOAA's National Ocean Service has a new educational online game, Waterlife: Where Rivers Meet the Sea, which is designed for 4th through 7th graders. The web-based game provides science instruction through a series of challenges and animations. Players learn about the factors that support healthy estuaries, and discover why estuaries are essential to ocean life and to humans.

Play the game here

North Carolina Sea Grant Seeks Research Preproposals

"North Carolina Sea Grant is requesting preproposals for coastal and marine topics for its 2010-2012 core research funding cycle. The deadline for online submission is April 27, 2009.

"Preproposals must emphasize, and fall under, one of our four strategic focus areas," notes Sea Grant Executive Director Michael Voiland, "and must indicate direct relevance to resolving important coastal resource questions or issues." "

Read "North Carolina Sea Grant Seeks Research Preproposals"

CCA NC Supports Concept of Gamefish Status

Coastal Conservation Association North Carolina supports the concept of gamefish status for specific species important to the recreational fishery. 

Battle for flexibility renewed in Congress

"A new round of debate has opened over the explicit stock-rebuilding deadlines in federal fisheries law, with the re-introduction of "flexibility" legislation by its author in the last session of Congress, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-NJ and co-sponsors from other coastal districts where fishing businesses have been hit hard by quota cuts."

Read "Battle for flexibility renewed in Congress"

 

Bill latest volley in fishing war

"OLYMPIA – Trying to broker a truce in a long-running dispute, state lawmakers are considering stripping the state Fish and Wildlife Commission of its role overseeing commercial fishing.

The move – likely to be voted on in a House committee today – caps a tug-of-war with high emotions on both sides.

The nine-member citizen commission, appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, oversees fishing and hunting policy.

Critics – including some key lawmakers and Indian tribes – say the current members are biased in favor of sport fishing."

Read "Bill latest volley in fishing war"

ASMFC 2008 Annual Report Now Available

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 2008 Annual Report is now available on-line at http://www.asmfc.org/breakingNews.htm.  The Annual Report describes the Commission's activities and progress in carrying out its public trust responsibilities for the valuable marine fishery resources under its stewardship. Marine fishery resources generate billions of dollars in economic activity and tens of thousands of jobs within our coastal communities. The 2008 report on the status of the stocks under Commission oversight reflects the commitment of the 15 Atlantic coast state members to accountability and transparency in all that they do.

The red snapper ban by the numbers

"There were 1,264 vessels permitted by the South Atlantic council for commercial snapper-grouper fishing in 2001, the earliest year data is available. In 2006 it was down to 974.

But during that same time, Florida's number of charter and head boats fishing for snapper and grouper has almost doubled.

In 2001, the council issued 675 for-hire snapper-grouper vessel permits. In 2006 the number was 1,108."

Read "The red snapper ban by the numbers"

Many fail to register distress beacons

"Could rescuers have reached the Lady Mary sooner if her distress signal had been more detailed?

That's one of the questions federal investigators have said they want to answer after the scallop boat sank before dawn Tuesday 75 miles southeast of Cape May, killing six men.

The Lady Mary apparently was vulnerable in a way that is surprisingly common.

Unregistered EPIRBs - emergency position-indicating radio beacons - send out less information than those that are registered."

Read "Many fail to register distress beacons"

SB 1024 - NC 2050 Sustainability Task Force

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA SUSTAINABILITY 2050 TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A NORTH CAROLINA 2050 SUSTAINABILITY PLAN THAT PLANS FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA IN THE FUTURE THROUGH THE YEAR 2050.

(Referred to Select Committee on Energy, Science and Technology.)

Read bill text here

SB 876 - Study Consolidated Environmental Commission

"A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO DIRECT THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW COMMISSION TO STUDY THE DESIRABILITY AND THE FEASIBILITY OF CONSOLIDATING THE STATE'S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY-MAKING, RULE-MAKING, AND QUASI-JUDICIAL FUNCTIONS INTO ONE COMPREHENSIVE FULL-TIME ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION."

Referred to Senate Commitee on Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources.

Read bill text here

SB 1068 - Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities

Senator Charlie Albertson introduced SB 1068 - Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities.

Read the bill text here

Tainted oyster fears costing Miss. over $1.4M

"PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (AP) -- Fears of tainted oysters are taking a toll on the industry in south Mississippi as an area of oyster beds is closed for investigation of a virus that caused 11 illnesses and two recalls in other states.

So far, closing oyster Area 2-C off Pass Christian on March 17 means an estimated revenue loss of more than $1.4 million, said officials at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources."

Read "Tainted oyster fears costing Miss. over $1.4M"

The Marine Life Protection Act mess

"I have heard repeatedly from MLPA advocates that we are amicable groups seeking the same goals of preservation of the resource. Let me assure you all, in no uncertain terms, this is not an amicable process. This is an adversarial process in which we seek to maintain our rights to fish in California waters, while the MLPA backers seek to eliminate as much productive fishing area as they can under the fallacious argument that it would protect the resource. They have also stated that the economic impact of closures is speculative, but I submit the following thoughts."

Read "The Marine Life Protection Act mess"

Herring School For Safer Sex

"Scientists have discovered an underwater phenomenon on a scale they've never seen before: a half-billion herrings suddenly schooling together in the North Atlantic's Georges Bank.

For a week, a scientific team aboard research vessels used a new kind of sonar device to watch this gigantic school form every evening."

Read "Herring School For Safer Sex"

State Budget Puts Fish Data In Deep Freeze

"At a moment when New York’s fishermen and their industry representatives are pressing for better statistics to encourage more effective management strategies, state funding used by the Cornell Cooperative Extension to collect necessary landing data has been frozen, or completely excised, as part of efforts to reduce a $16 billion state budget deficit.

    The worry is that an interruption in the flow of landing statistics could cause the state to fall out of compliance with federal fishing mandates, which, in turn, would prompt the closure of a number of fisheries. The revenue stream is due to dry up next Wednesday.

    “It impacts three [data collectors] I have. I’m in the process of reassigning them. What’s more important is that the landing of quota-managed species will not be tracked,” said Emerson Hasbrouck, the extension’s chief of marine environmental issues."

Read "State Budget Puts Fish Data In Deep Freeze"

Asian oysters redux - not quite off the menu

"It seems Asian oysters are nearly -- but not quite -- off the menu for restoring Chesapeake Bay's bivalves. 

The natural resources secretaries of Maryland and Virginia conferred by phone today with the commander of the Norfolk District of the Army Corps of Engineers to see if they could come up with a common strategy for rebuilding the bay's battered oyster industry and repopulating the bay with filter-feeding bivalves.  According to all involved, they agreed to focus their efforts on the native oyster, Crassostrea virginica, both for commercial and ecological purposes."  

Read "Asian oysters redux - not quite off the menu"

New loan program for commercial fishing licences

"Nova Scotia fishermen will be able to apply for a loan to buy commercial licences as of April 1, Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Ron Chisholm announced today. 

The licence loan program will help first-time entrants get into the commercial fishery and allow current licence holders wanting to buy licences for new species to get access to financial capital."

 

Read "New loan program for commercial fishing licences"
 

Relatives seek recovery of 4 NJ fishermen's bodies

"The Smiths and Credle were known widely in Pamlico County, N.C., where they grew up and learned to fish. Jones said the Smiths were the last black commercial fishing family in Mesic, which has no business district and consists of a church, a town hall and houses and mobile homes. Between 100 and 150 people attended a prayer vigil Wednesday night at the church."

Read "Relatives seek recovery of 4 NJ fishermen's bodies"

Lawmakers question 'green' police's role vs. fishermen

"Gloucester's state legislators yesterday asked the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs about the contract that allows federal fishery law enforcers to "deputize" state Environmental Police personnel in actions against Massachusetts fishermen.

State Sen. Bruce Tarr and state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante wrote to Ian Bowles, whose secretariat includes the Environmental Police, seeking information about the agency's pact with the National Marine Fisheries Service, whose enforcement activities have inflamed worries within state government of "coercive" and "vindictive" behavior."   

Read "Lawmakers question 'green' police's role vs. fishermen" 

Orcas turn up again in Gulf

"The Gulf of Mexico, as even amateur anglers know, is rich in marine life, a saltwater treasure chest of red snapper, speckled trout and shrimp.

And now it’s home to killer whales, the photogenic black-and-white mammals typically thought to live in cold water and eat seals. Really. It’s no fish story.

Scientists say orcas have been in the Gulf for years but are rarely seen because they live far from shore and beyond the typical range of commercial fishermen.

Still, a recent sighting of killer whales 95 miles off the Alabama coast has captivated those who work and play in the warm waters of the Gulf."

Read "Ocras turn up again in Gulf"

NOAA Report Shows Rich Diversity Across U.S. Fishing Communities

Fishing Communities of the United States, 2006 is NOAA’s first national reference guide featuring snapshots of selected fishing communities and ports from the nation’s 23 coastal states. The ports that are profiled were chosen by experts around the country, primarily on the basis of commercial fisheries landings in 2006 and the historical significance of fishing in a community. The report is a companion to the recently released Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2006.

Read "NOAA Report Shows Rich Diversity Across U.S. Fishing Communities"

Company surrenders wave energy opportunity

"New Jersey-based Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) is giving up a federal permit that handed them the opportunity to set up a 200- to 400-buoy wave energy project in waters off of Newport's shores.

In a March 14 electronic filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), OPT surrendered the preliminary permit FERC issued on Jan. 29. The unexpected action of issuing that permit sent shockwaves through local communities because the designated area encompassed prime crabbing grounds."

Read "Company surrenders wave energy opportunity"

 

Bayboro, NC scallop boat sinks off NJ

"ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. —  The Coast Guard suspended its search Wednesday night for four missing crew members of a fishing boat that sank off the New Jersey coast.

Two crew members of the 71-foot Lady Mary scallop boat died after it went down in rough seas early Tuesday.

Killed were Roy Smith Jr. and Timothy Smith, sons of the boat's owner, Roy Smith Sr., of Bayboro, N.C. The elder Smith's brother, Tarzan Smith, 59, of Wildwood, N.J., was among the missing, along with Frenki Credle, Frank Reyes, and William Torres, whose ages and hometowns weren't immediately available."

Read "Coast Guard suspends search for crew of NJ boat"

EPA puts a hold on mining expansion

"Federal environmental regulators have decided to challenge a plan by PCS Phosphate to expand mining near the Pamlico River in Eastern North Carolina, saying the expansion would cause unacceptable environmental harm.

In a rarely used move, the regional director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Atlanta has notified the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Wilmington office that the mining permit the corps plans to issue is unacceptable and should be put on hold.

The plan to allow the company to mine about 11,000 acres adjacent to its current open-pit mine over 35 years entails the largest permitted destruction of streams and wetlands in North Carolina."  

Read "EPA puts a hold on mining expansion"

Boaters World closing includes Atlantic Beach location

"ATLANTIC BEACH - Gene Helmlinger of Newport is training to work as a marine mechanic or electrician, but as he shopped this week at a Carteret County business preparing to close its doors he found the boating industry is one that has been hit by economic hard times.

Boaters World/Outer Banks Outfitters in Atlantic Beach is one of 130 Boaters World Marine Centers going out of business as a result of a bankruptcy filing and restructuring by parent company, Maryland-based Ritz Camera."

Read "Boaters World closing includes Atlantic Beach location"

 

Overfished red snapper could be off-limits for a year

"While not a huge fishery in North Carolina, the proposal also has spawned concerns about regulators piling restrictions onto an industry struggling to stay afloat.

“It’s just one more blow that’s going to hurt those guys,” said Brian Chevront, the representative from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

The decision earlier this month to endorse the proposed closure left the council, which manages fish stocks in federal waters from North Carolina to east Florida, deeply divided."

Read "Overfished red snapper could be off-limits for a year"

SB 885 Protect Oyster Sanctuaries

Senator Don Vaughan (Guilford County) introduced:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO PROHIBIT COMMERCIAL FISHING WITHIN ONE HUNDRED YARDS OF AN OYSTER SANCTUARY.

 

 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 

SB 886 - Improve Success of FMPs

Introduced by Senator Don Vaughan (Guilford County) today:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO PROVIDE THAT FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLANS MUST MEET A STANDARD OF AT LEAST FIFTY PERCENT PROBABILITY OF ACHIEVING THE TARGET MORTALITY RATE FOR THE FISHERY OR FISHERIES.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: