Nationwide Survey Shows Most Americans Support Hunting and Fishing
by Mary Jane Williamson

National Hunting and Fishing Day was officially established in 1972 to celebrate sportsmen and their role in fostering conservation and the scientific management of natural resources and wildlife. This year those celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day will also be able to celebrate at least a decade of public support for their activities, according to a nationwide poll.

The nationwide survey, conducted by Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Virginia, found that support for hunting and fishing has remained strong over the past decade with approximately every 3 out of 4 Americans approving of legal hunting and more than 9 out of 10 approving of recreational fishing.

"We have been seeing public support for hunting increase in several states over the past decade where we had data but this is the first nationwide study where we could verify that public support has increased over the past decade. In 1995, 73 percent of Americans approved of hunting while in 2006, 78 percent approved of hunting. Support for fishing nationwide, as well as in numerous states where we have conducted studies, remains very high," says Mark Damian Duda, executive director of Responsive Management. Although approval of fishing has decreased slightly, dropping only 1.7 percentage points from 95 percent in 1995 to 93.3 percent in 2006, most Americans approve of recreational fishing.

The results of this survey reflect the opinions of randomly selected U.S. adult residents based on a scientific telephone survey of 813 Americans conducted from August 31 to September 9, 2006. The sampling error is 3.44 percentage points.

The poll was conducted as part of two larger projects�a book being written on sportsmen’s issues by Duda, Marty Jones, and Andrea Criscione of Responsive Management that was commissioned by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and a study on the future of hunting and the shooting sports under a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

As Americans become more knowledgeable about the role of hunting in wildlife management as well as how much money hunting and fishing contributes to fish and wildlife conservation efforts, coupled with a visible increase in deer in urban areas and the need to actively manage their populations, Responsive Management’s research shows that the public continues to approve of hunting.

Officials in the hunting and fishing industries are encouraged by the public support, citing the important role that sportsmen play in a number of areas, including conservation and the economy. Steve Williams, current president of the Wildlife Management Institute and former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, noted, "Sportsmen are essential to wildlife protection and management. Game management programs, which are funded by sportsmen’s dollars, have brought back numerous wildlife species from unhealthy population levels, such as wild turkey, wood ducks, white-tailed deer, beaver, pronghorn antelope, and Canada geese to name a few. In addition, sportsmen’s dollars have purchased and managed millions of acres of fish and wildlife habitat benefiting all fish and wildlife species and the public who enjoy them."

Matt Hogan, executive vice president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, pointed out, "Public support for hunting and fishing is crucial for conservation efforts. State fish and wildlife agencies have been and continue to be funded in large part by the contributions of sportsmen and women through license sales and excise tax payments on hunting and fishing equipment. To put it simply, without hunters and anglers, state fish and wildlife agencies would not be able to do their job conserving and managing wildlife for all Americans to enjoy."

Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American Sport Fishing Association, commented, "Hunting and fishing have major economic impacts on the U.S. economy. According to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sportsmen and women spend more than seventy billion dollars on hunting and fishing each year. Spreading that out across other sectors of the economy, sportfishing alone annually contributes $116 billion to the U.S. economy. It’s gratifying to know that the American public supports these activities with such a strong cultural heritage."

Responsive Management is a Virginia-based public opinion polling and survey research firm specializing in natural resources, fisheries, wildlife, outdoor recreation, and environmental issues and has been assessing public attitudes on these issues for 18 years. Surveys are conducted with scientific rigor according to the standards of the Council of American Survey Research Organizations. For more information, please visit the firm’s Web site: www.responsivemanagement.com.

Poll Data:
Do you approve or disapprove of legal hunting? (2006)
45.4% Strongly approve and 32.2% Moderately approve (77.6% Approve)
4.9% Neither approve nor disapprove; 1.2% Don’t know
8.0% Strongly disapprove and 8.3% Moderately disapprove (16.3% Disapprove)

Do you approve or disapprove of recreational fishing? (2006)
68.5% Strongly approve and 24.8% Moderately approve (93.3% Approve)
1.5% Neither approve nor disapprove
2.0% Strongly disapprove and 3.2% Moderately disapprove (5.2% Disapprove)

Do you approve or disapprove of legal hunting? (1995)
40% Strongly approve and 33% Moderately approve (73% Approve)
5% Neither approve nor disapprove / Don’t know
11% Strongly disapprove and 11% Moderately disapprove (22% Disapprove)

Do you approve or disapprove of legal fishing? (1995)
65% Strongly approve and 30% Moderately approve (95% Approve)
2% Neither approve nor disapprove / Don’t know
1% Strongly disapprove and 2% Moderately disapprove (3% Disapprove)

During each Aquarius mission, anyone with Internet access can watch live web cameras, read expedition journals from the aquanauts, view project summaries and pictures, and much more at the NURC/UNCW Aquarius web site: www.uncw.edu/aquarius

• Prohibit the sale of snapper-grouper harvested under the bag limits unless the vessel owner has been issued a Federal Commercial Snapper-Grouper Permit.
• Allocate 95% of the total allowable catch of snowy grouper to the commercial sector and 5% to the recreational sector.
• Allocate 50% of the total allowable catch of red porgy to the commercial sector and 50% to the recreational sector.
• Decrease the snowy grouper quota from 84,000 pounds whole weight to 82,900 pounds whole weight, and increase the red porgy quota from 127,000 pounds whole weight to 190,050 pounds
  whole weight.
• Revise the stock status determination criteria for golden tilefish.
• Expand the allowable transfer of a commercial vessel permit under the limited access program and extend the allowable period for renewal of such a permit to one year.
• Require an owner and operator of a vessel for which a commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit has been issued and that has on board any hook-and-line gear to comply with sea turtle and
  smalltooth sawfish release protocols and possess on board specific gear to ensure proper release of such species that are incidentally caught.
• Implement a bycatch monitoring program, which requires any vessel (commercial or recreational) that fishes for snapper-grouper in the exclusive  economic zone, if selected by NOAA Fisheries
  Service, to carry an observer and install an electronic logbook and/or video monitoring system.

Fisherman Dies While Fighting Tuna

A fisherman discovered an empty boat cruising off the North Carolina coast Tuesday morning with its harpoon line in the water.

When he reeled in the line, he found a live bluefin tuna speared on the end -- and the captain's entangled body.

The captain, Bruce Bartlett of South Plainfield, N.J., apparently harpooned the fish, then got his left leg caught in the 200-foot line, Coast Guard officials said. When the tuna swam away, Bartlett was pulled into the ocean off Morehead City and drowned.

Bartlett was a commercial fisherman who traveled up and down the coast, Coast Guard officials said. He was alone in the 35-foot boat, named Flat Calm, when he died, fighting a fish that can weigh from 200 to 500 pounds.

"They're not easy to handle by yourself," said Ensign Andy Green-wood, with the Coast Guard's Fort Macon group.

Greenwood said Bartlett's was one of several boats that left Morehead City early Tuesday. He was last seen at 8 a.m.

About 9:30 a.m., another fisherman found Bartlett's boat 13 miles offshore, its motor running. The man climbed aboard and pulled up about 150 feet of the line before finding Bartlett's body, Greenwood said. The catch was on the line, but it got away before Coast Guard officials arrived.

Efforts to reach Bartlett's family Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Anthony Ng of Winterville, a commercial fisherman who was also in the area Tuesday morning, said 6- and 7-foot swells were battering the boats.

He said many fishermen work alone, hauling in tuna on giant rods, then stabbing them with harpoons and chasing them until they tire. A single tuna can sell for thousands of dollars.

Ng said it is more profitable to work alone but, of course, more dangerous. "Those fish, they pull hard," he said. "All it takes is one slip."

The Coast Guard advises against fishing alone. But even having company can't always prevent accidents. In 1994, a man was pulled overboard during the Morehead City-based Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. He had wrapped line around his arm and was trying to pull a fish aboard a 52-foot boat. His body was never found.

Controversial appointee exemplified revolving door between industry, anti-environmental lobby groups, and Bush administration

Tucson, Ariz. - The Center for Biological Diversity applauds today’s announcement by presidential appointee Gale Norton that she is resigning as Secretary of Interior. Norton used her post as the nation’s top environment official to dismantle wildlife and wilderness protections; expand oil drilling, mining, and logging on public lands; and squash efforts by government scientists to establish rational environmental policy. Under her tenure, agency morale declined to an all-time low and millions of acres of land were forever scarred.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with more than 18,000 members dedicated to protecting endangered species and wild places through science, policy, education, and environmental law.

Congrats to Capt. Rob Ferris and Team Mad Mouse for a 4th place finish in their first SKA PRO event. Way to go guys!!!

For more information or to register, visit www.northcarolinasportsman.com, www.southcarolinasportsman.com or call 1-800-538-4355.

NOAA Joins with Carolinas’ Universities to Test New Marine Web Portal for Carolinas’ Coastline

Integrates Real-Time Data from Eight Major Providers at One Marine Site
The Carolinas’ Coast Marine Web Portal, a new experimental website that
integrates real-time marine data from eight major providers will be
launched by NOAA’s National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.,
Morehead City, N.C., Charleston, S.C., NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center,
University of South Carolina and University of North Carolina at
Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science, on April 2, 2007.
http://www.weather.gov/carolinascoast

This new marine web portal will be a gateway for marine customers and
partners to access a variety of real-time marine observations, hazards
and forecasts along the Carolina coastline all at one site integrating
real-time data from eight major providers.
The site current integrates data from the following providers: National
Weather Service (NWS); National Ocean Service; National Data Buoy
Center; Coastal Ocean Research Monitoring Program; Carolina’s Coastal
Ocean Observing and Prediction System Stations, that are owned and
operated by the University of South Carolina and North Carolina State
University; United State Geological Survey, Federal Aviation
Administration, Department of Defense, and The Skidaway Institute of
Oceanography.

“At the National Weather Service we are always striving to provide our
customers and partners with the most innovative and useful water,
weather and climate information to help save lives and property,� said
NOAA’s NWS John Guiney, chief, Meteorological Services. “The Carolinas’
Coast Marine Web Portal provides our customers with one-site to easily
obtain all the marine data they need to safely chart their course along
the Carolina coastline,� he continued.
The Carolinas’ Coast Marine Web Portal is an experimental product to
test new methods in delivering both NOAA source data and data from
partners in a web application that integrates both meteorological and
geographic information.
Funding affiliates for this project were the Southeast Atlantic Coastal
Ocean Observing System, Southeast Costal Ocean Observing Regional
Association, and South Carolina Sea Grant.
“We are really excited about this integrative approach that provides
mariners everything they might need for safe passage all at one site. We
are inviting our customers and partners to view the portal and provide
their comments by September 30, 2007. This will allow us to evaluate
this product and its future development to best meet needs of the
mariner community,� said NOAA’s NWS Michael Caropolo,
meteorologist-in-charge, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Carolinas’ Coast Marine Web Portal provides access to current
observations, land and sea surface temperatures, official NWS five day
forecasts and warnings, radar data, wind speeds and directions, wind
gusts, air pressure and coastal bathymetry for a distance of 250
nautical miles from the Carolina coastline. Web users will easily find
the right transmission frequency for NOAA’s All-Hazard Weather Radio
anywhere along the coast of the Carolinas.
All data is available in text and graphical formats and different
datasets may be overlaid on the geographic map providing a comprehensive
view of the weather.

Customers and partners are invited to fill-out a feed-back survey after
reviewing the site. The link to the survey is
http://www.weather.gov/survey/web-survey.php?code=cc-marine

This is an experimental product and availability and content of the web
portal may change at any time. Users are cautioned that the National
Weather Service is not responsible for non-NOAA data and should use
official National Weather Service forecasts and advisories for their
critical weather needs.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the
U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and
service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast
in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and
the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's
scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety
through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related
events and information service delivery for transportation, and by
providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine
resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of
Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60
countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring
network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and
protects.

On the Web:
NOAA: www.noaa.gov
National Weather Service: www.weather.gov
Program Partners
Carolinas Coastal Marine Web Portal: http://www.weather.gov/carolinascoast
Mariner’s Survey:
http://www.weather.gov/survey/web-survey.php?code=cc-marine
National Weather Service, Wilmington, N.C.: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/ilm/
National Weather Service, Morehead City, N.C.:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/mhx/
National Weather Service, Charleston, S.C.: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/chs/
University of North Carolina’s Center for Marine Science, Wilmington;
Coastal Ocean Research Monitoring Program: http://www.cormp.org
Carolina’s Carolinas Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction System,
owned and maintained by the University of South Carolina and North
Carolina State University: http://www.caro-coops.org/
Funding Affiliates:
Southeast U.S. Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System:
http://www.seacoos.org/
Southeast Costal Ocean Observing Regional Association:
http://www.secoora.org/
North Carolina Sea Grant: http://www.ncseagrant.org/
South Carolina Sea Grant: http://www.scseagrant.org/

ULTRALIGHT MIGRATION LEADS 18 ENDANGERED WHOOPING CRANES OVER THE SKIES
OF GEORGIA

Pike County, Ga. (December 5, 2006) - Eighteen whooping crane chicks
have crossed into the state of Georgia, continuing their journey from
Wisconsin to Florida by reaching Gordon County, Georgia on December 3,
2006. Today, the cranes covered 106.5 miles in a flight of just over two
hours to Pike County, Georgia.

The whooping cranes are on a 1,228-mile ultralight-guided migration
from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin to
Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge along Florida's Gulf Coast.
They left Wisconsin on October 5, following four ultralight aircraft.

To date, the birds have traveled 902.9 miles. The Whooping Crane
Eastern Partnership (WCEP), an international coalition of public and
private groups, is conducting this project in an effort to reintroduce
this endangered species in eastern North America. For more information
and to follow the whooping crane's migration, visit the WCEP web site
at www.bringbackthecranes.org.

"The State of Georgia is a key partner in this unprecedented effort
to reintroduce whooping cranes into the eastern flyway," said Sam
Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, a WCEP founding partner. "We are grateful for the efforts of
the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and our other state
colleagues in helping to make this project a success."

Background

There are now 66 migratory whooping cranes in the wild in eastern North
America - including the first whooping crane chicks to hatch in the wild
in Wisconsin in more than a century.

The two wild whooping crane chicks hatched on June 22 at the Necedah
National Wildlife Refuge. The wild-hatched crane chicks stuck close to
their parents at Necedah NWR for much of the summer until fledging, or
gaining their flight feathers, in early September. One of the chicks
stayed behind when its parents and sibling moved from their territory,
and as of today that chick has not been located. The other chick, a
female, was leg-banded so that she can be tracked by WCEP biologists.

The ultralight-led Class of 2006 includes the first crane hatched from
the reintroduced eastern migratory whooping crane population. Hatched on
May 7 at the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research
Center in Laurel, Md., Crane 2-06's parents are whooping cranes 13 (a
male) and 18 (a female) from the ultralight-led crane Class of 2002. In
addition to the 18 birds being led south by ultralights, biologists from
the International Crane Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service reared four whooping cranes at Necedah NWR that were released in
the company of older cranes in hopes that the young birds learn the
migration route, part of WCEP's "Direct Autumn Release" program,
which supplements the successful ultralight migrations.

In 2001, project partner Operation Migration's pilots led the first
whooping crane chicks, conditioned to follow their ultralight
surrogates, south from Necedah NWR to Chassahowitzka NWR. Each
subsequent year, WCEP biologists and pilots have conditioned and guided
additional groups of juvenile cranes to Chassahowitzka.

The whooping crane chicks that take part in the reintroduction project
are hatched at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland. There,
the young cranes are introduced to ultralight aircraft and raised in
isolation from humans. To ensure the impressionable cranes remain wild,
project biologists and pilots adhere to a strict no-talking rule,
broadcast recorded crane calls and wear costumes designed to mask the
human form whenever they are around the cranes.

New classes of cranes are brought to Necedah NWR each June to begin a
summer of conditioning behind the ultralights to prepare them for their
fall migration. Pilots lead the birds on gradually longer training
flights at the refuge throughout the summer until the young cranes are
deemed ready to follow the aircraft along the migration route.

Most graduated classes of whooping cranes spend the summer in central
Wisconsin, where they use areas on or near the Necedah National Wildlife
Refuge, as well as various state and private lands. Reintroduced
whooping cranes have also spent time in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois,
Michigan and other states.

Project staff from the International Crane Foundation and the Service
track and monitor southbound cranes in an effort to learn as much as
possible about their unassisted migrations and the habitat choices they
make along the way. The birds are monitored during the winter in Florida
and tracked as they make their way north in the spring. ICF and Service
biologists, along with Wisconsin DNR biologists, continue to monitor the
birds while they are in their summer locations.

Whooping cranes were on the verge of extinction in the 1940s. Today,
there are only about 500 birds in existence, 350 of them in the wild.
Aside from the 66 Wisconsin-Florida birds, the only other migrating
population of whooping cranes nests at the Wood Buffalo National Park in
the Northwest Territories of Canada and winters at the Aransas National
Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Gulf Coast.

A non-migrating flock of approximately 55 birds lives year-round in
central Florida. The remaining 150 whooping cranes are in captivity in
zoos and breeding facilities around North America.

Whooping cranes, named for their loud and penetrating unison calls,
live and breed in wetland areas, where they feed on crabs, clams, frogs
and aquatic plants. They are distinctive animals, standing five feet
tall, with white bodies, black wing tips and red crowns on their heads.

WCEP asks anyone who encounters a whooping crane in the wild to please
give them the respect and distance they need. Do not approach birds on
foot within 600 feet; try to remain in your vehicle; do not approach in
a vehicle within 600 feet or, if on a public road, within 300 feet.
Also, please remain concealed and do not speak loudly enough that the
birds can hear you. Finally, do not trespass on private property in an
attempt to view whooping cranes.

Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership founding members are the
International Crane Foundation, Operation Migration Inc., Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the
U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and
National Wildlife Health Center, the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, and the
International Whooping Crane Recovery Team.

Many other flyway states, provinces, private individuals and
conservation groups have joined forces with and support WCEP by donating
resources, funding and personnel. More than 60 percent of the
project's estimated $1.8 million annual budget comes from private
sources in the form of grants, public donations and corporate sponsors.

For more information on the project, its partners and how you can help,
visit the WCEP website at http://www.bringbackthecranes.org.

Carolina Beach Inlet

To all Carolina Beach Inlet users. We have no federal funding for the inlet and it is shoaled between 3 and 4. The state has agreed to pay 75% of the cost for 2 dredgings this year if the county will kick in 25%. I need everyone that can to write and or call the New Hanover county commissioners and urge them to vote for the funding. We need a dredge now so ask them to address this asap.

Here is the list of commissioners.

Bill Caster-452-1282, bcaster@nhcgov.com

Ted Davis- 763-6249, 313-0755-tdavis@nhcgov.com

Robert Greer-686-1703, 6197879-bgreer@nhcgov.com

BillKnopp, 431-7120, bknopp@nhcgov.com

Nancy Pritchett, 791-2827, npritchett@nhcgov.com

Please do this asap as my job as well as a lot of others depend on this inlet to stay open

Thanks,
Capt. Don Pierce
Blue Marlin Fishing Charters

Here come catch shares: How NOAA and the Environmental Defense
Fund plan to destroy North Carolina’s working watermen

When my late father was 24 years old, he returned to Hatteras from Long Island, New York. He returned because the Great Depression had left him jobless and standing in a bread line. He came back home and he moved back in with his parents. He returned so that he could have a place to sleep and a meal that he had provided for himself, a meal that he earned by commercial fishing with his father on the family-owned boat.

While fishing the family boat commercially for the meager income provided by fish prices during the depression, he did what young people in America have always done --- he dreamed of his future and he hatched a plan. The plan he hatched was crazy. The elders in the village told him so. They said it would not work. They shook their heads at his ideas.

And he did what the young in America have always done -- he put his crazy plan in motion. He started an offshore charter fishing fleet. He launched the first of three Albatross boats in 1937 with charter fishing as his top priority and with commercial fishing as Plan B.

And just how did that crazy charter fishing concept work out?

Well, in a study sanctioned by North Carolina Sea Grant and carried out by economists and a sociologist from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and North Carolina State University, the charter fishing business is now a $650 million dollar a year industry for North Carolina with two thirds of that revenue coming from visitors from out of state. Not so crazy after all.

And how much does the state of North Carolina spend promoting its charter fishing industry? The answer is zero ($0.00) dollars. That lack of government support has never been an issue or concern for North Carolina’s fishermen. Why? Because the same independent -- some would say hard-headed -- drive and determination that fueled my father’s belief in his dream continues to fuel the dreams and ambitions of the men and women who make a living by fishing both charter and commercially today.

Since the founding of this state, it has been accepted as fact that if you work hard, if you persevere, if you are determined, and if you are lucky, you can be a fisherman. You can own your boat. You can be your own boss. You can feed your family and the larger community. And you can put smiles on the faces and adventurous memories in the minds of countless charter customers who you help experience the wonder and mysteries of our waters.

The only apparent problem with this scenario of being independent, of being a self reliant contributor to society, of providing a service for others is that you do not necessarily get rich. The fishermen do not seem to find this to be a problem, but an alleged environmental group called the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) does.

That’s right, even though its employees do not live here or fish for a living, this group has decided that North Carolina’s fishing communities need to be fixed. Or, in their words, they need to be “more vibrant.”

EDF has published an endless stream of slick brochures and publications, held numerous conferences, and attempted to enlist numerous fishermen in an attempt to explain how society -- make that the government -- can implement a plan that will “create vibrant fishing communities”.

The plan is called catch shares. If you eat fish or like to catch fish, catch shares will affect you.

Catch shares are here. They are, as you read this, being implemented by NOAA through the National Marine Fisheries Service. The goal is to reduce the number of working watermen in the United States by more than 60 percent. The propaganda “informs” fishermen that the ones left standing, after their neighbors are economically destroyed, will be able to get rich and somehow fishing towns and villages will then “be vibrant.”

Welcome to catch shares. They are designed to kill off the fishermen. The infrastructure will then die and then somehow, according to the slick brochures produced by EDF and edited by the finest legal minds they can hire, fewer fishing boats and fewer fishermen will result in “vibrant fishing communities.”

Just what is a catch share? A catch share is an exclusive guarantee that whoever holds the catch share has the exclusive right to harvest a certain percentage of the total allowable catch of a particular species of marine life. That’s a mouthful, and you read it correctly.

It does not grant the right to catch a certain number of fish each year. How many fish can be caught is a number that National Marine Fisheries Service already determines and has imposed on fishermen for years. So if catch shares is not about saving fish, since we already have that scientific process in place, you may be wondering just what the purpose is.

The catch share program is not about how many fish can be caught. Catch shares is only about who gets to catch fish. Catch shares can be bought, they can be sold, and they can be leased or traded.

So the logical question is what is the conservation advantage of catch shares? The answer is that there is no conservation advantage. Catch shares policy is about taking the right to fish away from the masses, from those individuals who want to become fishermen for a lifetime or for a day, and giving that right to harvest fish to a select few. Catch shares is designed to privatize the ocean. As a free American citizen, you might want to think about that one for awhile.

Who will get catch shares? Basically, it will be those with the best past history of landings. That’s right -- those who have caught the most in the past will be selected to keep on fishing -- in the name of conservation and, of course, “vibrant fishing communities.”

But it gets a lot more interesting and complicated than the simple picture I’ve presented. You see, the Environmental Defense Fund has been the driving force behind this concept. The group has spent thousands and thousands of dollars promoting this concept. (In the name of full disclosure, I went to Vancouver, B.C., on EDF’s dime to learn about it.)

Now what did EDF do in the spring of 2009? Why they sent their second ranking employee -- a $300,000-a- year lawyer -- to a national conference of investment brokers and venture capitalists to spread the word about an investment opportunity, something called catch shares. That’s right. EDF thinks that Wall Street should own catch shares!

So if Wall Street owns catch shares, where do you think North Carolina’s small-time fishermen fit in? Seen any evidence lately that Wall Street has any concern about increasing the number of “vibrant fishing communities?” And yet apparently EDF wants Wall Street to own catch shares.

This corporate ownership of exclusive rights is not a wild guess. It is a reality.

The Alaskan king crab fishery is Exhibit A, and in the four years since the imposition of catch shares the crew member shares of the catch have dropped from 50 percent to 30 percent, while the fleet has decreased by two-thirds.

Okay, so most of you are not worried about what happens to the commercial sector of fishing.

Well, last week NOAA publically announced that it wants all professional fishermen to be controlled by catch shares. That’s right. Charter boats and headboats are the next to have catch shares. Having previously begun implementation in the commercial sector in Alaska and New England, NOAA and National Marine Fisheries have made public the plan to begin implementation in the recreational sector -- with charter boats and headboats the first targets.

Worldwide various forms of catch shares have been in place for over 25 years. Where implemented, the least amount that the local fishing fleets have been diminished is 30 percent.

I suspect that I am not the only one who thinks that what North Carolina needs right now is an economic boost rather than another economic hit. Further reducing the ability of the charter/headboat industry to produce revenue sounds like economic insanity.

Well, you may be thinking that at least that those who want catch shares are leaving the recreational fishermen who do not fish on charter boats alone. You might want to be aware that a plan has already been suggested that, in the Gulf of Mexico, recreational fishing rights should be sold to the highest bidder. First, we come after the commercials, then we get the charters, and next we go after those recreational types.

The concept of catch shares is straight forward. The exclusive right to harvest fish will be owned by the entity with the most money, period! And those individual owner/operators? Well, they are quaint and they might be good for tourism because of all that local color stuff, but they are just going to have to adjust and get a job with a corporation. After all, coastal fishing communities are just filled with job opportunities.

Catch shares policy is about ownership not conservation! We already have Total Allowable Catch (TAC). TAC already controls how many fish are caught annually. In spite of what you may have read, TAC controls are already in place. For example, North Carolina’s bluefin tuna landings in the recreational sector were completely shut down in the late ’90s during the height of our season for two years in a row because of TAC concerns. Violators were fined $25,000, and, needless to say, they were few and far between.


I’ll repeat. Catch shares is not a stock management issue. It is an ownership issue.

How soon will catch shares be coming to a marina near you? The answer is that they will be coming very soon unless our elected leaders act immediately. The head of NOAA, Dr. Janet Lubchenco, worked for and closely with the Environmental Defense Fund prior to her appointment to head NOAA by President Obama.

In recent weeks, EDF had a conference in Wyoming (yes, Wyoming) to develop final implementation plans for the recreational sector catch shares. Why an ENGO – environmental non-government organization -- is about the business of developing government policy is, to say the least, interesting.

On Nov. 4, Eric Schwabb, assistant administrator for fisheries, released the formal NOAA announcement that catch shares are coming to the recreational sector.

If we want to see coastal heritage and traditions vanish, we should simply do nothing. If we believe that the right to fish should be the exclusive right of those who have the deepest pockets, we should simply do nothing. If we believe that reducing the ability of coastal citizens to generate income and pay more taxes is good for our state’s economy, we should simply do nothing.

On a personal note, I suspect -- perhaps hope is the better word – that, as the owner of a long standing and reasonably successful charter fishing operation, I will get enough catch shares to continue in business.

However, when I went to Vancouver to learn about catch shares, I heard incessantly about their great monetary value and that raised a question. So, I asked the man who developed the Canadian plan, “How could a young person ever become an owner/operator fisherman with this additional expense?” And he answered after a long pause, “We’re still working on that!”

There is something sadly, tragically wrong when a nation’s government deliberately creates a mechanism that denies the next generation its right to dream. I want no part of catch shares.


(Ernie Foster is a Hatteras Island native who, after a career in education, returned to Hatteras village and is now captain of the Albatross Fleet. He supports groups that fight to save the heritage of fishing, such as North Carolina Watermen United, and is also a board member of the North Carolina Coastal Federation.)


Shout NO to Catch Shares

Please contact our representatives in Washington, D.C., and tell them you support their fight against catch shares. Phone calls are the most effective means.

U.S. House of Representatives: Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., who is leading the charge
Joshua_Bowlen@mail.house.gov
202-225-3415
State Office: 800-351-1697 (free from NC only)

U.S. House Of Representatives, Mike McIntyre, D-N.C.
Stratton Kirton
Stratton.Kirtin@mail.house.gov
202-225-2731
State Office: 910-815-4959


V.S. Senate, Richard Burr, R-N.C.
Kara_Weisharr@burr.senate.gov
202-224-3154
State Office: 800-685-8916 (free from NC only)

U.S. Senate: Kay Hagan, D-N.C.
Patrick_Brennan@hagan.senate.gov
202-224-6342
State Office: 336-333-5311


Please let Governor Beverly Perdue know of your actions with a call or copy her on the e-mail.

NC Governor: Beverly Perdue
Brynn_Thomas@nc.gov
800-662-7952
919-733-2391


If you are from outside our district or from another state, please make sure that your representatives know that you are opposed to catch shares. North Carolina is not the only state that will suffer from their implementation. It has already been implemented in two states.

Copied from Island Free Press

FREE "Fish Finding from Space" the extended version THIS Friday Night

Island Tackle in Carolina Beach

8:00pm until....

Offshore Weather Forecasting

~ Weather Patterns

~ NWS Forecasts

~ ReefCast

~ WaveCast

~ GFS Model

~ NAM Model

Fish Finding From Space

~ What is a "convergence Zone" and why it matters

~ How to Hunt Fish with Satellite Data

~ SSH (Sea Surface Height)

~ Salinity

~ SST (Sea Surface Temp)

~ Plankton

~ Sub Surface Temps

~ Mixed Layer Depth

Offshore Trolling and Bottom Fishing with Sat data

If you have been to one of the Trade Show or Fishing School "1 Hour" condensed versions of this....We are going to cover these topics indepth.  Everyone will learn something.

Come out and join us Friday Night in Carolina Beach, NC at Island Tackle and Hardware and learn how to Save Time, Save Fuel and Catch MORE Fish!

Greenpeace launches first public pirate fishing vessel ‘list of shame’

Rome, Italy, 7 March 2007 - Greenpeace today launched a first global
database of blacklisted, illegal fishing vessels, in a bid to tackle the
huge problem of illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, a $9
billion rogue industry which is having a devastating effect on fish
stocks and biodiversity in some of the most ecologically important areas
of the world’s oceans.

The Greenpeace database (http://oceans.greenpeace.org/blacklist), which
was launched at the meeting of the committee on Fisheries of the Food
and Agriculture Organisations (FAO) in Rome, aims to publicly identify
vessels which are involved in so-called ‘pirate fishing’, to expose the
lack of action by the authorities to prevent the illegal trade.

Today, Greenpeace also released a report (2) showing that the attempts
at voluntary measures to curb pirate fishing by governments have had
little effect on the levels of illegal fishing in some of the poorest
and most desperate areas of action in the world, particularly the west
coast of Africa.

"The fact that Greenpeace has to publish a global database of
blacklisted illegal fishing vessels demonstrates clearly just how little
concrete action states have taken to stop this pillage of our oceans,"
Sari Tolvanen of Greenpeace International. "What’s needed now is an
official body to take charge of the policing of the worlds’ oceans and
make publicly available the information of both illegitimate and
unlicensed fishing vessels. Until this happens, we have little hope of
stopping the devastation which pirate fishing brings."

The Greenpeace report shows that six years after the member countries of
the FAO approved an International Plan of Action to curb illegal
fishing, the problem is very far from being solved. It includes evidence
gathered last year when the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, spent two months
documenting the activities of foreign fleets off the coast of Guinea
Conakry (3). That investigation discovered that almost half of the 92
fishing vessels encountered in Guinea’s waters were fishing illegally,
or linked to illegal fishing activities. It has been estimated that
sub-Saharan Africa loses around $1 billion a year due to the activities
of such illegal trawling fleets.

"The measures needed to stamp out pirate fishing are well known. Action
is required at all levels of the chain of custody, from the net in the
water to the fish on the shelves of supermarkets", said Sebastian
Losada, Greenpeace Oceans campaigner. "International cooperation,
binding laws on port control, as well as a global register of fishing
vessels and adequate sanctions are among the tools that Governments need
to put in place to act against the pirate fleets that are literally
stealing the food of some of the poorest people in the world and
destroying our marine ecosystems".

Greenpeace campaigners attending the United Nations fisheries meeting in
Rome demanded that governments must translate the existing voluntary
frameworks and international initiatives into hard law. The
international environmental organisation also demanded that the special
requirements of developing countries in fighting illegal fishing be
taken into account.

Contacts

Sebastian Losada, Greenpeace Spain Oceans Campaigner, +34 626998254
Sari Tolvanen, Greenpeace International Oceans Campaigner, in Rome.
+31655125480

(1) http://oceans.greenpeace.org/blacklist
(2) "Witnessing the plunder 2006. How illegal fish from West African
waters finds its way to the EU ports and markets", available at
www.greenpeace.org
(3) The Esperanza documented pirate fishing in West Africa as part of
the Defending Our Oceans expedition, a 15-month expedition, the biggest
the organisation has ever undertaken, to show the threats to the oceans
and outline solutions to the oceans environmental crises.
http://blacklist.greenpeace.org/

For reservations and tickets ($75) for the ceremony please call Ms. Lesley Arico at 954-924-4222 or via email LArico@igfa.org.

CABO SAN LUCAS, BCS -- A photo taken from the start boat shows the Joana headed past Cabo's famous arch, ready to take part in the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot. Little did the anglers -- Wayne Harmond, Brian Taylor, Robert Taylor and Larry Voldenc -- know it wasn't a tuna that would make them a big part of the seventh annual event.

On the afternoon of the first day of fishing, the captain of the Joana reported mechanical problems to Mike Packard, who was once again the staff member in charge of the radio as tournament control. Packard said the initial reports were confused, with one report indicating the boat would be able to make it in on the remaining engine.

By the time it was determined the boat was a single engine vessel and was adrift, all tournament boats had returned and it was night. Packard would remain in radio contact all night and the next day would notify competitors to keep an eye out for the Joana.

Compounding the situation was the fact the Joana carried no functioning navigational devices and could not report a position. A container ship reported it had passed the vessel the first night and provided coordinates, but when the Mexican Navy dispatched a launch and a helicopter to the numbers, the boat was nowhere in sight. Instead they found a panga full of drugs.

Meantime, Packard and other tournament boats kept up radio contact and encouragement, while at least one boat decided to actively search for the Joana. Chris Badsey's 45-foot Rampage Reelaxe had been plagued by boat problems before and during the tournament and he and his team, two-time money winners Steve and Dave Brackmann, were not in any of the daily jackpots. The line at the fuel dock early the second day meant they could only get half tanks of fuel and got a late start, but the fast vessel was soon leading the pack towards the Finger Bank.

"On the way up we heard the mayday call at 9:15 a.m. looking for the missing Mexican boat Joana with 6 people onboard" Badsey told WON. "I spoke with the guys and we made a decision to assist with the search and rescue immediately as I was in this same situation a year earlier without rescue for 36 hours at sea when the Mexican Navy never came to rescue us. Friends from California flying down had to charter a boat (and) run out to our last known coordinates, as all electronics were dead and we had no radio unlike Joana who did."

Badsey said he got an approximation of the Joana's position when he had a good radio signal and the Bottom Line, which was 88 nautical miles away, also had a strong signal. Badsey also noted the owner of the tournament boat Trauma sent out his private G5 plane to search.

Meanwhile Tuna Jackpot officials continued to press the Mexican Navy to search and the helicopter refueled and headed back out. Neither aircraft located the Joana. To make matters worse, Harmond, a diabetic, reported he was down to his last dose of medicine.

The Bottom Line had a fish aboard and requested that tournament officials allow them to search first and weigh after the 6 p.m. deadline. They were informed the rules of the tournament would be kept in place.

Low on fuel by 6 p.m., the Reelaxe turned back for the dock at troll speed, arriving at midnight. In the meantime, tournament officials and competitors had kept in contact with the Joana. Much effort was also put forth contacting both Mexican and U.S. Coast Guard officials.

Tournament director said the result was the Mexican Navy waived territorial jurisdiction and the Coast Guard launched rescue efforts that night, including a C-130 and a U.S. Navy vessel. One of the first things the Coast Guard did was issue a notice to mariners that included a grid that was the best estimate of the Joana's location.

Badsey decided to head back out and allowed Packard to come aboard the Reelaxe for the search effort.

"The Natural Stone and the Reelaxe were the only two boats that headed out," noted Packard. "Both captains felt this was something they had to do."

Packard said Badsey wasted no time getting to where he felt the Joana was located.

"About 12:35 a.m. we left the fuel dock, broke the lights of the marina and by the time we hit the end of Cape Rock we were doing 30 to 35 knots," said Packard. Packard said that despite heavy seas, the throttles weren't pulled back until the Joana was found.

"About 1:30 or 1:40 the navigator of the cruise ship Seven Seas had a conversation going with Joana and believed they had a visual on the vessel at that time," said Packard. "About 2 in the morning they confirmed that with us and about 2:15 the cruise ship came alongside the Joana. They put a tender in the water with supplies and a doctor for the diabetic aboard. It was about 4:15 when Reelaxe finally made contact with Joana."

With 6 to 8-foot seas still running, it was decided not to transfer the passengers and Reelaxe began to tow Joana. Then Natural Stone arrived and took over the tow duties and the 4 anglers transferred to Reelaxe.

"Chris Badsey decided he wanted to have brunch in Cabo," noted Packard. "We had been running 3 1/2 to 4 knots under tow, but we hammered the throttles down and proceeded to head back to Cabo at about 20 knots. We got in shortly before 2 p.m. to a very happy, proud welcome at N Dock with a lot of happy family members waiting.

"Thank God for once things turned out right."

Sharks in State Waters Need Your Support

Millions of sharks are killed worldwide each year in fisheries, and the lucrative global trade in shark fins is driving the extermination of sharks in many parts of the world. In U.S. territorial waters, federal regulations prohibit the practice of shark finning and establish limits on shark catches to foster the recovery of overfished species. In coastal waters under the states' jurisdiction, however, the rules often do not achieve federal standards of conservation and undermine efforts to conserve sharks.

Now, for the first time, the Atlantic states are proposing an interstate fishery management plan (FMP) to coordinate shark fishery management in coastal waters. A key goal of the draft FMP is to achieve parity with federal laws and standards, eliminating confusion and closing loopholes that allow unsustainable practices to continue. Among the measures under consideration is a proposal to protect the nursery areas in coastal waters in order to give shark populations a chance to recover. Please click here to send a letter to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to show your support of protecting coastal sharks.

STOP COMMERCIAL MENHADEN NETTING

Finally, we are at a point where we can openly discuss what we have been "trying" to do with our SAVE OUR POGIES  effort and where we need to go forward from here. Basically, here is the story.

At our failed Legislative hearing, we found that our elected officials don't choose to listen to their constutients, but rather listen to powerful lobbyist. After the hearing, I saw Jules Wheatley, owner of Beaufort Fisheries, back slapping and smoking cigars with Rufus Edmisten, former State Secretary of State. Rufus, coincidently, is an old friend of mine back when he was Sec of State. We spoke, he introduced me to Wheatley, and not until that moment did I know that Rufus was the lobbyist who was representing Omega Proteins and Beaufort Fisheries. I contacted Rufus shortly thereafter and expressed to him that SOP wasn't going to go away, that we were all business people who were well versed in problem solving, and that if his clients didn't deal with our concerns in Brunswick and New Hanover counties, that their problem could spread statewide. From that conversation began a series of discussions between us and Representative Bonner Stiller. The end result was that Omega agreed to enter into an agreement that they would not come to our waters. At that point we were encouraged that we would have a solution to the issue, however Jules Wheatley at Beaufort Fisheries refused to sign the agreement. You may remember at the Legislative hearing when asked how many menhaden does he attempt to catch and his reponse was "all of them". His unwillingness to go along with Omega put an exclamation point on his earlier comment.

In the meantime Rep Stiller had kept our bill alive and he attempted to reserect it by turning it into a "Study Bill" which would have used the guidlines in the Dare County bill which restrited menhaden netting in Dare County, as the basis for study. The intent was to keep the pressure on Beaufort in hopes they would sign the agreement with Omega. The bill passed the House, however the Senate adjourned without voting on it, therefore the bill died.

So, what does all this mean? Omega agreed not to come into our waters. Beaufort does not agree. Not a solution, but a beginning. In the meantime I have heard that Beaufort has sold their property therefore they may not be an issue. Haven't confirmed that yet.

What do we do now? There is another path to follow which is to encourage the Director of Marine Fisheries, Preston Pate to declare by proclamation that our area of the State is closed to menhaden trawling. He has that power and can use it if he so chooses. Our issue is localized depletion which clearly occurs as we all know. Pate's position is the mass of menahden are not over fished and therefore there is no problem. As relates to the entire US coastline he may be right, however North Carolina and Virginia are the only 2 states that allow netting, so obviously, to look at the entire population when only fish located in 2 states are being targeted is ridiculious. We need to pound on Mr. Pate to be concerned with his state's citizens, and not an out of state company. We need to contact him via email at Preston.Pate@ncmail.ent or tele # 252-726-7021.

In the meantime, I think we should establish a spotter network, and if one of the pogy boats leaves Morehead or is seen coming down the coast, we need to use the various web sites to sound the alert. Where these boats stop to net apparently will be an excellent place for sportfishermen to fish as we all know the predador fish will be where the bait is at, therefore if a large group of fishermen choose to fish at the exact spot where the pogy boats attempt to do their netting; well maybe Mr. Pate will recognize there is a "user conflict" which is one of the justifications he can use to close an area by proclamation.

That's the story, everyone's help has been greatly appreciated, and if a solution doesn't occur before the next Legislative session, we'll start over.

Thanks again. Rube McMullan 

Longline bycatch reduction according to most recent data by NOAA Fisheries*

NOAA Fisheries (formerly NMFS), in settling NCMC's lawsuit over swordfish, billfish and shark bycatch in the longline fisheries (NCMC vs. Secretary of Commerce), closed 133,000 square miles of coastal waters off the southeast U.S. coast in August 2000 (see closed areas, in green, in map below). The closures went into effect in March 2001.

Longlines are a type of commercial fishing gear used to target swordfish and tuna but which also take a large bycatch of undersized fish and non-target species that are discarded dead at sea. Species discarded by longline gear include blue and white marlin, sailfish, endangered sea turtles, birds, marine mammals and undersize swordfish. While progress is being made in modifying longline gear to minimize interactions with seabirds and turtles, the only known method of dealing with the bycatch of protected or prohibited fish is to get the gear out of the water, where and when it is doing the most damage.

The agency's estimates of bycatch reduction after the 2003 fishing season (combined results for 2001-2003*) as compared to the average bycatch during 1997-1999 (pre-closures) are:

The reductions in bycatch observed after three full years of the closures are substantial and the NCMC is extremely encouraged by these initial reports. If correct, they would represent a significant achievement in reducing longline bycatch through the use of discreet closures. Even so, we remain concerned that under-reporting of bycatch (estimates are based on vessel logbooks augmented by limited observer coverage) and future shifts in longline effort, including increasing effort as the swordfish population recovers from years of overfishing, may impact closure effectiveness. It's especially important, therefore, that NOAA Fisheries continue to improve its ability to monitor the longline fleet and to obtain accurate catch information. Our confidence in the benefits of the closures will increase with time, as we collect more and better data, but the initial signs are positive news for big fish in the Atlantic. The NCMC is also urging NOAA Fisheries to examine longline bycatch levels in additional areas (see areas in yellow in map above) to determine whether seasonal closures in these regions would further benefit severely overfished blue and white marlin.


*as of 2007, the 2001-2003 data is the most recent NOAA FIsheries has published.

Read more about recent attempts to open the US southeast closures.

Learn more about longline closures NCMC is promoting to protect giant bluefin tuna.

NC Wildlife Refuge In Danger
New Public Hearing to be held in Charlotte

The U.S. Navy has proposed once again to put a jet landing field right next to the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern North Carolina, winter home to 100,000 swans and geese. It is also home to numerous black bears, and the country’s only population of endangered red wolves, as well as Bald Eagles and millions of other birds. The conflict between jets and birds is inevitable at this site. The recent court-ordered supplemental report reveals just how far the Navy may have to go to try to make the site work: stripping forage crops from 20,000 acres and harassing, even poisoning, birds that might interfere with the jets.

Boating Infrastructure Grants Deadline Sept. 28

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting proposals for the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program for federal fiscal year 2008 with a deadline for applications of September 28th.

BIG is a program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that reimburses up to 75 percent of the cost of projects that provide docking and other facilities for recreational transient vessels that are at least 26 feet long. The state Division of Marine Fisheries is the liaison with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for BIG projects in North Carolina.

The types of programs that could be funded include mooring buoys, day-docks, boat slips for transient vessels, safe harbor facilities, floating and fixed piers and breakwaters, dinghy docks, retaining walls, dockside utilities, trash collection and recycling facilities, water and telephone capabilities, navigational aids and marine fueling stations. It also may fund one-time dredging to provide access between open water and a tie-up facility.

For more information, contact Brian Cheuvront, federal aid coordinator, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, at (252) 808-8015 or (800) 682-2632 or Brian.Cheuvront@ncmail.net.

Marine Fisheries Commission Continues to Seek Advisers

MOREHEAD CITY - The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission has extended the deadline for applying to sit on various advisory committees.

The commission is seeking commercial fishermen from the Pamlico and Core sounds areas or other individuals interested in sea turtle protection to fill three vacancies on a Sea Turtle Advisory Committee.

The commission is also seeking a recreational fisherman to fill one vacant seat on a Coastal Recreational Fishing License Advisory Committee and a charter and/or for hire fisherman to fill one vacancy on a Northeast Regional Advisory Committee.

Delayed Start Date of the 2012/2013 Commercial Fishing Season for Black Sea Bass in the South Atlantic
Commercial Fishing Season for Black Sea Bass Begins
July 1, 2012
NOAA Fisheries Service is issuing a temporary rule to delay the start date of the commercial fishing season for black sea bass in the South Atlantic. This emergency action will allow time for Amendment 18A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region to be implemented, if approved by the Secretary of Commerce. The black sea bass commercial sector has met their quota very early in the fishing season for the past three fishing years, and Amendment 18A contains several management measures that would reduce the rate of black sea bass harvest in the commercial sector to address derby conditions.
If approved, Amendment 18A will not be effective before the usual June 1 start date of the next commercial fishing season. This temporary rule will allow management measures in Amendment 18A to become effective before the 2012/2013 commercial fishing season opens, NOAA Fisheries Service is delaying the start date of the fishing season by one month.
Commercial Sector Management Measures in Amendment 18A:
• An endorsement program for the commercial black sea bass pot segment of the snapper-grouper fishery, where only endorsement holders who meet certain landings criteria and also have a valid Unlimited South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Permit would be allowed to use pot gear to harvest black sea bass.
• A limit of 35 black sea bass pot tags issued to each endorsement holder each permit year.
• A requirement to bring black sea bass pots back to shore at the end of each trip.
• A 1,000 pound gutted weight (1,180 pound whole weight) commercial trip limit for the black sea bass commercial sector.
• An increase to the commercial minimum size limit from 10 inches total length to 11 inches total length.
Allowing the provisions in Amendment 18A to become effective before the commercial fishing season opens will mitigate socioeconomic impacts and management problems in the snapper-grouper fishery.
*Please Note: If the black sea bass pot endorsement program is approved for implementation, a 30-day freeze on transfers of Unlimited South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Permits with black sea bass landings using black sea bass pot gear between 1999 and 2010 will begin on the publication date of the final rule, which will be announced with another fishery bulletin.
More Information
For more information on this temporary rule please click on this link to the Black Sea Bass Temporary Rule Frequently Asked Questions.
Consider signing up for fishery bulletins via e-mail. NOAA Fisheries Service will begin using a third party as a means to distribute fisheries information by way of our electronic fishery bulletins. To receive fishery bulletins electronically, via e-mail, you must sign up through Constant Contact. Constant Contact is an internet-based distribution service. This service allows you to subscribe or unsubscribe at any time. The electronic copy of the bulletin will be delivered to you faster than the paper copy, is in color, features informational links, and reduces paper use. To receive fishery bulletins via e-mail using Constant Contact, please sign up at http://bit.ly/HQDUEU . You may also sign up for Constant Contact by visiting our Web site http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/ (sign-up option is located on the lower left side of the page).
Southeast Fishery Bulletin
National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

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NMFS Solicits Proposals for MAFMC 2013 Research Set-Aside Program

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that it is accepting proposals under the Mid-Atlantic Council's Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program for research activities to be conducted in 2013.  Applications must be received by NMFS on or before 5 p.m. EST on April 2, 2012.

The Council, in coordination with NMFS and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, may set aside up to 3 percent of the total allowable landings (TAL) in certain Mid-Atlantic fisheries to be used for research endeavors.  The RSA program provides a mechanism to fund research and compensate vessel owners through the sale of fish harvested under the research quota.  Vessels participating in an approved research project may be authorized by the NMFS Northeast Regional Administrator to harvest and land species in excess of any imposed trip limit or during fishery closures.  Landings from such trips are sold to generate funds that help defray the costs associated with the approved research projects. No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification.

NMFS is soliciting proposals for research activities concerning the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, Loligo squid, Illex squid, Atlantic mackerel, butterfish, river herring, bluefish, and tilefish fisheries.  NMFS and the Council will give priority to funding proposals addressing the research needs as follows:

2013 Research Priority List

NOAA Fisheries Service is Elminating the 240-Foot (40-Fathom) Snapper Grouper Prohibition in the South Atlantic

Effective May 10, 2012

     NOAA Fisheries Service is eliminating the 240-foot (40-fathom) snapper grouper prohibition in South Atlantic federal waters. The 240-foot prohibition, implemented on January 31, 2011, prohibited the possession of six deepwater snapper grouper species (snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, queen snapper, and silk snapper). 

Note: Other regulations for these species remain in effect, e.g., the snowy grouper recreational bag limit remains at 1 per vessel/day.

     To view a complete list of Fishery Bulletins, visit the NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office website at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. 

Relevant copies are also posted on the Council's website at www.safmc.net. 

NOAA Honors Fishery Management Councils

On January 30, 2012, NOAA and NOAA Fisheries honored the eight fishery management councils for their role in shaping the science-based management of U.S. fisheries and the historic milestone to be achieved this year with the implementation of annual catch limits on all federally managed fisheries. These eight councils and the challenges unique to each of their regions, have developed the diverse innovations in management and science that defines U.S. fisheries.

Presided over by the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., recognized each council with a plaque for their unique contributions to managing the nation’s fisheries.

Trash to Treasure: New Oyster Shell Recycling Drop-Off Centers Being Built in Jacksonville and Holly Ridge

Wilmington – Just in time for the opening of this year’s oyster season, two new oyster shell drop-off centers are being established in Onslow County. Oyster shell collection bins will be built at the City of Jacksonville’s Sturgeon City Environmental Education Center and the Morris Landing Clean Water Preserve in Holly Ridge. This Tuesday October 10 staff from the NC Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) and NC Coastal Federation (NCCF) will be building bins at the two sites for the public to recycle oyster shells. Construction will occur from approximately 10 a.m. – 12 noon at Sturgeon City and 2 – 4 p.m. at Morris Landing.

The two new drop-off centers are the most recent additions to a growing number of spots in North Carolina where the public can help restore oyster reefs by recycling their oyster shells. Led by the NCDMF and supported by numerous conservation organizations including NCCF, the Oyster Shell Recycling Partnership is working with restaurants, seafood dealers, community organizations and individuals to participate in this effort to collect oyster shells to build oyster reefs in protected oyster sanctuaries.

Oyster shell recycling in North Carolina has received significant support from the legislature through the establishment of a tax credit for shells donated to NCDMF starting this tax year of 2006; a ban starting January 1, 2007 on the disposal of oyster shells in landfills; and enabling a statewide coordinator to be hired.

Sturgeon City is already actively recycling oyster shell from restaurants and oyster roasts. Their efforts were boosted last year with funding from the Fish America Foundation and NOAA Restoration Center to purchase a trailer to help collect oyster shells. The shell drop-off bins are a result of funding from the same sources.

Recycled oyster shell purchased from oyster shucking operations is the primary source for current oyster reef restoration efforts. However, this oyster shell is under increasing demand and is becoming the limiting factor for oyster restoration projects. The Oyster Shell Recycling Partnership is working to increase the amount of shell recycled by encouraging the public to recycle their oyster shells by depositing them at one of the drop-off bins or by requesting a trailer for a larger oyster roasts.

The Partnership has recycled over 24,000 bushels of oyster shell since its inception in 2003. In addition to engaging the public, the shell gathered through the recycling program is a vital contribution to NCDMF's goal for its oyster restoration efforts. In 2007 NCMDF will deploy 300,000 bushels of oyster reef material in sanctuaries and harvest areas. This represents an increase from 239,000 bushels in 2005 and 277,000 in 2006.

WHO: North Carolina Coastal Federation, NC Division of Marine Fisheries’ Oyster Recycling Partnership

WHEN: Tuesday October 10th, 10 a.m.-12:00 noon in Sturgeon City Environmental Education Center, Jacksonville and 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. at Morris Landing, Holly Ridge

WHERE: Sturgeon City facility on Wilson Bay in Jacksonville. For more information and directions go to http://www.sturgeoncity.org/contact.html or call 910 938-5220

Directions to Morris Landing Clean Water Preserve - In Holly Ridge take Sound Rd. off Hwy 17 to Morris Landing Road and follow it straight (go straight where the road takes a sharp bend to the left) to the end at the waters edge of Stump Sound. For more information call Ted Wilgis at 910 231 6605.
# # #

About the North Carolina Coastal Federation:
"Citizens Working Together for a Healthy Coast"

The North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF) is the state's largest nonprofit organization
working to restore and protect the coast. NCCF headquarters are located at 3609 Highway 24 in Ocean between Morehead City and Swansboro and are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm.

The headquarters include NCCF's main offices, the Cape Lookout Coastkeeper office, a gift shop,
Nature Library, Weber Seashell Exhibit, ShoreKeeper Learning Center, and adjoining nature trail.

The NCCF also operates field offices in Wilmington and Manteo. For more information call 252-393-8185 or check out NCCF's website at www.nccoast.org

Ahoy Fellow Fishermen,
News from the NC coast. The fishing is red-hot! The Gulf Stream action in particular has heated up to a fevered pitch as the Dolphin have shown up in full force to join the scattered 45-60 pound Yellowfin and 20-50 pound Wahoo. This past weekend, I hosted one of my Gulf Stream fishing schools and my "students" were all boat owners interested in learning more about Gulf Stream trolling so they could translate the skills they learned to their own boat. We had a "ground school" meeting on Saturday PM in which we covered as much how, when and where as possible to get a good feeling on why the fish do what they do and what you can be done to have more success. All of this was in preparation of a full day of Gulf Stream fishing aboard the ShowTime with me as the boat driver only, the students do all the rigging and catching. We decided to head to the Black Jack area due to the previous day's report, and the action picked up right where Capt. Roger and Jon left it. We stopped and started setting lines 3 miles inshore of the BJ and almost had the 4th line out when a wahoo took the flatline, first fish in the boat. We reset 2 lines and this time a Blackfin tuna hit on the Green Machine/bird combo. Then, one of the guys was dropping the flat lined Cape Lookout C-Jet into place when it was nailed by a 30lb wahoo. Lines started to go out again and then a Dolphin attack. It was like this until noon when the guys finally got all 7 lines out, but that was only because I pulled off the temperature break and offshore to look around the bottom structure to see if the wahoo or tuna might be holding on it. We rested a bit, dealt with a couple of stray Dolphin, then I headed back inshore 1/2 mile and just as we were getting close to the temperature edge the Green Machine/bird combo was nailed and smoked off to the tune of a 45 pound Yellowfin tuna. The Dolphin were everywhere with most in the 12-20 pound range and there was a good mix of tuna and wahoo. Just to set the bar for the Far Out Shoot Out this coming weekend, our 1 fish per species, 3 fish aggregate weight of tuna, dolphin and wahoo was 95 pounds. And that has been the way the fishing has been for over a week now. The Dolphin keep you on your toes and the occasional Wahoo and Yellowfin shows up to sweaten the box. All this great offshore fishing comes just in time for this weekend's RAMPAGE YACHTS/GREGORY POOLE CAT Far Out Shootout presented by THE GPS STORE. The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday looks great, and I am hoping to have a big turnout to fish the tournament. One question I'm getting is can we fish from our home port? The answer is yes. The tournament has no check-out or boundaries. So long as you follow the rules and fish only during lines-in time (8:30am-4pm) and you make it back to weigh your fish at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center by 8pm, you are legal. We've got a great Capt. Meeting dinner planned for Friday at 6pm, so don't miss that. If you need an entry form or more information, you can go to http://oifishingcenter.com/tournaments.cfm or call (910) 575-FISH.
Schedule:
Friday, May 26th 6:00pm - Registration at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center 6:30pm- Dinner and Capt. Meeting

Also, if you are interested in fishing the tournament and need crew, email captbrant@oifishingcenter.com and I'll post your info. on the site to help match you with interested fishermen.
***As a reminder, PLEASE PLEaSE everyone ride the free off island shuttle. There will not be any parking at the OIFC or elsewhere on the island. The shuttle is free, no hassel looking for a parking space that doesn't exist, no parking ticket hassels from Wildlife or the Town, and all shuttle riders will be eligible for drawing for rods/reels/ ect. The only way we can have these tourneys is to use the shuttle so please help us out by riding it. The shuttle will begin running Friday around noon until 9:00pm and on Sunday from 4:00pm to 9:00pm for the weighin and awards ceremony. Thanks for your co-operation.

OTHER FISHING NEWS:
The King Mackerel fishing has really turned on in the 50-65 foot depth range. Spots such as the 390/390, Shark Hole, Jungle, Lighthouse Rocks.... are all holding lots of kings, albeit most small in the 6-10 pound range. Slow trolling dead Cigar minnows on skirted rigs will result in multiple hookups and screaming reels. Also, the cobia are starting to show on inshore artificial reefs. These tasty and hard fighting fish can be quite the challenge. The best way to get them to bite is with a brown eel as bait- its like dangling an onion ring in front of my dog Doppler, it won't last long! You can either use live brown eels on a single nose hook or use a dead one rigged on a 1/2-1 oz jig head. If you pull up to a reef and don't see the cobia come to the boat immediately, rig a brown eel on a jig head and drop it to the bottom. Jig it across the bottom and through the water column. If there's a cobia there, he'll find your bait in minutes-- also, don't forget the chum. Also, the Grouper are biting in 80-110 feet of water and the inshore fishing for flounder and big speckled trout continues very good.
For up-to-date fishing reports with photos, visit http://oifishingcenter.com/fishing_report.cfm . Hope you'll make it the tournament this weekend for a shot at $$$ and most important, bragging rights.
Have a safe and fun holiday and tight lines- Capt. Brant

HOUSE VOTES TO STOP NEW CATCH SHARE FUNDING

RFA To "Rally" Key Senate Allies For Support

 
(5/9/2012)  The House of Representatives last night voted 220-191 to pass the Southerland-Grimm Amendment to close the loophole created by environmental special interest groups to expand Limited Access Privilege Programs or "catch shares," along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico.
 

The amendment was brought to the floor of the House by Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL) at 10:54 p.m. with the co-authored support of Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), prompting a five-minute debate amongst bipartisan coastal members of Congress. After picking up the support of key members from across the aisle including Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), the Southerland-Grimm amendment was approved by roll call vote sometime after 11 p.m.

The approved amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 would prohibit use of appropriated funds from being used to develop, approve, or implement a new limited access privilege program that is not already developed, approved, or implemented for any fishery under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, New England, or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

Now that the House has approved the measure, it's up to the U.S. Senate to put forth the measure for final enactment. The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is hoping to count on the support of key Senate members who attended the Keep Fishermen Fishing rally on March 21, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), and Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC).

"We applaud the efforts of Rep. Grimm and Rep. Southerland, not only for getting this vote to the floor but for their ability to successfully debate this issue with fellow members of Congress to see it get passed," said RFA executive director Jim Donofrio. "There was certainly some partisan opposition to this effort, but for the coastal legislators who understand what's been going on back at home for the past 3-1/2 years, the united efforts of Republicans and Democrats alike was what got this important amendment through."

In a letter to colleagues released before the vote last night, Rep. Grimm and Rep. Southerland explained "catch shares are no different than any other inside-the-Beltway style tactic determined to destroy every aspect of American freedom under the guise of conservation. By capping the amount of fish that may be caught annually and gifting a select few with shares of the annual catch, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is privatizing access to a once open fishery. Make no mistake about it: catch shares are nothing less than a cap-and-trade management system for our oceans."

"I am pleased that a strong bipartisan majority of my House colleagues joined me in standing with our fishermen and opposing the federal government's efforts to pick winners and losers in our fisheries," Rep. Southerland said this morning.  

Donofrio reinforced information contained in the Southerland-Grimm letter by explaining that the amendment doesn't change current catch share regulations. "The vote last night simply prevents funding within the FY2013 appropriations from developing, approving, or implementing catch share programs that have not already been developed, approved, or implemented," Donofrio said.

"Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina is a great friend to the fishermen who was wrapped up in a primary election yesterday and could not participate in the vote, but he had tried hard to put forth a similar measure in 2011 to stop NOAA from developing and approving these cap and trade fisheries policies," Donofrio said. "The problem with dealing with an arrogant government agency like NOAA is that if you give them a loophole for implementing these programs, they'll completely ignore the spirit and intent of any congressional mandate."

RFA said that NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, who helped author the official 'catch share manual' while working with Environmental Defense Fund prior to her presidential appointment in 2009, has essentially put the power of catch share development and approval into the hands of a few hand-selected appointments to the regional fisheries councils.

"What's happening at the council level however is that the NOAA catch share policy is being herded through the regional process by their plants towards final implementation, and we're happy that key staffers in Rep. Southerland's office have been attending Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meetings during the past two years to see what's actually happening under this administration," Donofrio said.

RFA is actively encouraging other coastal Members of Congress to consider sending staffers to regional fishery council meetings to gain a better understanding of the process by which this Administration has all but neglected the input of local fishermen. "It's an eye-opener watching NOAA's arrogance at work from a local level," Donofrio said.

Newly Regulated Finfish Species

New fisheries laws adding or changing catch limits and retention sizes on a number of recreationally important saltwater finfish species in South Carolina have been passed by the SC General Assembly and are now in place.

The new laws, effective June 15, concern the harvest of black drum, weakfish, hardhead and gafftopsail saltwater catfish, red drum, spotted seatrout, flounder, black seabass, and dolphin. These new state fisheries laws were adopted primarily to support a proactive and precautionary approach in natural resources management to help deal with increasing fishing pressures and environmental stresses placed on South Carolina’s marine finfish resources associated with coastal growth and development.

Details of the new laws are as follows:

For more information on the cobia release, contact Jenkins at JenkinsW@dnr.sc.gov.

For more information, contact:
Robert Ovetz, Ph.D.
(415) 488-0370 x 106
robert@seaturtles.org

The U.S. Government has ordered its customs office to start collecting anti-dumping tariffs on shrimp imports from Vietnam and five other countries, said the Vietnamese seafood business association on Tuesday.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been told to begin collecting a US$2.3 billion deposit from American seafood importers buying frozen shrimps from Vietnam and five other countries, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers ( Vasep ).

Vietnam, Brazil, China, Ecuador, India and Thailand were charged with anti-dumping tariffs late last year for selling shrimp to the U.S. at below-market prices.

The duties will be applicable for two years, the Vasep said. After that, the U.S. Government will reconsider shrimp sales and make changes accordingly on the tax rates, said the association added.

Earlier on Jan. 26, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) decided to raise tariffs on Vietnam's frozen shrimps by 0.17 to 0.25% from its December rulings.

In December, the DoC upheld the imposition of penalty taxes on shrimp imports from Vietnam and slapped anti-dumping tariffs ranging from 4.13 to 25.76%.

On Jan. 7, the quasi-judicial U.S. International Trade Commission issued a ruling that support the DoC's decision, paving the way for the taxes to take effect.

The Vasep has repeatedly said that Vietnamese producers did not dump shrimp in the American market and that any tariff rates were unfair and unreasonable.

NOAA Fisheries Service is Eliminating the 240-Foot (40-Fathom)
Snapper-Grouper Prohibition in the South Atlantic

NOAA Fisheries Service is eliminating the 240-foot (40-fathom) snapper-grouper prohibition in South Atlantic federal waters. The 240-foot (40-fathom) prohibition, implemented on January 31, 2011, prohibited the possession of six deepwater snapper-grouper species (snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, queen snapper, and silk snapper) in or from the South Atlantic federal waters in depths greater than 240 feet (40 fathoms). The final rule publishes in the Federal Register on May 10, 2012 and the removal of the prohibition is effective on that date.
The purpose of the 240-foot (40-fathom) prohibition approved in Amendment 17B to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region is to reduce bycatch of speckled hind and warsaw grouper. However, there is evidence, from both public comments and new analysis of data, that the prohibition is not effective at its stated purpose and comes at a higher economic cost to fishermen than originally anticipated. A new analysis of landings data following the implementation of the prohibition indicates that different management measures are likely more effective. Therefore, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is currently developing an amendment to further protect speckled hind and warsaw grouper. That amendment considers additional measures to reduce bycatch of speckled hind and warsaw grouper, including the expansion of existing, and establishment of new, closed areas.
The decision to eliminate the 240-foot (40-fathom) prohibition through Regulatory Amendment 11 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region does not affect the prohibition on harvest and possession of speckled hind and warsaw grouper in the South Atlantic. It remains unlawful to harvest or possess speckled hind and warsaw grouper.
More information, including Frequently Asked Questions for Regulatory Amendment 11 can be found online at:
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/SASnapperGrouperHomepage.htm

PROCLAMATION

Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 8:00 P.M., Monday, January 12, 2004 the following restrictions will apply to the harvest of striped bass with gill nets in the Atlantic Ocean waters of North Carolina.

I. SEASON CLOSURE

The Atlantic Ocean gill net season for striped bass WILL CLOSE due to the harvest allocation being met.

II. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. This proclamation is issued under the authority of G.S. 113-170.4; 113-170.5;113-182; 113-221(e); 143B-289.52; and N.C. Marine Fisheries Rules 15A NCAC 3H .0103, 3M .0201 and 3M.0204.

B. It is unlawful to violate the provisions of any proclamation issued by the Director under his delegated authority per 15A NCAC 3H .0103.

The increasing pressure that is being brought to bear on ocean resources around the world, means that we must obtain the data upon which proper management of these precious fisheries depends. To maintain strong recreational fisheries for blue marlin it will be increasingly important to demonstrate that blue marlin require international cooperation for their proper management. Pop-up satellite tagging has the potential to provide information on detailed movements, which can be related to remote oceanographic imagery of surface temperatures and oceanic productivity. Such data will provide the first spatial and temporal series on how and why blue marlin move throughout the Pacific basin.revious Blue Marlin Tracking Research

THE ANGRY FISHERMAN

THE ANGRY FISHERMAN and its supporters are in total support of H918, the
Coastal Game Fish Act Bill which is currently in the NC House of Representatives
for consideration. This bill will give “Game Fish” protection to the Spotted Sea
Trout and the Red Drum, and is long overdue here in North Carolina! We also
support the Primary Sponsors of this bill, Representative Carolyn Justice, Pender
and New Hanover Counties, and Representative Paul Luebke, Durham County.
Recent attacks on the character of Rep. Justice by Sean McKeon, paid lobbyist and
spokesman for the commercial fishing industry and the NCFA, are slanderous and
should be retracted immediately! Only 11,063 pounds of Speckled Trout were
reported sold in New Hanover and Pender Counties combined in 2008, clearly
pointing out the scathing, false statement from McKeon that “She’s a coastal
rep acting to destroy many of her own constituents’ livelihoods”.
Quite the contrary, she is representing her constituents with the greatest of
courage in her efforts to guarantee the future of these two fish for the
greater good of New Hanover County and Pender County residents. The
economic impacts of these 2 fish as “Sport Fish” to the coastal communities
outweigh the values they bring to a fish market by millions of dollars!
NOAA studies recently released showed that the NC saltwater recreational
angler spent $2.5 Billion with NC businesses in 2006, generated over $780
Million in salaries and wages to NC workers, and helped support over 23,700
jobs here in NC. Our question to Mr. McKeon is this, how much money did
the commercial fishing industry put into the NC economy in 2006? How
much salaries and wages were created by the commercial fishing industry in
2006, and how many jobs did the industry you are paid to represent provide
for NC workers?
Mr. McKeon is paid to say what he says. Who knows what he really believes?
His efforts are well funded by the NCFA. His income is paid directly from the
total sales of seafood by the members of the NCFA. The more they harvest
and sell, the more he makes! When all the fish are gone, Mr. McKeon will
have to find another industry to spew his lies for!
We believe it is “high time” that someone stood up to the commercially
stacked Marine Fisheries Commission and a select few politicians that feed at
the commercial fishing trough. The Angry Fisherman is 20,000 active and
supportive members. There are NO paid officials nor are any members
doing this for any reason other than to ensure that future generations will
have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible resource. If change does not
happen, then this State faces the extinction of numerous animals and fish
simply for the benefit of a few.
The Angry Fisherman
John M. Hislop

THE ANGRY FISHERMAN

Press Release, April 13, 2009

Key Senators Agree to Take Action As Ocean Crisis Worsens

Joint Ocean Commission Responds to Senate Request To Develop Congressional Priority Plan

From Sea to Shining Sea:
Priorities for Ocean Policy Reform