September 14, 2013 — Murrells Inlet seafood dealer Chris Conklin will be sworn as a new member of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council at the start of the council’s meeting on Monday and will immediately find himself embroiled in what promises to be an intense discussion on the proposed establishment of more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) off the South Atlantic coast.
The impact on South Carolina fishermen – both recreational and commercial – could be significant if all the proposed MPAs are approved, and the council is being urged to do just that by at least one environmental group, the PEW Charitable Trusts.
Eight MPAs were established by the fishery council in 2009 and now the council is being urged to consider a suite of 30 MPAs, including 27 square miles of the historic Georgetown Hole, perhaps the most commonly known offshore fishing area for boats out of Murrells Inlet and Georgetown.
The proposed MPAs are designed to protect two deep-water grouper species – Warsaw and speckled hind – from by-catch when anglers are fishing for other snapper-grouper species and fishing would not be allowed within their boundaries.