Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Judge allows fisheries management lawsuit to proceed

September 8, 2021 — A Raleigh judge says a lawsuit filed by dozens of North Carolina residents and a recreational fishing advocacy group against state regulators can move forward.

The Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina, along with 86 other plaintiffs, filed the suit against the state in November over what they call “abject failure” to “properly manage” coastal resources.

“The complaint details how the State has for decades tolerated overfishing of flounder and other species of coastal fish that are valued by the fishing public,” the advocacy group said last week in a release.

Read the full story at CoastalReview.org

 

South Carolina taking steps to protect flounder population

June 21, 2021 — South Carolina has joined a number of states in an effort to protect and improve flounder populations.

Gov. Henry McMaster signed bill H.3957 on June 15 that would change size and creel limits on flounder harvested in South Carolina waters. The bill also increases the cost of saltwater fishing licenses for residents and non-residents with the extra money used for the development and implementation of a flounder stocking program.

“This is something we’ve really needed and we appreciate the legislature for stepping up with these changes,” said Scott Whitaker, executive director of CCA (Coastal Conservation Association) South Carolina.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier

NC Fisheries Association seeks to intervene in civil suit against state

February 11, 2021 — A seafood industry nonprofit seeks to intervene in a civil case between a conservation group and state fisheries managers.

The N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the state seafood industry, filed Jan. 28 in Wake County Superior Court a motion to intervene in the civil complaint filed Nov. 10, 2020, by the Coastal Conservation Association’s North Carolina branch against the state. CCANC, a recreational fishing and conservation nonprofit, alleges state officials have mismanaged coastal fisheries resources.

According to a statement posted Feb. 5 on the NCFA’s website, the association “felt obligated to protect the interest of our members and those who rely on commercial fishermen as their source to access North Carolina seafood.”

“Along with our motion to intervene, we have filed a proposed motion requesting the dismissal of the CCA lawsuit against the state,” the association said. “Regardless of the outcome of these motions, the NCFA will address, in court or publicly, each false claim put forward by the CCA.”

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

North Carolina Fisheries Association Files Motion to Intervene in CCA Lawsuit

February 5, 2021 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

On Thursday, January 28, 2021 the North Carolina Fisheries Association filed a motion to intervene as a party-defendant in the lawsuit filed against the State of NC by the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) of North Carolina.

On November 10, 2020 the CCA filed a lawsuit alleging that, by allowing the use of gillnets and shrimp trawls, the State has violated the NC Constitution and/or the public trust doctrine by failing to protect our coastal fisheries resources.

Among their many allegations, the CCA claims the State of NC has shown a bias towards the fishing industry by “allowing the commercial fishing industry to dictate or exert a disproportional influence on the States coastal fisheries resources management policies and plans.”

They assert that this alleged bias has, in part, resulted in the mismanagement of our marine resources, violating the public trust doctrine and recreational angler’s constitutional rights.

The CCA’s view – that recreational fishing is a constitutional right which cannot be infringed upon, while commercial fishing is a narrow, limited privilege afforded only by statute – is not a view shared by the NCFA.

We believe all stakeholders, recreational, commercial, and consumer have a right to access our marine resources and a duty to protect them for future generations.

With this in mind the NCFA felt obligated to protect the interest of our members and those who rely on commercial fishermen as their source to access NC seafood.

Along with our motion to intervene we have filed a proposed motion requesting the dismissal of the CCA lawsuit against the State.

Regardless of the outcome of these motions the NCFA will address, in court or publicly, each false claim put forward by the CCA.

If you would like to contribute/donate to NCFA to help with this lawsuit, please make checks payable to:
NCFA Legal Fund
PO Box 86
Morehead City, NC 28557

Motion to Intervene

Affidavit of NCFA Executive Director John Glenn Skinner

Motion to Dismiss

Senator Doug Jones’s bipartisan legislation to protect red snapper passes Congress

December 23, 2020 — Alabama Democratic Sen. Doug Jones’s bipartisan legislation to improve the health of reef fish populations, such as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, passed the Senate. The legislation was co-sponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, and a companion bill was recently introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Garrett Graves, R-Louisiana, and Jared Huffman, D-California.

“I’ve been fishing all my life, so I know how important it is to protect Gulf species like red snapper,” Jones said. “The use of descending devices and venting tools is one way we can help maintain healthy populations of reef fish, which is crucial for the economy of Alabama and for ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy red snapper season.”

“In 2016, we won the battle to wrestle control of flawed red snapper management from the federal government,” Graves said. “We now have better fish management, better access to fishing and improved economic activity. The Modern Fish Act, our bill to require the inclusion of recreational fisheries and better data in fish management practices, became law in 2018. Now, with the DESCEND Act, we are going to see more fish, more fishing opportunities in the Gulf, more tourism and better sustainability of our fisheries. This is a win-win for conservation and good eating. I appreciate all of the support and hard work of the Coastal Conservation Association, American Sportfish Association, Center for Sportfishing Policy, TRCP and all the anglers out there that are the true conservationist that want to ensuring fishing opportunities for generations to come. We’ve created a foundation for successful state management of the species through our previous legislation and the unanimous approval in the Senate is reflective of the progress we have made. I look forward to seeing this bill signed into law and our anglers getting to spend more time on the water.”

Read the full story at the Alabama Political Reporter

These inexpensive tools could help increase Gulf fish stocks, advocates say

October 8, 2020 — Sport-fishing groups and federal officials say mandating that offshore anglers carry a simple $12 tool could help sustain red snapper and other fish stocks in the Gulf of Mexico.

The U.S. House last week passed the Descend Act, which requires recreational, commercial and charter boats to carry a venting tool or a descending device while fishing for reef fish in the Gulf’s federal waters.

Here’s the problem: Red snapper and other reef fish are often returned to the water for a variety of reasons. For instance, they might be caught out of season, undersize or over the catch limit.

The rapid change in pressure from being brought to the surface from deeper waters causes many of these fish to experience barotrauma. The condition causes gas pressure to build up in the fish’s body, making it difficult or impossible to swim back down to its normal depth. As a result, many fish die at the surface or fall victim to predators.

Read the full story at Houma Today

Changes are ahead for striped bass

September 4, 2019 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met last month to hash out the details of Addendum VI, which addresses the current overfishing of striped bass and will implement new regulations taking effect in 2020.

Don’t expect this new management plan to solve all our problems or even to ameliorate them quickly. The newest management plan has a 50/50 probability of meeting the target in 2020. If all goes according to plan, female spawning stock should reach 93% of the target by 2027.

ASMFC won’t be discussing a possible amendment until February 2020.

A Coastal Conservation Association statewide campaign called “My Limit is One” in 2014 and ASMFC-imposed reductions back in 2015 (following a quota increase in 2014) did nothing to stem the overharvest of striped bass.

Read the full story at the Maryland Independent

Lingering North Carolina Fisheries Association issues persist into 2019

January 25, 2019 — Captain George’s was the venue for the recent 2019 North Carolina Fisheries Association’s Annual Meeting, which addressed issues that included conflicts with special interest groups, shrimp trawl bans and aquaculture in the sounds.

The NCFA is the primary organization promoting, providing education and, in recent years, defending North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry.

NCFA board presided over an extensive agenda, discussing and taking comments from the dozen or so NCFA members attending on a wide range of legislative, regulatory and other issues the organization faces in 2019.

As board Chairman Brent Fulcher worked his way through the agenda, many of the same concerns facing the NCFA this year are the same, unresolved issues that were on the board’s plate five, 10, and even 20 years ago.

Primary among them were the continuing challenges of well-financed efforts of special interest groups claiming to represent recreational fishing interests.

For those who have followed these issues in the past, the actions of the Coastal Conservation Association, a national group with state chapters active in virtually every state, was once again behind several initiatives seen as a threat by the NCFA to their industry.

Read the full story at The Outer Banks Voice

OREGON: Kitz for the kill: Ousted gov. back to fight gillnets

October 26, 2018 — Oregon’s former Gov. John Kitzhaber apparently loves to hate Columbia River commercial fishing.

In 2012, the Coastal Conservation Association successfully wooed Kitzhaber, convincing him propose that the state ban salmon gillnetters from the main stem of the Columbia River with the hopes that despite years of testing to the contrary, they would miraculously find seine nets to be more selective than gillnets in taking wild salmon (as opposed to hatchery salmon).

Before he resigned from office in 2015 (an investigation led to citations from the Oregon Ethics Commission for using his office for personal gain and failure to disclose potential conflicts of interest), Kitzhaber championed a ban and struck a deal in 2013 with the joint commission that has managed the river with Washington’s fisheries counterparts for 100 years.

In 2017, the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission threatened to withdraw from the joint agreement but ultimately compromised to bring the states back into co-management.

Five years after the 2013 agreement, the joint commission is conducting a comprehensive review, and Oregon officials are threatening again to make a (gasp!) data-based decision to allow the use of gillnets on the main stem of the Columbia River.

Enter Kitzhaber: drumming up support for his ill-advised and poorly implemented plan of old with PSAs on gillnetskill.com.

The flip side of the Kitzhaber deal — as is often the case with CCA plans — was to transition the commercial quota to the recreational fleet. The result was a high mortality rate among the fish they had hoped to conserve by reallocating those “protected” fish to the sport sector. Imagine that!

Data gathered over several years indicate that gillnets do not have the effect on fish that advocates of the Kitzhaber plan estimated, or that other types of gear were more selective.

Yet here we are again, dodging the mudslingers in another fish fight. Science is on our side, but the lobbying dollars may not be.

This story originally appeared on National Fisherman, it is republished herewith permission.

Jessica Hathaway: Outboards overboard

June 26, 2018 — In the coming weeks, the House is likely to vote on Rep. Don Young’s (R-Alaska) Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, or H.R. 200.

This revision and reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act garnered a lot of support in the industry but has since been amended to include anti-commercial-fishing language that all but assures the slow creep of commercial quota to the sport fleet in favor of a tourism-based economy.

“It’s time for the federal policies that govern U.S. fisheries to account for the impact the recreational and boating industries have on the economy,” said Martin Peters, Government Relations Manager for Yamaha Marine Group in a press release.

A band of charter fishermen out of Galveston, Texas, is publicly protesting Yamaha Marine Group because the company has actively been lobbying for the amendment, which weakens the commercial fleet’s access to reef fish quota on the Gulf Coast.

“We had turned the corner and rebuilt these fisheries,” Scott Hickman, owner of charter fishing company Circle H Outfitters of Galveston, Texas, told the Daily News in Galveston. “Now, companies like Yamaha are funding bad legislation that would roll back the conservation aspects of the act.”

Yamaha’s advocacy cemented the company’s alliance with recreational fishing interests and the Coastal Conservation Association. But the push to strip the commercial fleet of its quota reportedly has broader support among other members of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, as well.

Read the full story at National Fisherman