Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Environment commission to review coastal protection plan

August 26, 2021 — The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is set to review next month the draft amendment to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, which is revised every five years to reflect changes in the status of habitat protection in the state.

Committee meetings begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 8 for the Air Quality Committee, Groundwater and Waste Management Committee and Water Quality Committee. The virtual, full commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 9. The public is invited to attend the meeting online or by phone. Access the EMC meetings through the state Department of Environmental Quality website.

The commission when it meets remotely also will look at approving the 2021 Pasquotank River Basin Water Resources Plan and rule changes to address a permitting gap created by recent changes to Clean Water Act Federal Jurisdiction for wetlands in certain landscape positions.

The draft habitat plan 2021 amendment focuses on the following five priority issues:

  • Submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, protection and restoration through water quality improvements.
  • Wetland protection and restoration through nature-based solutions.
  • Environmental rule compliance to protect coastal habitats.
  • Wastewater infrastructure solutions for water quality improvement.
  • Coastal habitat mapping and monitoring to assess status and trends.

Read the full story at Coastal Review Online

NORTH CAROLINA: Commercial fishermen have taken a nosedive in the past 20 years

August 16, 2021 — North Carolina commercial fishermen have complained for decades that government regulations and a variety of other factors threaten their livelihood and have them headed the way of endangered species.

Glenn Skinner of Newport, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association an advocacy group of commercial fishermen, said statistics back that up.

According to the state Division of Marine Fisheries, the number of people with commercial licenses who sold seafood has dropped more than 50 percent since 2001.

The number was 4,273 in 2001 and it was 1,897 in 2020 — a decline of 2,376.

“These declines are the result of many different factors. with regulations, the fear of future regulations or outright bans on commercial fishing gears being a significant factor,” Skinner said.

Read the full story at The Free Press

NORTH CAROLINA: Commercial fishermen say they can’t stay afloat under biased regulations

May 13, 2021 — The commercial fishing industry is a lifeline for many coastal communities in North Carolina.

According to a study from NC State University, the fishing industry provides nearly $300 million to the state’s economy and employs more than 5,000 people.

However, many commercial fishermen feel like they’ve been playing defense for a decade, fighting for their livelihood.

“It’s a hard day to fight when you get up and you know you’re fighting for your survival every day, and you’re regulated to the point where you can barely make it,” said Doug Cross.

Cross runs Pamlico Packing Company with his brother. He grew up around the docks in Vandemere and started helping out at the family business when he was 13.

“I’ve seen years where the boats were a liability, and I’ve seen years where the boats were a blessing,” said Cross.

Read the full story at WNCT

NORTH CAROLINA: Nothing fishy about it: Seafood saves lives

May 13, 2021 — Fish literally saves lives: A North Carolina statewide public relations campaign will focus on promoting the health benefits of eating local seafood.

The campaign explores the health benefits of eating local seafood that directly affect the consumer, backed by well-documented scientific data from respected health professional and scientists.

The Science Behind Your Local Seafood uses a website and digital billboards to promote fish as among the healthiest foods on the planet, emphasizing its nourishment for both body and brain. This data will be used to educate con-sumers across generations.

For example:

  • Scientific Review indicates an average 7.7 IQ point gain in children whose mothers ate seafood during pregnancy compared to mothers who did not.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Marine Fisheries Commission amends sector allocations for southern flounder plan amendment

April 7, 2021 — The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission voted to amend the previously adopted sector allocations for Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan to gradually equalize allocations between the commercial and recreational fisheries.

The commission voted to change the allocation to 70% commercial and 30% recreational in 2021 and 2022, 60% commercial and 40% recreational in 2023 and 50% commercial and 50% recreational in 2024, states a media release from Division of Marine Fisheries.

In February, the commission had selected sector harvest allocations of 70% commercial and 30% recreational for the duration of Amendment 3. That allocation was similar to the harvest landed by each sector in 2017, the terminal year of the stock assessment on which draft management measures in Amendment 3 are based.

Read the full story at The Coastland Times

NORTH CAROLINA: Commercial, recreational fishermen at odds over proposed limits to southern flounder catch

March 29, 2021 — The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission is making plans to protect and preserve the southern flounder population off North Carolina’s coast, but its decision on how it will allocate the supply between recreational and commercial fishermen is causing people to get upset.

“The stock is in trouble, big trouble,” said the chair of the commission, Rob Bizzell, “And we’re looking at an overall 72 percent reduction in the take, which is significant. Some people are scared that the stock is going to collapse, and when the stock collapses, there’s no hope for recovery. We’re trying to avoid that.”

The commission is working on limiting the amount of the catch in a single season to around 500,000 fish. A recent vote by the commission to give the commercial industry approximately 70 percent of that supply and the recreational fishermen 30 percent of that supply is upsetting some.

“I got almost 900 letters of concern about the 30/70 allocation,” Bizzell said. “And, you know, for every one letter you get, good gracious, probably 20 or 30 individuals who feel the same way, but just don’t take the effort to speak up.”

Read the full story at WRAL

North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission to meet by web conference March 31

March 25, 2021 — The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet by web conference on March 31 beginning at 1 p.m.

The public may listen to the meeting by phone or listen and view presentations online.

For to the link and phone number to join the meeting go to the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage.

Members of the public may submit written comments to the commission in two ways:

  1. Online Comments – Public comments will be accepted until noon on Monday, March 29, through an online form available here.
  2. Mailed Comments – Written comments may be mailed to March 31, 2021 Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting Comments, P.O Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557. Comments must be received by the division by noon on Monday, March 29.

Public comment will not be accepted during the meeting or through email.

Following the meeting, an audio recording will be posted online.

Read the full story at the Island Free Press

CARES Act support for fishermen, seafood dealers may come this spring

March 5, 2021 — Commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and others who make their living on the water may get federal aid sometime this spring to help make up coronavirus-related loses.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Deputy Director Dee Lupton informed the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Feb. 25 during the commission’s online Webinar meeting that division staff is processing Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act financial aid applications from commercial and for-hire fishermen, seafood dealers and processors.

The application period for the $5.4 million in federal aid for North Carolina watermen closed Nov. 30, and according to an email Feb. 23 to the News-Times from DMF Communications Director Patricia Smith, the division received 290 applications, of which 216 were from commercial fishermen and aquaculture operations, 35 were from seafood dealers and processors and 39 were from for-hire operations.

“As of this past Monday (Feb. 22), we’ve reviewed all of them,” Ms. Lupton said at the Feb. 25 commission meeting. “One hundred and ninety-eight have been approved. We’re in the process of notifying those determined not-eligible, they will have an appeal opportunity.”

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission tackles circle hooks through fishery management plans

March 3, 2021 — Recreational and commercial fishermen may see new requirements for circle hooks on a species-by-species basis in the future.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission met online Feb. 25 via Webinar, during which the commission unanimously agreed to maintain current circle hook requirements while considering additional rules on a species-by-species basis through the fishery management plan process. Circle hooks are a type of gear recommended by conservationists and marine scientists to reduce dead discards.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Executive Assistant for Council Steve Poland delivered a report on a commission-requested study on the effectiveness of barbless circle hooks. According to the report, current scientific opinions support the use of hook modifications to reduce discard mortality.

“The general consensus is the science supports circle hooks,” Mr. Poland said. “However…science also suggests not all circle hooks are created equal.”

Existing state and interstate regulations require circle hooks for some fisheries, but not all. The DMF requires them in areas of Pamlico Sound when fishing for red drum. Meanwhile, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission requires non-offset circle hooks when fishing for sharks in state waters and when using natural bait to fish for striped bass in the Atlantic Ocean. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council also has some circle hook regulations, requiring the hooks when fishermen are in possession of snapper-grouper species in South Atlantic Ocean waters.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

NORTH CAROLINA: Blue crab season closure implemented

December 10, 2020 — The following was released by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality:

The blue crab season closures will go into effect Jan. 1-31, 2021 in North Carolina state waters north and east of the Highway 58 bridge and March 1-15, 2021 south and west of the Highway 58 bridge. The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission approved measures to end overfishing and achieve sustainable harvest with the adoption of the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 at its February 2020 meeting.

The blue crab season closure replaces the annual pot closure period and will remain closed for the entirety. Pots of any type must be removed from Internal Coastal Fishing Waters (excludes ocean) during the season closure and possession of blue crabs regardless of harvest gear type is prohibited from all Coastal Fishing Waters (ocean and internal waters).

Season closures are necessary to reduce harvest because a recent North Carolina stock assessment for blue crab determined the stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. Overfished means the population is too small. Overfishing means the removal rate is too high. North Carolina law mandates that fishery management plans include measures to end overfishing within two years of adoption and rebuild the stock to achieve sustainable harvest within 10 years of adoption.

Division of Marine Fisheries Director Steve Murphey implemented the new measures through Proclamation M-01-2021. Proclamations are available on the division’s website at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/proclamations.

Information on Amendment 3 can be found on the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Information webpage. For more information, contact division biologist Daniel Zapf at 252-946-6481.