Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: NCCF seeks fishermen to help collect lost gear

November 30, 2020 — Commercial fishermen in Carteret County and elsewhere are invited to help the N.C. Coastal Federation clean up the waters by collecting lost gear.

The NCCF announced Nov. 17 it’s accepting applications from commercial fishermen to assist with its lost fishing gear recover project in 2021. According to the federation’s announcement, every year crab pots and other fishing gear are lost in North Carolina’s sounds, creating hazards for boats and marine life.

“The North Carolina Coastal Federation is seeking applications to help clean up this debris through the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project,” the NCCF said. “The Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project, is part of a statewide marine debris removal effort led by the federation. This project is open to commercial watermen and women in North Carolina.”

NCCF coastal education coordinator Sara Hallas said the project was last administered in 2019.

“We had eight boats working off the central coast, or Marine Patrol District 2,” she said. This area includes Carteret County. “Five of these crews were from Carteret County; the type of gear removed is focused on crab pots.”

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

NORTH CAROLINA: NMFS accepts comments on proposed gear restricting zones

November 27, 2020 — Carteret County residents and others have an opportunity to provide input to federal fisheries managers on potential restrictions to fishing gear.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service is accepting public comment on Regulatory Amendment 34 to the fishery management plan for the snapper-grouper fishery of the South Atlantic Region.  Comments on the proposed rule are due by Wednesday, Dec. 16. The proposed rule would create 30 special management zones around artificial reefs off North Carolina, including six off the coast of Carteret County, and four off of South Carolina. The the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources have requested these SMZs.

The proposed SMZs range in size from 0.041 to 1.01 square miles. There would be additional gear and harvest restrictions within the proposed zones.

The stated purpose of the framework amendment is to restrict use of fishing gear that could result in high exploitation rates to reduce adverse effects to federally managed snapper-grouper species at these sites. Harvest of snapper-grouper species would only be allowed with handline, rod and reel and spear in the SMZs. Therefore, the action would prohibit the use of bandit reel, powerhead, pot and longline gear at the sites.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

First known right whale calf of season washes up dead in North Carolina

November 24, 2020 — The hopes for the North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered species, grew dimmer Friday as a calf washed ashore dead on a barrier island off of North Carolina, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

It was the first documented newborn of the calving season, and the service says every new birth is crucial to the species avoiding extinction.

The service estimated there were just 366 of the whales alive in January 2019, including just 94 breeding females, making them one of the rarest mammals in the world. Scientists at the Fisheries Service told the Globe in October that as little as one death per year threatens the survival of the species.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

North Carolina facing lawsuits from recreational fishing groups over marine management

November 18, 2020 — The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is facing lawsuits from two recreational fishing groups, alleging the agency exhibits “abject failure in properly managing the state’s coastal fisheries resources.”

The lawsuits have been filed by the North Carolina Coastal Fisheries Reform Group (NCCFRG) and most recently, by the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina (CCA).

Read the full story at Seafood Source

North Carolina state fisheries under legal attack

November 12, 2020 — The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is fielding attacks from two recreational fishing groups, alleging the agency exhibits “abject failure in properly managing the state’s coastal fisheries resources.”

The lawsuits have been filed by the North Carolina Coastal Fisheries Reform Group (NCCFRG) and most recently, by the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina (CCA).

Both actions take aim at the state’s “public-trust responsibilities to manage coastal fish stocks in a way that protects the public-trust rights of the public.”

According to Glenn Skinner, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, these attacks on the state’s fisheries agencies and the commercial industry are nothing new, but he has noted a change.

“While none of this is surprising, the number of attacks has definitely increased,” says Skinner. “There seems to be an effort to ‘go for the throat’ lately on multiple fronts. Attacks such as these mirror a lot of what’s gone on in other states, especially regarding the CCA.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Coast Guard in search of 2 men missing from overturned fishing vessel in North Carolina

November 11, 2020 — The U.S. Coast Guard and other first responders are still searching for two people in the water after an overturned fishing vessel was found near Beaufort Inlet in North Carolina Tuesday morning.

The missing boaters have been identified as George Hamilton Andrews from Raleigh and William (Bill) Watkins Merriman IV from Wilmington. The duo was last seen leaving Atlantic Beach Sunday for a fishing trip.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a report from a fishing vessel around 8 a.m. that a 35-foot recreational vessel was found overturned approximately three nautical miles outside of Beaufort Inlet.

TowBoat U.S. deployed a diver and determined there was no one onboard the vessel, but all the lights and gear were still energized.

Sector North Carolina issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and directed the launch of search and rescue assets. The Coast Guard is searching an area that spans approximately 200 square nautical miles.

Read the full story at WAVY

SAFMC seeks applicants for advisory panels

November 5, 2020 — Carteret County residents with experience in fisheries have an opportunity to apply for an advisory position with an interstate fishery management council.

 The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, an interstate fishery management agency with jurisdiction in the federal waters 3-200 miles offshore of the southeastern states, including North Carolina, is soliciting applicants for several open seats on its dolphin wahoo advisory panel, as well as the outreach and communications advisory panel and a commercial representative on the law enforcement advisory panel. The council’s advisory panels inform and guide the council in developing and implementing federal fishery management plans.

Instructions on how to apply and application forms are available online from the council’s website, safmc.net/about-safmc/advisory-panels/.  Anyone with questions may contact SAFMC public information officer Kim Iverson by email at Kim.Iverson@safmc.net or by calling 843-571-4366.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

MARYLAND: Ocean City hopes multi-state wind deal brings more collaboration to local level

November 5, 2020 — Last week Gov. Larry Hogan announced that Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina would work together to develop the offshore wind industry off the three states. Now Ocean City is hoping that same collaboration trickles down to their level.

The agreement between the three Mid-Atlantic states will form a joint partnership called the Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources (SMART-POWER), according to a copy of the agreement.

The new partnership goal is to help more rapidly develop the offshore wind industry and “promote the Mid-Atlantic and southeast United States as an offshore wind energy industry hub.”

Maryland is currently in the process of building two offshore wind projects off the state’s coast.

Read the full story at Delmarva Now

North Carolina will work with Maryland, Virginia to grow offshore wind industry

November 2, 2020 — An agreement announced Thursday could help North Carolina turn winds over the Atlantic Ocean into electricity sooner, according to an industry official.

North Carolina will join Maryland and Virginia in the “Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources,” which they are calling SMART-POWER for short. Unlike those states, North Carolina doesn’t have legislative mandates or executive orders with targets for offshore wind production, much less actual turbines in the water like Virginia.

The new partnership means North Carolina can apply the lessons already learned in nearby states, said Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for the growth of wind energy.

“North Carolina has been trying to get traction within the wind industry for a while, and some of these states farther north are further along in the process,” Kollins told The News & Observer.

Read the full story at The News & Observer

Lawsuit: Pipeline could push 2 fish species to extinction

October 29, 2020 — Environmental groups have filed a legal challenge against the Mountain Valley Pipeline that says the project could push two endangered species of fish to extinction.

The Roanoke Times reports that the legal challenge was filed Tuesday in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. It involves the Roanoke logperch and the candy darter species of fish.

The route of the 300-mile long pipeline would go from northern West Virginia to southwestern Virginia and connect with an existing pipeline in North Carolina.

The coalition of environmental groups also asked the federal appeals court to review a recent biological opinion from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency had found that construction of the pipeline is not likely to jeopardize protected fish, bats and mussels.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at CBS 19