Saving Seafood

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

NORTH CAROLINA: Stakeholder Input Needed From Fishing Industry

March 24, 2021 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

North Carolina Fisheries Stakeholders

Coastal Carolina Riverwatch seeks your valued input and participation in a new program that will be developed by fisheries stakeholders to benefit fisheries in North Carolina – Water Quality for Fisheries (WQ4F) Program.

The WQ4F program, through the development of an inclusive Industry Working Group, will determine, from the fishing communities, what water quality issues are impacting our fisheries, will evaluate current water quality programs and research in coastal North Carolina, and will collaboratively develop outreach for coastal citizens and visitors to better understand water quality impacts on fisheries and what all of us can do in our daily lives to help improve coastal water quality.

As a valued member of the fishing community, we look to you for your guidance, input, and participation in this process by attending a series of facilitated Industry Working Group stakeholder meetings.

Please register for the first Stakeholder meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 7th from 4:30 – 6:00 PM.

This will be a virtual (Zoom platform) meeting with participation by phone available. We will begin the meeting at 4pm to troubleshoot with those who need assistance with connecting to the Zoom meeting. Click here to register.

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to working with you to protect and improve our fisheries for today and for future generations.

THE VIRGINIAN PILOT: Congress must ban drilling off Virginia coast

March 16, 2021 — For a state heavily dependent on Navy operations and tourism to drive its economy, particularly in Hampton Roads, Virginia should welcome efforts to permanently ban oil and gas exploration off the coast.

The prospect of drilling rigs perched in the Atlantic — with their perpetual threat of environmental calamity — should send shivers across the commonwealth, and a new push to enact a ban deserves Virginia’s enthusiastic endorsement.

Rep. Donald McEachin, a Democrat representing Virginia’s 4th Congressional District, introduced a bill barring the Interior Department from issuing leases for exploration or production of oil or gas off Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware. McEachin has introduced similar legislation in the past, but it got nowhere.

In recent years, the fate of drilling off Virginia’s coast has been swinging in the partisan political winds.

Read the full story at The Virginian Pilot

Lawmakers differ over best plan to restore flounder

March 5, 2021 — Two local lawmakers are taking different approaches, but they share the common goal of restoring the state’s troubled flounder fishery. And they have both rejected a call by the state wildlife agency to impose a season on the popular species.

A bill by state Rep. Lee Hewitt that would reduce the catch limit from 10 to five flounder and increase the size limit from 15 to 16 inches was approved by a House subcommittee this week. The bill now moves to the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs committee.

The bill also allows anglers to keep only one flounder larger than 20 inches. A female that size can lay a million eggs.

“That would help the fishery come back quicker,” Hewitt said. “I’m trying to get more eggs in the system.”

State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch plans to take a different approach in a bill he intends to file.

“My bill is going to end up increasing the cost of a fishing stamp by a few bucks,” he said. The money, which he estimated at $1.2 million annually, will be used to create a flounder fish hatchery.

Read the full story at The Coastal Observer

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

Climate change challenges trout industry in North Carolina

February 17, 2021 — Raising trout in Western North Carolina is a time- and labor-intensive process, and the growing threat of climate change only worsens the situation, creating difficulties for hatcheries and recreational fisherman.

Producing trout even in optimal conditions is challenging. “It’s 35 seasons of disaster,” joked Adam Moticak, superintendent of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery in Brevard.

The Setzer facility, one of three cold-water trout hatcheries run by the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission, raises fish to support the booming sport fishing industry in Western North Carolina, a $383 million venture in 2014 that supported more than 3,500 jobs.

But sport fishing is only one part of the North Carolina trout industry affected by climate change. Farmers who raise fish to sell to restaurants and retailers, fishing guides who make their living on the water and conservationists who look for wild trout as indicators of a healthy ecosystem face mounting concerns about climate change.

While Idaho leads the country in trout production with 40 million pounds of fish a year, North Carolina ranks second, producing 5 million pounds of trout annually. Climate change threatens the economic state of this thriving industry.

Read the full story at the Carolina Public Press

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

Reminder: SAFMC Seeks Input on Proposed Red Porgy Management Measures; Shrimp Fishery Access in Deepwater Coral Habitat Area

February 2, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Public scoping meetings begin this week via webinar as members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council solicit comment on measures proposed for the Red Porgy fishery in federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the east coast of Florida. The Council is also soliciting public input on an action to establish a rock shrimp fishery access area in the Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern, a deepwater coral area located off the east coast of Florida.

Provide your comments on proposed management measures directly to Council members via webinar during the scoping meetings or review the scoping materials and provide written comment using online comment forms. Details are available at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.

Red Porgy (Snapper Grouper Amendment 50)

A recent stock assessment determined the Red Porgy stock is experiencing overfishingand the stock continues to be overfished despite a rebuilding plan being in place. Significant reductions in harvest are proposed in Amendment 50 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The amendment also includes measures to adjust catch levels and allocations based on revisions to recreational estimates from NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP).

Red Porgy Public Scoping Webinars:

Learn more and access the online comment form at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.

Rock Shrimp Fishery Access

(Coral Amendment 10)

The amendment contains a single action to establish a rock shrimp fishery access area along the eastern edge of the northern extension of the Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern. The action would provide limited access to traditional fishing grounds.

Shrimp Fishery Access Scoping Webinars:

Learn more and access the online comment form at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.

N.C. blue crab: Catches down, but prices surprisingly good

January 27, 2021 — North Carolina’s blue crab season was a bit different this year with lower catches and higher prices. But in the end, it turned out to be a good year for the fishery.

“It was definitely a good year,” says Jeff Styron of Garland Fulcher Seafood in Oriental, N.C. “The stock was down but the prices were higher.”

“The retail market did very well, likely because folks stayed home more,” says Styron. “That said, the restaurants really took a hit this year. Really a mixed bag.”

Daniel Zapf, a fisheries biologist with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, agrees.

“My sense is that most crabbers would consider this season to be pretty good. It seemed like landings might not have been high. But according to dealers, we’ve heard from prices have been good recently,” says Zapf.

The statistics confirm the drop in catches.

The 2020 Commercial Landings Bulletin (January-June) indicates a decrease in blue crab landings, from 7.28 million pounds landed in 2019 to 5.48 million pounds for the same period this year. Similar decreases were recorded for peelers – down from 401,108 pounds to 259,881 pounds. Soft crab landings also dropped from 172,311 to 113,080 pounds for the same period in 2020.

Read the full story at National Fisherman