Saving Seafood

Federal fisheries managers will reduce striped bass catches

May 1, 2019 — After years of listening to anglers begging for a fix, federal fisheries managers on Tuesday decided to tighten regulations to help the striped bass population rebound.

In its 2018 stock assessment, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission declared the species as overfished. Virginia anglers reporting less fish in the Chesapeake Bay and none in the ocean have known this for a decade.

Now the ASMFC is looking for ways that states from North Carolina to Maine can help reduce mortality. Solutions will affect the number of fish taken by both recreational anglers and commercial fishermen.

Last week Virginia fisheries managers decided to do away with the annual spring trophy season, allowing anglers to take only two fish a day that fit into a 20- to 28-inch slot limit. That season runs from May 16 to June 15.

Read the full story at The Virginian-Pilot 

N.C. Study: Warmer Water Linked to Higher Proportion of Male Flounder

April 30, 2019 — If southern flounder live in warmer water during a critical window of early development, a higher percentage become male – more than 90 percent in some cases – research from North Carolina State University found. Having a high proportion of adult males over the long term could threaten both wild populations and the valuable commercial fishing industry, which depends on larger female flounder.

Field research and lab experiments showed that a four-degree Celsius difference in average water temperature during juvenile development shifted the male-female ratio from about 50-50 to as much as 94-6, says Jamie Honeycutt, an NC State postdoctoral researcher and lead author of an article about the research in Scientific Reports. That difference is within the range of expected ocean temperature increases under climate change models.

Environmental factors such as water temperature influence sex determination in southern flounder, as well as in other fish and reptiles, Honeycutt explains. Flounder stick to shallow waters that serve as nurseries until after they become male or a female, hanging around estuaries until reaching maturity before returning to the ocean to spawn at about age 2.

“We think that southern flounder have a genetic sex-determining system similar to humans, who have two X chromosomes for a female and an X and a Y for a male. In flounder, if an individual is a genetic male, it is destined to be male,” Honeycutt says. “However, if a genetic female is exposed to temperature extremes, then it can develop as a functioning male.”

Read the full story at North Carolina State University

NORTH CAROLINA: Offshore drilling suspended on NC coast, fishing industry has mixed reactions

April 29, 2019 — The Trump administration has put a suspension on plans to expand offshore drilling off the North Carolina coast, leading to mixed reactions from the state fishing industry.

Randy Robinson, a representative of Brunswick County on the N.C. Fisheries Association Board of Directors thinks that the presence of offshore drilling “isn’t necessarily a bad idea.“ He considers that offshore drilling could play a role in increasing the net amount of jobs for North Carolinians.

Additionally, Robinson blames the N.C. Wildlife Federation for causing more damage than offshore drilling would do. He explains that the organization’s push to reduce trawls and limit the length of nets for fishing shrimp has negatively affected commercial fishing across the state’s coast.

Read the full story at WECT

May 1st Triggers Opening of Shallow-Water Grouper and Other Species in the South Atlantic

April 26, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Spring is in the air – and that means fishing! Beginning May 1st, fishermen will have a few more species to target in South Atlantic federal waters (greater than 3 miles off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida). May 1st marks the beginning of the shallow-water grouper season, following the annual spawning season closure from January 1st through April 30th.

Regulations also change for red porgy, greater amberjack, snowy grouper, and several other species.

Check out the latest blog for more details.

Always Have the Latest Regulations with You!

Before heading offshore, download the Fish Rules mobile application. Then simply check for updates before your next fishing trip and you’ll have the information with you no matter how far your fishing trip takes you. No signal? No problem. None required to access the correct information once the app is updated.

Fish Rules Download:
iPhone or
Android

Questions? Contact Cameron Rhodes, Outreach Specialist at cameron.rhodes@safmc.net or Kim Iverson, Public Information Officer at kim.iverson@safmc.net or call the Council Office at 843/224-7258.

Experts Say Seafood Production is Declining in North Carolina

April 25, 2019 — It’s not hard to find seafood here in the Cape Fear, but where does our local seafood industry stand in terms of sustainability?

“We have a lot of new growers,” Seaview Crab Company Co-owner Sam Romano said. “It’s an exciting time to grow oysters in North Carolina.”

As the demand goes up, supply tends to go down. Entrepreneurs like Romano are trying to change that with the help of Fish 2.0.

“Our seafood production in North Carolina has actually been going down for a variety of reasons,” Romano said. “But shellfish is something that’s new and up and coming.”

Entrepreneurs came out to a two-day workshop hosted by UNCW and Fish 2.0. At the workshop they pitched business proposals and new technology for the fishing industry.

Read the full story at WWAY 3

NORTH CAROLINA: No wetlands, no seafood

April 24, 2019 — Commercial fishermen are used to overcoming challenges. Whether it’s extreme weather events or a changing market and regulations, we work hard and adapt to carve out a living for our families.

We represent a new generation of fishermen that depends on the productivity of our coastal waters for our livelihoods. We can’t earn a living for ourselves and our families unless the water is clean and capable of supporting fish and shellfish. We also need waters that are not polluted so it is safe for us to harvest and sell our catches to consumers young and old.

But now politicians in Washington are trying to gut the Clean Water Act, removing vital protections for streams and wetlands. Particularly catastrophic, the proposal would cause a dramatic and unprecedented loss of protection for more than half of the nation’s wetlands and millions of acres of wetlands in North Carolina — Southern Pocosins, Carolina Bays and Pine Savannas — are all at risk. Our estuaries and fisheries won’t likely survive the losses, nor will our livelihoods.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

North Carolina coastal panel opposes offshore drilling

April 22, 2019 — North Carolina’s coastal regulatory board says risks associated with offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling off the Atlantic coast aren’t worth threats to the tourism and fishing economies and the environment.

The state Coastal Resources Commission approved a resolution this week opposing the idea.

President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing permits to allow testing for possible drilling sites off the Atlantic coast.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Connecticut Post

North Carolina coastal panel opposes offshore drilling

April 19, 2019 — North Carolina’s coastal regulatory board says risks associated with offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling off the Atlantic coast aren’t worth threats to the tourism and fishing economies and the environment.

The state Coastal Resources Commission approved a resolution this week opposing the idea.

President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing permits to allow testing for possible drilling sites off the Atlantic coast. Some East Coast states and many coastal North Carolina communities already are against the plan.

Read the full story at WRAL

NORTH CAROLINA: Forum Links Coastal Scientists, Community

April 19, 2019 — Why should we care about oyster reef growth?

Molly Bost asked the three dozen or so gathered for the first Research Applied to Managing the Coast Symposium, or RAMCS, March 29 at the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences.

“First off, oysters are important because they filter water,” Bost continued, adding that oyster reefs attenuate waves, provide habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish and are an important, growing fishery for the state.

Bost was among the 15 UNC IMS faculty and students presenting in one of three areas of research: coastal resilience, water quality, and fisheries during the daylong symposium.

Read the full story at Coastal Review Online

Upcoming Advisory Panel and Public Hearing/Scoping Meetings

April 18, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold several advisory panel and public hearing/scoping meetings in the coming weeks on topics affecting federal fisheries management off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida. Fishermen and others interested in offshore fisheries are encouraged to attend the meetings and provide their viewpoints and comments.

All meetings are open to the public and available via webinar. Meeting materials, including agendas/overviews, public comment forms, briefing book materials, and presentations, are available from the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/ as noted below. The Council encourages the public to use public comment forms available from the website. Use of the public comment forms allows Council members access to comments as they are provided, as well as access to members of the public.

ADVISORY PANEL MEETINGS

Access all meeting materials, including agendas, briefing book materials, webinar registration links, and public comment forms for upcoming advisory panel meetings:  http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/current-advisory-panel-meetings/.

Read a full list of the meetings here