November 5, 2018 — Over the last couple years, news came out of North Carolina of arrests of fishermen involved in an illegal striped bass poaching ring.
Thirty co-conspirators were part of the illicit activity, but only 12 subjects were charged and sentenced in connection to this case, which saw 52 charges in 13 indictments.
This week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released data on the results of the investigation and court proceedings.
November 5, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, he
The Grants and Meeting Coordinator and Office Assistantisresponsiblefor all aspects of on-site support of various types of meetings, from public hearings to Council Meetings. Additionally, responsibilities include submission of grants and reports via the Federal Grants on-line system, assisting with the Council’s website, and general office support.
Assists the Administrative Officer and Technical Staff with support including, but not limited to:
Selects, stages, loads, and transports recording and AV equipment to various meetings within our geographical area.
Sets up and operates the recording and AV equipment and troubleshoots as necessary. Takes roll of meeting participants for the record and ensures that Council Committee Chairs sign the certification pages of minutes.
Provides liaison between the meeting attendees and the hotel as necessary regarding billing.
Submits grant reports to the regional office via Grants On-line. Coordinates our four states with the submission and proper documentation for payments under their annual contracts and provides documentation to the executive director for certification.
Coordinates the maintenance of all equipment with appropriate vendors, to include the copiers, postage machines, and recording and AV equipment. Responsible for sending the landlord trouble tickets for repairs to the office as necessary.
Updates the Council website under the instruction of the Outreach Specialist.
Assists with running meetings via webinar.
Formats and tracks verbatim Council minutes to ensure that certification is documented.
Orders, tracks, and reconciles invoices and inventories for all purchases for the office.
Is available to travel an average of fourteen weeks per year to meetings in support of Council and SEDAR activities.
Performs other general office duties, such as distributing mail, answering and directing phones calls, copying, and filing.
Prepares and distributes official office correspondence.
Performs other duties as assigned by the Administrative Officer.
Knowledge, Ability, and Skills Required:
This position requires an AA degree or higher. Dependability, resourcefulness, and a work ethic dedicated to providing support to the Council and staff. The individual must have the ability to travel and operate independently. An excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook) is a must. The individual must have the ability to communicate with and successfully work with staff, Council members, and the public concerning support of the Council’s mission. This requires experience in supporting various constituencies in a fast-paced environment. The successful individual must have the ability to learn new things and successfully implement instructions. Additional requirements include a clean DMV report and the ability to lift 40 lbs.
Supervisory Responsibilities
None.
Supervision Received:
Works under the supervision of the Administrative Officer.
Starting Salary Range (ZA II -01): $41,365-55,175 negotiable depending on education and experience.
This is a permanent, non-federal position with benefits. Non-U.S. nationals are welcome to apply.
Closing Date: Open until filled
Send Cover Letter, Resume and 3 References to:
Kelly Klasnick
Administrative Officer
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201
North Charleston, SC 29405
November 5, 2018 — North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has called on the U.S. Department of Commerce for additional resources and funding to help mitigate the damages weathered by the state’s fisheries in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
Cooper urged the Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resources disaster for North Carolina in a letter sent to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Such a declaration would provide aid and long-term relief to families relying on North Carolina’s recreational and commercial fisheries, according to Cooper.
“This was the storm of a lifetime for many coastal communities. The damaging economic impact to the state’s fisheries was, and continues to be, significant. While state appropriations will begin to afford some limited initial relief, much more is needed,” Cooper wrote in the letter.
North Carolina’s coastal communities are reliant on marine fisheries, Cooper said, in terms of both the local economy and employment. In 2017, commercial fishing was responsible for more than USD 96 million (EUR 84 million) in revenue and supported hundreds of jobs, according to findings from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries.
These economy-fueling marine fisheries were left “devastated” by “Hurricane Florence’s historic rainfall, brutal winds, and powerful storm surge,” Cooper said. Fishing grounds were compromised, and boats and gear were damaged and destroyed as a result of the storm, he added. Additionally, shellfish harvests have been suspended in affected areas, “[costing] fishermen critical income.”
November 1, 2018 — Asian tiger shrimp are not necessarily a new commodity to the area, with sightings recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in eight North Carolina watersheds.
An invasive species, the shrimp are native to East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Australia.
They appear different from shrimp native to the area, with their rusty brown color and black-and-white banding across their tail. Sometimes, the stripe appears as a reddish-orange stripe, stated USGS.
And their size is typically larger than the white shrimp harvested by local fishermen — tiger shrimp can reach up to 30 cm, or 11.8 inches, almost a foot long.
But, their appearance is making waves on social media for some fishermen in the area.
Spotted in Eastern North Carolina, including the Cape Fear River, Neuse River, White Oak River, New River and Pamlico Sound, fishermen have been catching the shellfish and serving them up.
John Mallette, a fisherman from Sneads Ferry, wrote in a message to The Daily News that he’s seen more of the striped species while shrimping lately, but they are not plentiful.
“I probably catch six or eight (tiger) shrimp for every 6,000 pounds of regular white shrimp,” Mallette wrote.
But, he said the rare catch makes for a yummy dinner — which can be split like a butterfly and cooked like a lobster.
“They’re delicious,” Mallette wrote. “We eat them all the time… I butterfly (them), pan fry, and toss in teriyaki sauce like a chicken wing.”
Mallette posted a photo of the giant shrimp — which nearly matched the size of his hand — and garnered over 100 shares on Facebook.
Kathy Mathis, formerly of Carteret County, was one of the people who shared the post to a Sneads Ferry group.
October 26, 2018 — Some seafood caught in North Carolina may not be safe to eat in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
Florence made landfall in Wrightsville Beach on Sept. 14. It was a Category 1 storm at landfall, and the storm moved extremely slowly–dumping dozens of inches of rain on many parts of North Carolina.
Florence dumped 8 trillion gallons of water on North Carolina. That’s enough to fill Falls Lake more than 70 times.
The influx of water turned creeks and streams into whitewater rapids that picked up everything in their paths.
The polluted runoff spilled into the Cape Fear River and Neuse River, then into the Pamlico Sound, and finally into the Atlantic Ocean.
The runoff forced North Carolina’s Department of Marine Fisheries to order a blanket ban on harvesting any shellfish off the coast. Months after the storm, miles of coastline remain off limits.
Wildlife most vulnerable to the pollution are filter feeders like clams, mussels and oysters.
October 25, 2018 — In the wake of Hurricane Florence, North Carolina’s culinary and hospitality community has raised hundreds of thousands of relief dollars through a series of meals and events.
The latest aims to help North Carolina’s fishermen and shellfish growers impacted by the storm.
This Saturday, “Gone Fishing” will feature more than a dozen North Carolina chefs — including several James Beard nominees and winners — from Wilmington to Pittsboro at the new Junction West in Raleigh’s Warehouse District.
The event is organized by chefs Ashley Christensen of Poole’s, Jake Wood of 18 Seaboard and Locals Seafood, with proceeds going to the state’s fishermen and oyster and clam farmers affected by Hurricane Florence. The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is helping distribute the funds and will accept separate donations for North Carolina watermen.
Many of the participating chefs and restaurants focus on North Carolina seafood, including 18 Seaboard, Postmaster and The Cortez.
October 18, 2018 — Hurricanes can be just as deadly for marine life, sometimes stranding them on land or far out at sea. But sometimes marine life benefits or even thrives after these extreme weather events.
Normally when a hurricane is headed for us, we run the other way. But not Isla. She’s a leatherback turtle who was meandering off the coast of Virginia when she accidentally swam straight into Hurricane Florence. Scientists were worried she’d get caught up in the worst of the storm but Isla managed to survive by swimming toward deeper waters.
Turns out, there’s a part of hurricanes we don’t often think about: What happens under the surface. And Isla is just one example.
Far out at sea, fish that live near the surface might feel some turbulence as a storm passes. But most sea creatures — including dolphins, whales, and sharks — avoid the rough surface water and swim to calmer seas. But it’s a different story near shore.
Changes in water temperature and salinity can be catastrophic for marine life. Hurricanes can generate massive waves. Which mix warm surface water with colder, saltier water below generating currents that extend up to 91 meters below the surface. These currents are so strong that they can sweep manatees inland to canals and ponds or away from the coastal waters they prefer, and out into the open ocean. Where they can become disorientated, and even die.
Hurricanes also bring heavy rain, so freshwater often floods coastal regions. And because freshwater is less dense than salt water, it sits on top of the sea water like oil on vinegar. Where it can prevent oxygen from reaching the salty layer below. And disrupt the salinity levels, which can lead to sores, lesions, and ultimately death in whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Hurricanes also kick up dirt and sand in shallow seas. Which can kill fish by clogging their gills. Experts think this is probably one of the factors that killed an estimated 9.4 million saltwater fish in 1992, during Hurricane Andrew. The dirty, murky water also blocks sunlight from reaching corals and seagrass. In fact, scientists found that coral cover in the Caribbean decreases by 17% in just one year after a hurricane strikes. And that’s in addition to the stress coral already face from human interference.
But it’s not always so bad for sea life. After Hurricane Katrina damaged or destroyed almost 90% of fishing boats in the Mississippi Sound scientists observed a huge increase in dolphin births. Without the fishing boats, dolphins suddenly found themselves with more available prey which helped their populations thrive.
October 10, 2018 — While cleanup crews are getting a good idea of how much the damage Hurricane Florence will cost, it’s not yet clear what the storm might have done to North Carolina’s fishing industry.
Farmers on land lost more than $1 billion worth of crops in the floodwaters from the hurricane. Jerry Schill of the North Carolina Fisheries Association says, in a way, commercial fishermen lost crops of their own.
“The fish stocks that they normally fish for in the fall, those fish stocks are displaced,” he said.
When a hurricane comes through, fish move to calmer waters – and it takes a while for them to come back – or they get caught in the storm surge and end up on dry land. One of the many images that went viral after Hurricane Florence was a photo of dead fish on Interstate 40 near Wilmington.
“A crop in the field, if it gets touched by floodwaters, it’s not usable. Well, our crop better be touched by water, or it’s not usable,” Schill said.
The exception to that rule is shellfish. Schill says commercial fishermen lost millions of oysters and clams because of too much exposure to fresh water from the floods.
Schill was speaking to a committee in the Legislature this week, one of many considering Hurricane Florence relief measures. The full House and Senate reconvene next week, and lawmakers are trying to sort through the damage estimates before then.
Those numbers help these committees come up with how much money they should ask for when the Legislature votes on a recovery package. But the commercial fishing industry doesn’t have the full picture yet.
October 9, 2018 — BEAUFORT, N.C. — With Hurricane Florence’s effects still to be determined, commercial fishermen seem sure to have taken hard hits, short- and long-term.
Commercial fishermen are no strangers to losing time on the water because of bad weather. However, according to commercial fisherman Brent Fulcher, who owns and operates both Beaufort Inlet Seafood and B&J Seafood in New Bern, local fishermen lost more than just a day or two.
“We lost one-and-a-half to two weeks of fishing,” Mr. Fulcher said. “A lot of people haven’t even been able to get back to work yet because they’re occupied with their personal recovery.”
Mr. Fulcher is also the chairman of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the state’s seafood industry. Association Executive Director and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner said there’s been a lot of damage to the commercial fishing infrastructure along the state coast, such as to fish houses.
Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times
October 3, 2018 — “We may be bruised, but we are not broken.”
These words were posted on Facebook by staff at R.E. Mayo Seafood shortly after Hurricane Florence pounded coastal North Carolina. Owned by Birdie and Carroll Potter, the business is located on the Intracoastal Waterway in Hobucken, N.C., and has long been known as the hub for locally caught fish, crabs, scallops and shrimp.
A bit further down the coast in Oriental, Endurance Seafood took a devastating hit, putting the company out of business.
“We are wiped out. No dock, no cooler, no freezer, no ice – Florence took it all. This storm was bad, it actually beat my walk-in cooler and freezer into pieces,” said owner Keith Bruno. Despite the destruction, he is optimistic.
“The important part is we are all safe,” said Bruno. “The rest — not so good.”
“You’ve got to move forward, you’ve got to keep going… because that’s what we do. We every once in a while have to pay a price to live so close to beauty. There is no doubt we’ll be back and stronger than ever. We will live up to our name and then some.”
Pamlico County fishermen were hit the hardest, according to Glenn Skinner, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association.
“Some fish packing operations in Oriental and Vandemere were completely destroyed. It’s going to be a real hard winter for the industry,” said Skinner.
“We are kind of like farmers, we have a fall crop,” he explained. “The fall fisheries are big. We use that money and put it away for the winter time. The fisheries are going to be gone after this strong blow for several days. It will be next spring before we can make that up.”
Jerry Schill, government affairs liaison for NCFA, says these types of storms have a big impact on the mental health of fishermen and other working class North Carolinians.
“If these guys don’t catch anything, they get nothing. It doesn’t matter how hard they work. That’s a lot of stress on a family,” said Schill.