THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502190178
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
The 38th Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament will open March 1, as promised. But just when it will close is anyone's guess.
Claude Bain, director of the state-sponsored contest, said the tournament is ``scheduled to run throughout the year, ending on Dec. 31. At the current time, the tournament is fully funded through June 30, which is the end of the (state's) fiscal year. Funding after that date is uncertain.
``A resolution of the funding situation is expected within the next three months, at which time the ending date will be confirmed.''
The future of the $145,000 annual contest, a function of the Marine Resources Commission, was left hanging in January when Gov. George F. Allen declined to include it in his budget.
Several maneuvers to provide at least some funding have been attempted in the General Assembly. Most met with failure.
But in recent days a bill, offered by Del. Vincent Behme, D-Hampton, to fund the program in full, has been given unanimous approval in both houses of the legislature. With that kind of support, a veto by Allen seems unlikely.
Behme's bill calls for supporting the contest with some of the $1.3 million collected annually from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing license.
A somewhat similar bill, offered by Del. Robert Bloxom, D-Accomack, was defeated earlier. Bloxom's proposal would have earmarked up to 15 percent of license revenue for the program. But the major difference in the proposals was that the Bloxom bill called for extending the saltwater license to cover all Virginia waters. Behme's bill does not.
Currently, the license is required only in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries.
Assuming that Allen signs the Behme bill, the plan would still need the approval of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which administers the fund. With such a mandate from the General Assembly, that support seems almost assured.
Still, some folks aren't likely to embrace the Behme plan. When the license was approved three years ago, income was supposed to have been restricted to Chesapeake Bay projects.
Anyway, a few changes will be in place when the contest, which awards handsome plaques, popularly known as ``citations,'' to anglers entering qualifying saltwater fish, either weighed or released, does open, regardless of how long it runs.
For one thing, the spadefish will join the list of eligible species, with a qualifying weight of 9 pounds. For another, the minimum weight for gray trout will drop from 11 pounds to 9.
And a caveat was added for species for which legal seasons may exist or be enacted, including striped bass, flounder and gray trout. Affected species will be eligible only during open seasons.
The requirements for released fish and special awards for the year's top anglers and the contest's junior angler program will be unchanged.
Bain said decisions to add the spadefish and reduce the gray trout weight were made by a special committee that aids in operating the contest.
``Several groups have been after us to add the spadefish, now that it's illegal to snag them,'' he said. ``The snagging was something which bothered us before.
``As for the gray trout, the committee thought lowering the minimum weight was justified in light of the scarcity of big fish in recent years. We've only had 18 trout entries in the past six years.''
The contest is free and open to anyone. Most Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore marinas and many tackle shops serve as official weighing stations.
Other minimum weights for 1995 will be:
Blue marlin, 500 pounds; shark, 200; bluefin tuna, 90; white marlin, 75; yellowfin tuna, 70; bigeye tuna, 70; black drum, 70; tarpon, 70; sailfish, 50; amberjack, 50; cobia, 45; red drum, 40; wahoo, 30; king mackerel, 20; dolphin, 20; false albacore, 17; bluefish, 16; tautog, 9; flounder, 6; Spanish mackerel, 5; speckled trout, 5; sea bass, 5; croaker, 3; and spot, 1. The minimum weight for striped bass will be set later in the year.
Release citations are awarded for setting free any blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish or tarpon. Other released-fish minimum lengths are: shark, 72 inches; amberjack, 48; cobia, 48; black drum, 44; and red drum, 44. by CNB