THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503170650
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW BERN LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
The future of one of the state's oldest fishing industries will be discussed today when the Marine Fisheries Commission reviews a ban on herring fishing during April, one of the industry's busiest months.
Herring fishermen say the ban has effectively ended commercial herring fishing on the Chowan River and has penalized them for a decline in the state's herring catch that wasn't their fault.
The fishermen will ask the commission to suspend or repeal the rule while a compromise can be worked out.
But some of the commissioners who voted for the ban in December continued to say this week that the ban will alleviate fishing pressure on depleted stocks. Unless the fishermen present compelling evidence to the contrary, they say they will not change their votes.
Today's action will be watched closely by Albemarle-area commercial fishermen who may file a court challenge if the commission does not reverse its decision, according to a fishing trade official.
``I would imagine we're going to be looking at additional remedies,'' said Jerry Schill, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association.
Schill and some association members say the Marine Fisheries Commission violated its own procedures when it voted on the herring ban. The commission allowed Division of Marine Fisheries staff members to make a presentation on herring populations and causes of their decline, but the staff did not give the commercial fishermen time to respond.
Lee Wynns, owner of Perry-Wynns Fish Co., one of the world's largest processors of herring, said he is not optimistic.
``It's extremely difficult to get people to change their minds,'' Wynns said. ``But I always have hope.''
Wynns is to talk with the commission this afternoon about the effects of their December vote, which banned herring and shad fishing statewide from April 15 through Jan. 1. It was one of the most controversial actions by the commission in recent years.
The ban has effectively ended the commercial herring industry on the Chowan River because it is too costly for those fishermen to set their nets for an abbreviated season, Wynns said.
Commission Chairman Robert V. Lucas of Selma said today's discussion is a reaction in part to two developments: a request by the legislative study committee on seafood and aquaculture issues, and legislative efforts to strip state commissions of much of their authority to enact rules.
``I want to make sure I'm responsive,'' Lucas said. ``That's part of this issue of regulatory reform. . . .
``I'm trying to be fair,'' he said. ``I don't want folks to say that they lost because of the process.'' by CNB