THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 1, 1995 TAG: 9506010429
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: Local Briefs
DATELINE: ROANOKE ISLAND LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
For the next month, watermen who fish in the Atlantic Ocean will not be allowed to commercially catch or sell most species of shark, representatives of the National Marine Fisheries Service told a group at the North Carolina Aquarium here last week.
The federal commercial shark fishery closed Wednesday. It is scheduled to reopen July 1.
Despite earlier predictions, the 1994 coastal quota of 2,570 metric tons is not expected to increase for the 1995 commercial season.
``North Carolina is second only to Florida in terms of the number of sharks caught commercially,'' federal fisheries official Michael Bailey said. ``If Florida didn't get to count both its ocean and Gulf Coast catches, North Carolina would be tops. Already, your state accounts for more Atlantic sharks than any other.''
Since the 1970s, Bailey said, populations of large ocean sharks have been decreasing substantially. Biologists had expected to increase the 1994 quota this summer. But last week, Bailey said quota increases have been delayed indefinitely.
``Until the shark stocks can be shown to be rebuilding, we will not increase the quota,'' he said. ``It's not real optimistic right now.''
Federal fisheries regulators also do not plan to change the 4,000-pound-per-trip limit on sharks, Bailey said. But they may propose instituting four sharking seasons instead of two.
``That would divide the quota up further,'' said Bailey. ``It would spread it out better among the states. There's no scientific rationale for doing this. It's simply for monitoring purposes.
``And I don't think, if it does go into effect, that it will hurt or help North Carolina. The shark are coming through here pretty much any time you all want to fish for them.''
Rita Merritt, whose family fishes commercially off Hatteras Island, suggested that the federal government regulate shark catches by monthly individual quotas rather than trip limits. Requiring boats to come in when they have 4,000 pounds means some captains have to waste a lot of gas traveling back and forth to the offshore fishing grounds, she said.
``Tell us how much we can catch each month, then shut us off,'' Merritt said. ``Don't tell us how much we can catch each time out. Everyone's boat has a different capacity.''
For more information about the 1995 Shark Evaluation Annual Report, or federal fishing guidelines, call the National Marine Fisheries Service at (301) 713-2370. by CNB