THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, July 28, 1995                  TAG: 9507280437
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   48 lines

BOARD BACKS WEAKFISH BAN IN WATERS ALONG COAST

North Carolina fisheries managers lost a crucial vote Thursday on their efforts to keep offshore waters open for gray-trout fishing.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Weakfish Management Board voted to support a proposed federal closure of offshore waters along the coast to the catch of gray trout, also known as weakfish.

Federal fisheries managers had said that a vote by the board to endorse the closure would virtually guarantee action by the federal government.

North Carolina Fisheries Director Bruce L. Freeman said last week that he would try to persuade the board either not to vote on the closure or support an alternative offered by the state.

But North Carolina was able to muster little sympathy from the Weakfish Management Board, which voted nearly unanimously to support the closure, according to area commercial fishing advocates who attended the meeting in Philadelphia.

Only Virginia voted against the closure, said Bob Peele, deputy director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, a commercial fishing trade group whose members argued against the closure.

In a press release Thursday afternoon, Peele said he was ``dumbfounded'' by the decision.

``Although the board recognized the need to review the more current stock assessments that will be released at the end of August, they ignored that need,'' Peele said. ``North Carolina is not out of compliance with any weakfish management plan and the N.C. Fisheries Association as well as the recreational community and the state have all vehemently opposed this proposed closure.''

Freeman, in a statement released from Philadelphia, said Thursday's vote is not as ``grim'' for North Carolina as it would initially appear.

The board acknowledged that a problem exists with the data used by the National Marine Fisheries Service in evaluating the weakfish stocks, Freeman said through a spokesman.

It authorized a technical panel to evaluate updated data offered by North Carolina, and it agreed to reconsider its vote in September, Freeman said.

And although the September vote will come after the federal comment period on the closure has ended, it could come before the fisheries service acts on the closure. by CNB