THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510290191
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
Virginia's largest group of recreational fishermen is concerned that the state may be going too far in proposing to relax significantly commercial limits on striped bass for the 1996 season.
This year's commercial catch quota of stripers in Virginia is 875,000 pounds, more than four times the 211,000 pounds allowed the past four years.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the coalition of East Coast states that determines the annual allocation, has recommended increasing the catch to 1.3 million pounds for 1996 and to 3 million pounds for 1997 - more than the 2.88 million pounds taken during the peak year of 1973.
At the same time, projections are for the recreational season and bag limit to remain the same: a 107-day season and a two-fish daily limit.
That's unfair, says Parks Rountrey of Richmond, chairman of the fishery-management committee of the Coastal Conservation Association of Virginia, a federation of recreational fishermen.
``We really think the Virginia Marine Resources Commission needs to use some discretion in setting these limits,'' he said. ``We don't have to allow a commercial catch of 3 million pounds just because the ASMFC says we can. That's the kind of mentality that got the rockfish into trouble to start with.''
Rountrey also said his organization would like to see the coalition let the states decide how their allocations would be split between recreational fishermen and the various commercial harvesters, such as gill netters and haul seiners.
``This would give the states the ability to manage the fish to suit what is best for them at the moment,'' he said.
``One of the things we're really concerned about, for example, is what is known as `high-grading' by commercial fishermen. We know it's causing an awful lot of fish to be killed and needlessly wasted. Under the system we now have, which provides commercial fishermen with a certain number of tags, a net fisherman who catches 100 fish and has 100 tags can keep and tag the 20 biggest, most valuable fish and throw the rest overboard, dead.''
Rountrey said that while a few recreational fishermen had told him they would like to see the daily rod-and-reel bag limit increased from two fish to three, most were satisfied with two.
``The fact is,'' he said, ``that by keeping the limit at two, we're not going to see a proportionate rise in the total recreational catch, no matter how many days fishing is allowed.
``We have a total of 107 days now. That covers the peak of the season when fish are available.
``I understand that you can catch rockfish 365 days a year somewhere in salt water in the state. But doubling the length of the season isn't going to result in doubling the catch. It'll go up very little.''
Meanwhile, the marine commission is looking into ways to get the most benefit for commercial fishermen from the increased 1996 quota. It's a question that could open Pandora's Box.
Currently, commercial fishermen with state-issued permits are issued a limited number of tags that must be placed on the fish as soon as they are landed.
Should the commission allow more commercial fishermen into the fishery and keep the number of tags low? Or should it keep the number of fishermen low and give them more tags, allowing them to make more money?
And what should be the criterion for getting commercial tags? Should it be based on the number of days a person worked on the water in the past year? Should it be based on how much of that person's income came from working on the water? Or a combination of both?
The only hope here is that the decision-makers give the striper a little respect. It was a lack of respect, coupled with what a lot of folks thought was an endless supply of rockfish, that saw the species almost wiped out 20 years ago.
SURF'S UP: The Eastern Shore of Virginia Anglers Club will be on Hatteras Island this week to defend its title in the Cape Hatteras Invitational Surf Fishing Tournament.
This is the largest such contest on the East Coast, annually attracting 100 six-person teams, many from Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina. This will be the event's 38th year.
Team competition Thursday and Friday will be followed by the Bob Bernard Individual Tournament on Saturday, with competition open to all. The contest is hosted by the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club.
SEASONS OPEN: What has become an incredibly popular season opens Saturday, when black-powder or muzzleloading hunting for whitetail deer becomes legal in most of Virginia.
This early season will run through Nov. 18, with a late season Dec. 18 through Jan. 6 in counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Last year more than 33,000 of the state's 209,000 whitetail kills were recorded by the state's 76,000 licensed black-powder hunters. Both license sales and the kill are expected to increase this year.
Meanwhile, the state's bobcat and fox seasons open Wednesday.
LOCAL WINNERS: Rick Morris of Virginia Beach finished 25th and won $3,000 in the recent Bassmaster Virginia Top 100 tournament on the James River near Richmond. His catch weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces.
The contest, staged by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, was won by Dave Dudley of Lynchburg, who earned $45,000 with a total catch of 44-9. Woo Daves, the only other Virginian in the professional division, finished 64th and out of the money at 19-10.
In the amateur division, David Drew Wheelbarger of Chesapeake was fifth and won $2,000 at 16-12, while David Ward of Kill Devil Hills was sixth at 16-9, also winning $2,000.
Finishing out of the money were Robbie Peppers of Virginia Beach, 27th at 9-13; Don Tross of Newport News, 32nd at 9-3; Ted Lindsay Jr. of Virginia Beach, 42nd at 8-0; Scott Whitmore of Suffolk, 72nd at 4-7; and Dallas Turner of Chesapeake, tied for 102nd without a fish.
SHORT CASTS: Larry Huffman of Virginia Beach has earned a citation award from the Virginia freshwater fishing program with a 10-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass, caught at Briery Creek Lake in central Virginia. . . . Don Fett Sr. of Virginia Beach has earned a citation from the Key West (Fla.) Fishing Tournament by releasing a sailfish. He was aboard the charter boat Lookout III. . . . Robert Markland of Norfolk is retiring again as head of law enforcement for the Marine Resources Commission. Markland first announced his retirement this spring, but then was asked to remain on the job by Bill Pruitt, the agency's head. Markland's last work day is Friday, although his official retirement date is Dec. 31. He had been with the agency 17 years. by CNB