THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601210211
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 149 lines
It looks as if the bag limit on flounder will remain at eight fish a day this year, even though recreational fishermen apparently caught far fewer fish than they were allocated in 1995.
The final decision will be made by the federal government, most likely in February or March. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will have no choice but to comply with the federal regulation. Flounder are managed by the federal government.
The 1995 recreational flounder catch for the first eight months of 1995 was 4.621 million pounds, more than 1 million pounds less than had been allocated for the period. Figures for the entire year are not yet available.
If commercial fishermen fall short of their quota, the difference is added to the following year.
Meanwhile, thanks to Judge Robert G. Doumar of U.S. District Court in Norfolk, the 1995 commercial catch on the East Coast was 3 million pounds above the initial quota. Doumar increased the quota by that amount when commercial fishermen sued.
Anyway, the bottom line is that while the flatfish is slowly recovering from years of excessive fishing, rod-and-reelers should not look for their limits to improve this year. This means an eight-fish daily bag limit and a 14-inch minimum size.
That's the bad news. The good news is that recreational fishermen still will not be constrained by a closed season, as discussed earlier.
Meanwhile, the bag limit in federal waters could remain at six fish a day. Those waters begin 3 miles offshore and go out to 200 miles.
In Virginia, at least, few flounder are boated by recreational fishermen beyond the state's 3-mile control area.
ANOTHER STORY: The plight of the gray trout, also known as weakfish, presents another story. Catch restrictions are very likely to become more stringent.
The only question is when. And that depends on whether the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decides to approve a three- or five-year recovery plan for the beleaguered fish.
With a five-year plan, recreational limits may remain at the present four-fish, 12-inch minimum, at least for two years. But if the three-year-plan is selected, the bag probably will decrease and the minimum size increase.
Though there are some indications that the trout picture is a bit brighter than it was a couple of years ago, fishery officials still estimate that the total catch, commercial and recreational, is probably five times what it should be to produce a real comeback.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic States Commission, which includes representatives from all East Coast states, will hold a series of public hearings in North Carolina this week to address the trout's plight.
One meeting will be Tuesday at the Archdale Building at 512 North Salisbury St. in Raleigh; another Wednesday at the North Carolina Aquarium on Airport Road in Manteo; the third Thursday at Carteret Community College in Morehead City. All will start at 7 p.m.
NOT WANTED: The Virginia Beach Hotel and Motel Association has a message for those big menhaden-fishing boats: Get away from our beaches.
Del. Glenn R. Croshaw, D-Virginia Beach, has introduced legislation that would keep the boats at least a mile off the resort strip from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The plan also has the backing of the Coastal Conservation Association of Virginia, a federation of recreational fishermen.
Henry H. Richardson III, a spokesman for the hotel organization, said his group is concerned about the ``fish oil, blood and pieces of fish'' from menhaden purse-seining operations and also fears a major fish spill, resulting in the beach being closed for a considerable period.
Menhaden operations involve a mother ship sometimes 150 feet long. A tightly packed school of fish is trapped in a encirclement net set from two small boats. The fish then are loaded onto the bigger vessel by a huge pump.
Considerable refuse can occur during the operation. Fish spills can occur when the net breaks, dumping the catch into the ocean. Then dead fish can wash ashore, as has happened several times along the East Coast in recent years.
Problems have been so bad that all purse-seining for menhaden has been banned within 3 miles of the entire coasts of Maryland, Delaware and South Carolina.
In addition, New Jersey bans menhaden fishing within 1.6 miles of its coast, while Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills on the North Carolina Outer Banks ban the activity within 1 1/2 miles of the coast during their tourist season.
Restrictions on the fishery have been a controversial subject in Virginia for several years because the two major East Coast menhaden processors - Ampro Fisheries and Zapata Haynie - are headquartered at Reedville, on the Chesapeake Bay. They process the small oily fish into meal for livestock food and oil for chemical use, including cosmetics and paints.
PRELIMINARY REPORT: A preliminary plan for revamping North Carolina's management of its marine resources will be unveiled Thursday and Friday.at the Crystal Coast Civic Center on U.S. Route 70 in Morehead City by a committee that has been studying the matter for almost two years.
The Moratorium Study Committee, so named because there has been a ban on issuing new commercial licenses during its time, is to present its final report to the state's General Assembly in May.
``The committee's objective has been to restore our fisheries, to make fishing like it used to be,'' said Bob Lucas, chairman of the group as well as chairman of the Marine Fisheries Commission.
``Some of the issues are tough: Should sportsmen be allowed to sell their catch? Should gear be licensed and restricted? Who should use commercial gear? Should a violation points system be established? How many people should be on the Marine Fisheries Commission?
``These are just some of the issues we've been tackling, along with the very basic question of defining a commercial and a recreational fisherman.''
While the committee has a host of recommendations, one of the most prominent would establish a recreational fishing license, with all income dedicated exclusively to resource management and improvement.
The meetings will begin at 11 a.m. each day, with the public welcome.
BLUEFINS HITTING: One of the East Coast's most-awaited fisheries has opened in spades with the first catches of big bluefin tuna off Hatteras, N.C.
At last report, no giants had been caught, but there have been good numbers of fish between 100 and 300 pounds. One boat reportedly caught and released more than 40 in a single day.
Only boats with federally issued permits are allowed to keep giant bluefins, in excess of 300 pounds, before July 1. Even with a permit, the limit is one fish per boat per season.
Scores of boats from throughout the East Coast either are already off Hatteras or are planning to come for what just may be the world's most incredible fishery.
Hordes of giant bluefins, some more than 800 pounds, spend the winter around a few wrecks off Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Their presence has been exploited only for the past few years. Recently, the fishery has made headlines in several national fishing magazines.
Because so many of the supposedly scarce fish are being released, the National Marine Fishery Service is monitoring the situation, hoping to learn how detrimental the catch-and-release effort is to the fish.
SHORT CASTS: Grady Harrison has been elected president of the Back Bay Bassmasters of Virginia Beach. Other officers include Roger Pottratz, J.D. Dendy, Red Bruun and Rob Shaw. Mike Cumberledge has been named the club's angler of the year. . . . Dr. Jim Wright of Virginia Beach has gotten off to a fast start in his efforts to become angler of the year in the 1996 Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament. The honor goes to the angler with catches in the most categories. Wright claimed his first Thursday with a 12-pound, 8-ounce tautog. He was on the charter boat Therapy, skippered by Bill Cook. The same trip produced a 9-3 tog for Jimmy Kolb of Virginia Beach, 1995 angler of the year. . . . Billy Bradshaw, age 16, has been named most improved angler of 1995 by the County Bassmasters of Virginia Beach. . . . North Carolina has completed the mountain phase of its wild turkey stocking program with the release of 17 birds in northwestern Mecklenburg County. The emphasis will now shift to eastern and Piedmont areas. Down to about 2,000 in 1970, the state's turkey population now is estimated at more than 85,000. . . . Tar Heel sportsmen will have an opportunity to comment on proposed hunting and freshwater-fishing seasons for 1996 at a series of public hearings. One will be Feb. 5 at Swain Auditorium in Edenton, beginning at 7 p.m. . . . The annual Reedville Bluefish Derby will double the number of prizes for its 1996 contest, set for June 13-15. Sponsors have added striped bass and have changed the name to the Reedville Rock-N-Bluefish Derby. For details, contact Roger Wilkins at Jett's Hardware at 1-804-453-5325. by CNB