THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601280309
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C19 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 136 lines
Like comedian Rodney Dangerfield, the lowly flounder doesn't get much respect. But it's been getting a lot of attention.
Part of that is because the fish can fetch commercial fishermen as much as $2.50 a pound, which translates to as much as $7.95, filleted, in fish markets.
Right now a major segment of the East Coast flounder population is spending the winter off Virginia and North Carolina. These are the fish Virginia's recreational fishermen might expect to catch this spring, summer and fall.
Because of a glitch in Virginia's laws protecting the troubled species, hundreds of thousands of these fish are being scooped up by ocean trawl boats and landed in Virginia. Some of the boats are from other states.
Additionally, several fishery experts have confirmed that as many as 20 big New England commercial flounder-fishing boats are expected in Virginia during the next few days.
Because the flounder is in trouble, a coalition of East Coast states, including Virginia, has agreed that only so many fish may be caught, commercial or recreation.
Virginia limits rod-and-reelers to eight a day, while commercial landings for 1996 are capped at 2,368,569 pounds.
Additionally, the state's Marine Resources Commission has divided this quota into quarters, allowing 1,333,090 pounds to be landed between Jan. 1 and March 31.
But the glitch in Virginia law permits any boat to off-load its fish here, against the state's quota. The boat doesn't have to be licensed in Virginia.
Some other states don't have such an open-door policy. North Carolina, for example, requires a landing license, available only to commercial fishermen with a history of bringing flounder into Tar Heel ports.
A bill granting similar powers for the Marine Resources Commission to limit the Virginia catch is before the General Assembly. It was introduced by Del. Alan Dimonstein, D-Newport News. But it would not be effective until July 1.
Meanwhile, Virginia's 1.33 million-pound quota for the first quarter could be gone before month's end, according to Jack Travelstead, head of fishery management for the Marine Resources Commission.
``We have more than a million pounds already,'' he said, ``so that means that effective at 12:01 a.m. Monday, the trip limit goes from 9,000 pounds to 5,000 pounds. I look for the quota to be filled in the next few days.''
That's not going to sit well with commercial fishermen who historically land their catch in Virginia.
Meanwhile, there have been reports that a few Virginia boats aren't exactly abiding by the per-trip limit.
``It could be happening,'' said Warner Rhodes of the Virginia Marine Patrol. ``Our men can't be on all docks at all times. We've been checking and we may step up our enforcement if more boats start landing fish. But so far, there haven't been any citations written.''
REAL COUP: The folks who stage the annual Virginia Sport Fishing Forum have come up with a winner.
This year's forum, set for Saturday, will feature four major players in fishery management, ready to answer your questions. They are Jack Travelstead, head of fishery management for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission; Jess Hawkins, his North Carolina counterpart; Peter W. Rowe, a voting member of the Virginia commission; and Jack Dunnigan, executive director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a coalition of East Coast states.
The session is titled ``Planning for the future: Long-term fishery management and its interaction with current fishery-management regimens.'' It is scheduled for 1:30 to 3 p.m. during the Bass-N-Saltwater Expo at the Hampton Coliseum. The forum itself runs from noon to 3 p.m.
During the session's first hour, the four experts will be offered prepared questions by Claude Bain, director of the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament, and Jon Lucy, who heads the Sea Grant program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at Gloucester Point.
Some questions will be pointed, Bain said, although the panel will be advised of them in advance.
The forum also will feature presentation of awards to the top winners in the 1995 Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament; details and results of Virginia's game-fish-tagging program; and results of various catch-and-release mortality studies.
As for the show, it opens Friday and runs through Sunday. Hours will be noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For freshwater anglers, the top draw should be the appearance of Larry Nixon of Texas, the all-time leading money winner on the professional bass-fishing circuit. He'll be conducting seminars Saturday.
Bass pros Rick Morris of Virginia Beach and Randy Howell of Littleton, N.C., will be offering seminars throughout the weekend, as will freshwater striper guru Tom Richards of Tennessee.
Several saltwater seminars will be offered Saturday, with Dr. Jim Wright of Virginia Beach heading this program.
Admission will be $5 for adults, $2 for ages 10-16, with kids under 10 admitted free.
Along those same lines, today is the finale of Bassarama '96 at the State Fairgrounds in Richmond, where hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
RECORD DONATIONS: Virginia deer hunters set a record during the past deer season by donating more than 100,500 pounds of venison to the ``Hunters for the Hungry'' program.
The record had been the 82,000 pounds distributed from the 1994 season, according to David Horne of Big Island, Va., the program's creator.
``We've distributed more than 350,000 pounds of venison since we started in 1991,'' Horne said. ``Our goal is to get up to 200,000 pounds a year.''
He said that while hunters were able to provide that much venison, the problem remained one of finding the financial support to cover processing.
Most donations are used to cut, wrap and freeze the venison professionally. Processors can donate but so much free time, Horne said.
QUAIL CONFERENCE: If you're one of the thousands of Virginians who bemoan the decline of the bobwhite quail, you may want to catch a Thursday meeting in Richmond.
Starting at 10 a.m., officials with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will listen to what hunters have to say about the situation, which has seen quail numbers drop steadily for more than 20 years.
The hearing will address such questions as: Why don't I see as many quail as I used to? What can be done to reverse the decline? What can I do to help bring quail back?
You can get details of the session by calling 1-804-598-3706.
SHORT CASTS: Chris J. Wolf of Norfolk has been elected president of the Southeastern Virginia Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Other officers include Carleton J. Smith, Carl Dehne and David W. Narr, all of Virginia Beach. The club will meet at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Regional Building at 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake. Brian Horsley of Kitty Hawk, an Outer Banks guide, will demonstrate fly-tying. . . . Mike Cumberledge and Roger Pottrantz will represent the Back Bay Bassmasters at the Mr. Bass tournament on Smith Mountain Lake in April. They will be joined by J.D. Dendy, Red Bruun, Mike Pacheco and Rob Shaw for the BASS Chapter Team Tournament at Kerr Lake in May. Hatteras, where Mike Dillon scored by boating a 161-pounder. The Chesapeake anglers were with skipper Fred Parsons on the boat Citation. . . . A 2 1/2-pound white perch caught at Lake Prince in Suffolk last April by James Roper of Portsmouth has been confirmed as a state record. . . . A spring turkey-hunting workshop for women only will be held March 29-31 at the Airport Conference Center in Wakefield. Cost will be $150. You can get details from Anne Skalski at 1-804-367-6778. . . . Ross Hickam of Virginia Beach has earned a citation from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament with a 5-2 speckled trout, boated on the Little Harpoon at Lynnhaven Inlet. He had 10 fish, including two others of four pounds or more. . . . Some 140,000 6-inch-long striped bass have been released into North Carolina's Pamlico River. by CNB