THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602040206
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOOR EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
A lot of folks still have a hand out for a slice of the annual $1.4 million pie that comes from Virginia's saltwater fishing license.
The latest outstretched palm comes from none other than the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The agency wants $250,000 a year for its boat-ramp program.
That's not $250,000 for the next year. That's $250,000 every year.
Phil Lownes of the game department said the request actually sought ``up to $250,000,'' since unused money would be returned to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which actually administers the license fund.
Currently, a private citizens' board recommends how money from the fund will be spent, with approval of the marine agency's board of commissioners.
But a spokesman for the citizens' group, known as the Recreational Fishing License Advisory Board, said there was ``no chance'' that the group would earmark that much money to another agency's ramp program on a continuing basis.
``I can't imagine that our board is going for any kind of long-term commitment,'' said George Roper II of Norfolk, vice chairman of the group. ``A lot of people are interested in the money. But most fishermen want to see us do something to improve fishing, not just put more people out on the fishing grounds.''
When the saltwater license was created three years ago, most supporters were convinced that the bulk of the income would go to help shorten the time between bites.
Lownes said that under his plan, the marine commission still would have final say in how the money was spent. He also said that his agency would come up with specific projects for the money, adding that the need for additional ramps and boating facilities was acute in several areas.
Some $200,000 of the first year's money, he said, would go toward acquiring two private properties in the Deltaville area. The other $50,000 would go to localities for grants to create or improve boating facilities.
The license fund already has financed a couple of boating-facilities projects. It almost certainly will be used for others in the future.
But three things should stand out to those making the final disbursement decisions:
Each year, it would be easy to spend the entire $1.4 million on boat ramps.
Most fishermen want to see more fish in the water, not more boats on the fishing grounds.
Where the money goes should be decided entirely by the Marine Resources Commission, following recommendations from the Recreational Fishing Advisory Board.
REAL DISLIKE: Del. George Grayson, D-Williamsburg, obviously has a strong dislike for Becky Norton Dunlap, Virginia's secretary of natural resources.
Grayson delivered a strong message to that effect the other day on the floor of the House of Delegates: ``No one since Gen. Ulysses S. Grant has posed a greater threat to our resources or to our people.''
Grayson has introduced a bill that would eliminate the post of secretary of natural resources for the next two years. He is convinced that Dunlap has been detrimental to the state's environmental health.
``She has politicized the department,'' he said. ``Her motto apparently is Pave the Bay.''
TAUTOG LAWS: Virginia anglers could be limited to keeping three tautog a day, with a minimum size of 14 inches, under a tautog management plan being formulated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a coalition of East Coast states.
The ``tog'' is a popular wreck and reef dweller found around coastal wrecks, along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and around shellfish beds and other structures in the lower Chesapeake Bay.
It ranges from Maine to North Carolina. Estimates are that 90 percent of the East Coast catch is made by recreational fishermen.
While there are indications that the tog suffers from excessive pressure in the North, there are no such indications in Virginia, according to Jack Travelstead of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
This point is expected to be argued strongly Feb. 6, when the commission holds a public hearing in Norfolk on its plan. The hearing will begin at 7 p.m. at the Lake Wright Motel on Northampton Boulevard.
SHOW UPDATE: While the annual Bass-N-Saltwater Expo outdoor show winds up today at the Hampton Coliseum, the area is preparing for its oldest such event.
The 43rd annual Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show will have a full house of displays when it opens a nine-day stand Feb. 17 at the Virginia Beach Pavilion.
The nationwide increase in boating sales over the past couple of years could produce the most successful run in the local event's history, according to John Ridenour, show director.
``The boating business has really been going well nationwide,'' he said, ``and local dealers are looking forward to the Pavilion show. The space is a complete sellout.''
This is the only major boating show in Southeastern Virginia and one of the largest on the East Coast. It'll feature boats of almost all sizes; inboard, outboard and diesel engines; boating accessories and hardware, and even fishing tackle. Also, a number of public-service booths will be staffed by local authorities on everything from boating to bass fishing.
The show will run through Feb. 25.
As for the Hampton show, today's hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for ages 10-16 and kids under 10 free.
SHORT CASTS: The Tidewater Anglers Club of Norfolk's annual awards banquet, which was scheduled for Saturday night, was postponed because of inclement weather. It has been rescheduled for March 2. . . . Sessions ranging from how to catch speckled trout in the surf to a fishery-status overview will highlight the North Carolina Marine Recreational Fishing Forum. Open to anyone, the forum will feature various anglers, guides, fishery managers and scientists. It will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Jane C. McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Registration will be $20 before Feb. 12 and $25 afterward. Reservations and details are available from: Jim Murray, N.C. Sea Grant Program, Box 8605, N.C. State University, Raleigh, N.C. 27695-8605, telephone 1-919-515-2454. . . . The inaugural Capital Sport Fishing, Travel and Outdoor Show will be held Feb. 22-25 at the Capital Expo Center at Chantilly in Northern Virginia. For details, call 1-603-431-4315. by CNB