THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602280379
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HATTERAS ISLAND LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Anglers fishing off this Outer Banks island caught so many trophy-sized bluefin tuna this year that for the first time the National Marine Fisheries Service is putting an end to the keeping of the sporty giants.
After 11:30 p.m. tonight, it will be illegal to boat any bluefin tuna longer than 73 inches. Most of those fish weigh at least 230 pounds. Anglers can, however, continue to catch and release the giant bluefins, and keep one bluefin a day per boat under 73 inches.
But local boat captains say the closure probably won't affect their income much because most of the recreational anglers fishing for bluefin release the giant fish anyway.
``We allocated four metric tons for the giant bluefin recreational category. As of Sunday, 3.7 tons already had been taken,'' National Marine Fisheries Service spokesman Chris Rogers said Tuesday from his Silver Spring, Md., office. ``In years past, this category has never been filled.
``But they've been landing so many off the coast of North Carolina that we're having to shut them down this year.''
Bill Hogarth, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service's highly migratory species division, said almost all of the giant bluefin tuna caught since the recreational season opened Jan. 1 have been landed off Cape Hatteras. He said he knew the fishery was increasing in this area. But he was surprised so many big fish were caught so quickly.
``We're trying to extend the season on the smaller ones by reducing the number of fish you can keep,'' Hogarth said. ``They were allowed to bring in two fish between 27 and 73 inches per vessel per day. Now, we're going to limit that take to one fish.''
Anglers fishing off charter boats and those catching tuna from private vessels were limited to one giant bluefin tuna per boat per year. If the average trophy tuna weighs about 300 pounds, only 25 fish filled the entire East Coast recreational quota. Rogers estimated that at least 100 boats have been catching tuna off Cape Hatteras since the season opened two months ago.
``There might be a way to re-open that category sometime this spring,'' said Rogers. ``But it will be closed, at least, until April. In the meantime, they can keep catching - and bringing in - the small and medium sized bluefins.''
Commercial fishermen aren't allowed to haul in the profitable giant bluefin tuna - which fetch up to $40,000 per fish at Japanese seafood markets - until June. By then, the fish are no longer around the Outer Banks. So area watermen are completely shut out of the high paying industry.
Some commercial fishermen have complained that recreational anglers can catch and keep the big bluefins just to mount on their walls - while commercial watermen are prohibited from profiting from the tuna. Although bluefin is supposedly delicious as a sushi staple, many fishermen say the meat is too oily to eat cooked - as most Americans prefer their fish.
The popular recreational fishery for bluefin, however, has helped local charter boat captains prosper this winter. During a season that normally sees boat slips empty, all of the Hatteras Island marinas have been filled with charter vessels - and anglers - since January for the first time anyone can remember. Most weekend charter boat trips, which cost $800 to $900 daily per boat, already are booked through March.
``I don't think it's gonna make a whole lot of difference down here,'' Teach's Lair Marina spokesman Billy Webster said of the ruling from his Hatteras Village docks. ``Most charter parties already understand that they're probably not gonna bring in a giant bluefin anyway. They can still fish for 'em. And they can still land the small and medium ones.
``In the last few days, though, we have seen a lot of giant bluefin tuna coming in here,'' said Webster. ``Mostly, though they've been from private boats.'' by CNB