THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603100189
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
If you're a rod-and-reel flounder fisherman, it's almost certain that you're going to be restricted in 1996 to the same eight-fish bag limit and 14-inch minimum size that were in place last year.
But behind the scenes, interesting things are happening.
First, there are strong indications that flounder restrictions, in place for several years, are beginning to pay off in a larger supply of fish.
Scientific surveys indicate an upswing in flatfish numbers, especially of small fish. This is substantiated by the speed at which commercial fishermen were able to meet their winter quota in both Virginia and North Carolina.
Second, officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries have issued a special press release indicating that flounder stocks are on the rebound after the serious declines of the 1980s. This may be an indication that the agency is preparing to fight for relaxation of limits on both recreational and commercial catches.
Third, a federal appeals court has ruled that Judge Robert Doumar of U.S. District Court in Norfolk was wrong to grant commercial fishermen an additional 3.1 million pounds of flounder in 1995. While those 3.1 million pounds are gone, there's still a fight ahead to see how the inequity is corrected - recreational fishermen were not given an additional quota.
It's going to be interesting to see how the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council handles this one. The federal agency is the final word on flounder management.
When the flounder plan went into effect a few years ago, it established a quota for all East Coast fishermen. Sixty percent went to commercial fishermen, 40 percent to recreationals. Should the commercial fishermen's additional 3.1 million pounds in 1995 come from their 1996 quota? Probably. But it almost certainly will not.
Fourth, the 1995 recreational catch was short of its 7.5 million-pound quota by about 2.1 million pounds. Does that indicate that the 1996 quota will be increased by that much? Hardly. This would mean reducing the minimum size to 13 or maybe even 12 inches and increasing the daily limit to eight or maybe even 10 fish.
Most recreational fishermen with whom I've talked are willing to maintain their fishery's status quo. They know that in the long run this will result in a quicker comeback for the popular flatfish. But because the flounder is such a vital part of the commercial scene, few commercials probably share that view.
So what does all of this mean for the 1996 rod-and-reel flounder season? Probably very little. But it could have a tremendous impact on the future of flounder fishing.
NEW CLUB: A new big-game fishing club is being formed in Virginia Beach to replace the Virginia Bluewater Gamefish Association and the Cape Henry Billfish Club.
The former has disbanded, while the Cape Henry club will remain in operation merely to hold contests this year.
The new group, to be known as the Virginia Beach Billfish Foundation, will hold its first meeting at 7 p.m. March 20 in Henry's Seafood Restaurant at the east end of the Lynnhaven Inlet Bridge.
As a door prize, names will be drawn for a free giant-tuna fishing trip out of Hatteras, N.C., March 23 on the private boat Pursuer. For details, call Jim Ingham at 490-1500.
CROWN GRANT: If you thought George Washington helped kick the British crown out of the United States more than 200 years ago, think again. The crown is alive and well, at least in Allegheny County.
Judge Duncan Byrd of Covington recently ruled that landowners claiming crown rights originally deeded by the king of England have exclusive fishing rights to the Jackson River.
The Jackson is Virginia's finest trout stream. In addition, it has been declared a navigable river by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The court ruling means, however, that owners of land along the Jackson River not only can forbid anglers from using the river's shores but also can keep them off the stream itself.
In other states where similar squabbles have developed, higher courts have generally sided with the fishermen. Montana, for instance, has ruled that all rivers and streams belong to the public.
But what about the Jackson River's fish? They were produced with revenues from the sale of state fishing licenses. How can a landowner claim rights? Can he set seasons, creel limits and minimum sizes?
Virginia fishermen say they intend to take this one to a federal court, since a panel of two Virginia Supreme Court justices have declined to hear an appeal.
``Crown grant or no crown grant, Virginia waters belong to all Virginians,'' said Jim Brewer, publisher of Virginia Outdoor Weekly, writing in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. ``We beat the King of England once. Looks like we're going to have to do it again.''
SHORE SHOW: It'll be a double-barrel program when the Eastern Shore chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association holds its annual fund-raising event Saturday at the Moose Lodge at Belle Haven.
Beginning at 10 a.m., some of the state's top anglers will conduct a series of how-to seminars on everything from offshore bait-rigging to boat and engine maintenance. In addition, there'll be displays of fishing tackle and marine equipment, continuing until 4 p.m.
Then, at 6 p.m., the organization's annual dinner and auction will begin. Auction items will include 40 pieces of original art, prints and carvings from local and national artists.
Also, a number of Virginia anglers have donated, to be auctioned, fishing trips ranging from flounder to speckled trout to offshore big-game species.
You can get details from Art Saunders at 1-804-787-3700 or Bob Fjelstadt at 1-804-787-2880.
SHORT CASTS: Although most dealers reported brisk sales, attendance at the recent Mid-Atlantic Sports and boat show was down 16 percent. . . . Michael Reid of Upperco, Md., and Ras Reid of Hilton Head, S.C., have set a world fly-rod records with bluefins caught off Hatteras. The former boated a 128-pounder in the 20-pound-test tippet class, the latter a 101 1/2-pounder in the 16-pound class. Both fish were caught with charter skipper Steve Coulter on the Sea Creature out of Hatteras Harbor Marina. . . . Bob Lee boated a 50-pound barracuda and D.W. Connors a 35-pounder on a recent trip to Cancun, Mexico. Both are from Portsmouth. . . . Darrell Grosvent of Suffolk has earned a citation award from the Virginia Fresh Water Fishing Program with a 20-pound striper, boated at Western Branch Lake in Suffolk. . . . The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will hold a public meeting near Williamsburg to discuss all agency regulations. It'll be at the Norge Elementary School, 7311 Richmond Road. . . . The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission will hold public meetings in Raleigh at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday to discuss various fishery laws. Open to anyone, the meetings will at the Holiday Inn-North, 2815 Capitol Boulevard. . . . The annual cleanup by volunteers at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach will be held Saturday. For details, call the refuge office at 721-2412. by CNB