THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604210232
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson
LENGTH: Long : 158 lines
Minimum sizes and daily bag limits for flounder and gray trout taken by anglers are expected to remain unchanged when the matters come before the Virginia Marine Resources Commission Tuesday.
The agency's staff will recommend a continuation of the 8-fish, 14-inch limits on flounder and the 4-fish, 12-inch limits on gray trout, according to Robert O'Reilly, assistant chief of the agency's fishery management division.
The hearing will begin at noon at agency headquarters, 2600 Washington Ave. in Newport News.
``I can't speak for the voting commissioners,'' O'Reilly said, ``but I'd be really surprised if they voted for anything else. The regulations are within the framework available from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.''
The latter commission is a coalition of East Coast states which includes Virginia and North Carolina. Member states must select proposals which meet with the group's approval. Otherwise, they could face a ban on taking the species in question.
With both the flounder and trout, the regulations are designed to help restore fisheries seriously depleted by excessive harvest, O'Reilly said.
The flounder rules have been in place for several years, with minor changes. The gray trout regulations were first adopted two years ago and stiffened in 1995.
Commercial catches of the two species also are tightly controlled.
``We're seeing some improvement in the flounder population,'' O'Reilly said. ``But we're still in real trouble with weakfish (trout) and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the regulations get even tighter.''
SHARKS, TOO: A national conservation group has asked the federal government to step up its efforts to protect troubled species of sharks, including dusky, sandbar and blacktip species.
The request came from the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, headquartered at Leesburg in Northern Virginia. Its membership includes recreational and commercial fishermen as well as divers, boaters and fishing industry representatives.
Populations of several species of coastal sharks have been in sharp decline for several years. Much of the blame has been placed on commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico, where many shark species spend the winter months.
The conservation organization has asked the National Marine Fisheries to ``make immediate and substantial cutbacks'' in catches, saying that present declines are not being reversed by existing rules.
Unlike most species of fish, sharks give live birth, usually of 20 or less pups. This means that any recovery will be slow.
OVER AND OUT, LICENSE: Finally, good news for boaters. The government is doing away with the VHF radio/telephone license for boats under 65 feet.
The announcement was made by the Federal Communications Commission, which said that while the change will not be final until July, it takes effect immediately.
This means boaters will no longer have to pay the $75 ``user fee'' to have a legal two-way VHF radio on their craft. Now only boats of 65 feet or more, those equipped with single-sideband radios and those traveling to foreign countries will need the license.
Boaters with FCC licenses being processed will receive refunds.
The federal agency is, however, asking boaters to continuing giving the name of their vessels when making calls.
SLOW LEARNERS: When it comes to managing the Atlantic Ocean swordfish population, the federal government apparently is a slow learner.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is calling for tighter restrictions on the prized fish. The proposal comes after surveys indicating that present restrictions are not enough to stop the decline.
Remember the swordfish mercury scare of about 30 years ago?
The federal government banned the harvest of all swordfish in the Atlantic because of high levels of the toxic heavy metal.
A few years later it was determined that you had to eat something like three pounds of swordfish a day for 30 years before mercury became a problem.
So the ban was lifted.
About that same time, anglers all along the East Coast discovered that they could catch unparalleled numbers of swordfish by fishing at night. The population was up because of the ban. Catches soared.
Commercial longline fishermen also started hitting the fish hard.
Before long swordfish again were so scarce that the government imposed restrictions. Now, surveys indicate, those restrictions are not enough to rebuild the population.
Shades of the striped bass dilemma of the 1970s and 1980s. It took prolonged, serious limits - a complete moratorium in Virginia - to bring about a striper return.
Looks like the federal government would eventually learn.
FISH SUPERHIGHWAY: Some 140 miles of the James River and its tributaries should be opened to spawning-run fish next year. That's when a fish-ladder is expected to be completed for the Busher Dam in Richmond, the final block to opening the river above the city to spawning fish.
Final details of the multisponsor project now are being hammered out. Actual work is expected to begin in October. Recreational fishermen are contributing to the project through saltwater and freshwater fishing licenses.
The ``fishway'' is expected to provide upriver spawning access to striped bass, shad, sturgeon and other game and food fish.
YOUTH CHALLENGE: Young hunters from across Virginia will compete May 17-19 in the Virginia Youth Hunter Education Challenge in Appomattox.
The youngsters will participate in eight events: rifle, shotgun, archery, muzzle-loading, wildlife identification, orienteering, hunter responsibility and hunter safety.
It'll be open to all young graduates of the state's hunter-education course, with contestants broken into two groups, ages 9-14 and 15-19.
Winners will advance to the Youth Hunter Education Challenge in New Mexico later this year. That one is sponsored by the National Rifle Association.
The Virginia event is staged by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Details: Terry Bradley of the game department, (804) 367-1000.
SHORT CASTS: Quail hunters are being sought as volunteers for a quail-survey project being conducted by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. It's a long-term project designed to give agency biologists insight into the extended decline in bobwhite numbers. If you're interested, contact Mike Fries, a department biologist, at 1-540-249-9390. . . . Here's a reminder that the ``Town Hall Meeting'' concerning menhaden fishing in Virginia will be April 29 at 7 p.m. in the Ocean View Baptist Church at Government Street and Wells Parkway in Norfolk. The meeting was called by Del. Thelma Drake, R-Norfolk. It'll feature business and civic leaders, anglers, legislators and industry representatives and will be open to anyone. . . . State-owned public boat ramps at Fox Hill in Hampton and Aylett in King William County have been opened after extensive repairs. The latter serves the Mattaponi River. . . . The sixth annual Fairfield Heritage Bass Tournament on Lake Mattamuskeet will be held May 25-26. It'll be a two-person team event with a $100 entry fee. The lake is near Fairfield in Hyde County, N.C. Details, (919) 926-1608. ILLUSTRATION: OUTDOOR TIP
A glob of clam is the most popular bait for the legions of
anglers who bottom-fish for black drum during the spring run in the
lower Chesapeake Bay.
Most folks go for hard-shell clams, indeed a fine bait. But sea
clams are just as attractive to these big, bottom-feeding battlers.
In addition, they're a lot more economical to purchase and
usually a lot easier to obtain.
Probably the best enticement when soaking baits for black drum,
however, is a peeler-crab and clam combination.
On waters off the Eastern Shore, where most spring drum are
caught, it's known as a ``clam and crab sandwich.''
One of this bait's benefits is that, because of the crab, it can
be attractive to a lot of other species, ranging from medium-size
bluefish to big striped bass and red drum and cobia.
If you have trouble keeping such a bait on your hook, merely wrap
it a couple of times with a neutral-color rubber band. Don't worry
about the looks of the finished product. That's not what attracts
the fish.
You will also find that the offering will stay on the hook a lot
better if you run the hook through the clam's tough lip. This holds
whether you're using sea clam or regular hard-shell clam.
- Bob Hutchinson
Do you have an outdoor tip worth sharing? Mail it to: Bob
Hutchinson, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 West Brambleton Ave., Norfolk,
Va. 23510, or call 446-2342.
by CNB