THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9609010244
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: 138 lines
Unless tuna fishermen in North Carolina and other Middle Atlantic states speak out, the season for keeping bluefins could remain closed next year until June 1. It normally opens Jan. 1.
This would mean that no one would be able to keep bluefins during the tremendous winter-spring run which has developed off Hatteras in recent years.
That could be devastating to the area's economy, which has profited tremendously from the fishery.
Giant bluefins, some in excess of 600 pounds, were discovered a few years ago off Hatteras from February through early April. For the past three years, the fishery has attracted thousands of anglers from throughout the world.
As a result, virtually every boat slip on the island was filled last winter, when more than half would have been empty. Additionally, restaurants and tackle shops which normally close for at least a part of winter remained open all season, doing brisk business.
Under the delaying plan, angling for tuna would be permitted but fishermen would be required to release any tuna they caught.
The idea behind the plan is to see just how much interest exists for keeping the fishery open, according to Dr. William Hogarth, acting chief of the National Marine Fisheries Service's highly-migratory species program.
``We had some hearings on the fishery last year,'' Hogarth said, ``and there was an outpouring of interest in closing it until the first of June. But it all came from up north.
``We're just doing this to see how much interest there is with anglers in North Carolina and elsewhere for keeping the fishery open. I suspect there's significant interest.''
The bluefin is one of the most closely managed of all saltwater species. Quotas are in place for all types of gear, including rod-and-reel. Additionally, bluefins have been divided into six size classes, with quotas for each class.
Anything caught by North Carolina fishermen goes against the overall quota, limiting the number of fish that can be kept by anglers from Virginia north.
Right now, for instance, it's illegal to keep tuna of several sizes anywhere on the East Coast.
The fisheries service alleviated a part of the problem this week, refusing to allow the use of fly nets in bluefin fishing.
Earlier, it took the unprecedented step of adding 95 metric tons, about 209,000 pounds, to the overall recreational quota.
``It's a thorny problem,'' said Hogarth, former head of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. ``No matter what we do, we're going to make some people unhappy. All we can do is keep unhappiness to a minimum.''
You can write the agency at: National Marine Fisheries Service, William Hogarth, Acting Chief, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Md. 20910.
TROUT CHANGES: Virginia has some new rules for anglers targeting gray trout, once one of the state's most popular and abundant saltwater fish.
Effective today, the Marine Resources Commission has approved increasing the minimum legal size for trout to 14 inches, the daily bag limit to 14 fish.
This is a change from the 12-inch minimum and 4-fish bag in effect for the past two years.
And those limits were a change from the original restrictions on the beleaguered fish: A minimum size of 14 inches but a bag limit of only 10 fish.
The new restrictions affect only rod-and-reel fishermen.
The changes do not sit well with the Hampton Roads headboat fleet, which targets small gray trout along the north end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in May and June.
Chris Ludford, who skippers the headboat Osprey out of Lynnhaven Seafood and Marina in Virginia Beach, said the 14-inch minimum would be devastating to the fleet.
``We only fish for trout during those two months,'' he said, ``and we just can't catch 14-inch fish. Even four trout is better than none and none is what we'll catch.''
It was the headboat fleet which pressured the commission to lower the minimum size to 12 inches.
The new restrictions are apparently favored by most other fishermen. Their basic thrust was that a 12-inch trout wasn't big enough to eat and wasn't worth keeping.
``Besides, a 14-inch minimum means the little trout will get one more chance to spawn, thereby improving the overall population,'' said Grayson Rogers of Nassawadox on the Eastern Shore.
A SUGGESTION: Why can't the Marine Resources Commission split the season and make everyone happy?
Why not adopt a 12-inch minimum and 4-fish bag limit for May and June and have a 14-inch minimum and a 14-fish bag for the rest of the year?
After all, both options are available to the commission within the trout-management parameters outlined by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a coalition of East Coast states. Split seasons and different bag limits are not new in wildlife management. They're in effect now for striped bass and several species of waterfowl.
MINNOWS, TOO: The commission did get rid of one messy problem Tuesday. It voted to allow small-time minnow fishermen to avoid the $150 annual seafood harvester's license.
But it installed an important caveat, limiting these harvesters to three gallons of minnows a day.
Minnows are popular bait with many recreational fishermen, especially those targeting flounder, largemouth bass and crappie.
Many tackle and bait shops buy their minnows from school kids whose summer jobs are trapping the little fish. These are the ones targeted by the new rules, ordered by the Virginia General Assembly.
Previously, all minnow fishermen had to buy the annual license.
Big-time minnow harvesters, who catch more than three gallons a day, will be required to pay the $150 annual fee.
DOVE OPENER: If you went dove hunting Saturday and were ticketed by a game warden for hunting out of season, shame on you.
Dove do not become legal game in Virginia and North Carolina until Monday.
Usually, seasons for these fidgety fliers open on the Saturday before Labor Day. But only when that Saturday is in September.
Meanwhile, finding a place to hunt remains a major problem for many dove hunters, since the corn harvest in the two states is running a week or two behind schedule.
The delay was caused by heavy rainfall, which has kept the corn green and too moist for harvest in many areas.
Still, southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina harbor big dove populations. Shooting should be good now for those with access to harvested fields and good later for others as more of the grain is harvested.
GEESE, TOO: The mourning dove isn't the only bird which becomes legal game in Virginia and North Carolina this week.
Hunting seasons for resident (non-migratory) Canada geese begins Tuesday. The bag limit will be five birds a day.
However, not all areas are open. In Virginia, lands owned by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and those within Thomas Jefferson and George Washington national forests are off-limits.
In North Carolina, there will be no season in Dare and Currituck counties.
The Virginia season will run through Sept. 21, while in North Carolina it will run through Sept. 20 in Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties and through Sept. 30 elsewhere.
FRESHWATER HEARINGS: A series of public meetings has been scheduled by the game department to gather comments on several changes proposed for boating and freshwater fishing.
Comments from the meetings will be summarized and presented to the commission's board of directors in October.
One meeting will be 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Deep Creek High School, 2900 Margaret Booker Drive, Chesapeake. Another will be Thursday at the same time at Toano Middle School, 7817 Richmond Road (Route 60), Williamsburg.
SHORT CASTS: The law rescinding, temporarily, the 24.4 cents a gallon federal tax on diesel fuel for recreational boats went into effect Aug. 27. The repeal will last at least through Dec. 31 1997. . . . Eight white marlin releases were recently registered by Wayne Tate of Portsmouth and E.K. Morrison, Bill Godfrey, Jim Bone, Horace Bone and Gary Rogacki of Virginia Beach. They were on the charter boat Sea Toy out of Pirate's Cove Marina at Nags Head. by CNB