DATE: Sunday, March 2, 1997                 TAG: 9703010656

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C15  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson 

                                            LENGTH:  133 lines

NEW REGULATIONS WILL PUT BIG BLUEFIN TUNA BACK IN THE WATER

Effective at 11:30 tonight, it will be illegal to keep bluefin tuna of less than 73 inches caught in the Atlantic Ocean.

The immediate impact will be felt at Hatteras, N.C., where hordes of giant bluefins, some approaching 1,000 pounds, have spent the past several winters.

The fishery has been a tremendous economic boon for the Outer Banks, attracting scores of charter boats and anglers worldwide.

It has been been described by some as the greatest rod-and-reel fishing in recorded history.

The closure was ordered Friday by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which closely regulates all fishing for the beleaguered species.

The bluefin has been under strict regulations for more than 20 years and was the first species covered by an international treaty. Regulation is under the umbrella of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

Anglers have been limited to one bluefin per boat per day, provided the fish was at least 27 inches and less than 73 inches. Measurement was by the ``curved fork length'' method, from the tip of the nose, down the curved side to the fork of the tail.

Meanwhile, anglers with federal permits will continue to be allowed to keep one giant bluefin, 73 inches and up, per boat per year.

And rod-and-reel fishermen will still be allowed to catch and release bluefins of any size.

The closure was ordered after federal estimates indicated that 30 metric tons, or about 66,000 pounds, of fish have been boated off Hatteras this winter. The fishery normally extends into late March or early April.

The fishery probably will be reopened in the spring and could be reopened before the Hatteras season ends, according to Gordon Helm, federal spokesman.

``Right now, we just don't really have any idea what will happen or when something will happen,'' he said.

UNUSUAL HAPPENINGS: Some strange things are happening in the fishing world, obviously the result of winter's thermometer going up and down like a yo-yo, mostly up.

Regardless of what the thermometer says, it's still winter. It will be until March 20, the first official day of spring.

As for the strange:

Item: Speckled trout, plus occasional puppy drum and stripers, have been hitting all winter in the area of the ``hot ditch'' near the Virginia Power plant off the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River.

Several big specks have been taken recently, including a 9-pound, 5-ounce catch which should give Hugh Bunch Jr. of Portsmouth the early lead in the annual Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament.

Item: Striped bass have been biting throughout the cold months in the ocean off Virginia Beach and Nags Head and in the surf at Cape Point on the North Carolina Outer Banks. There have even been some stripers taken around Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

Item: Big bluefish staged one of their notorious blitzes Monday in the surf near Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, just north of Cape Point. It was reminiscent of the 1980s, with masses of choppers up to 20 pounds, chasing speckled trout onto the beach in a feeding frenzy.

Blues showed just south of Avon-on-Hatteras the following day. That's probably an indication that they have begun their annual northward migration.

Could this be the year when vast schools again move into the Chesapeake bay to spend the summer? It's happened before.

Item: Anglers participating in the tremendous winter fishery for giant tuna off Hatteras have been catching a lot more than bluefins.

Catches also have included blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna and king mackerel, rare mid-winter offerings in the area.

Item: Tautog have been hitting all winter over coastal wrecks off Virginia and North Carolina. Normally, this fishery pretty well dries up in mid-winter.

Item: Boston (American or ``common'') mackerel have been exceptionally plentiful in the ocean off Virginia Beach. The fish have been abundant enough, in fact, that headboats sailing from Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets in Virginia Beach have begun scheduled runs to the fishing grounds.

As for stripers, the really hot action could develop in the ocean off Virginia Beach in the next week or so. Rockfish are beginning their migration up the coast and into the Chesapeake Bay for their annual spawning ritual.

Even surf and pier anglers along the city's resort strip and possibly along the northern Outer Banks could get in on the rockfish run. Surprisingly, winter's warmer-than -usual weather has had little impact on freshwater action. This doesn't mean no fish are being caught, just that nothing unusual has developed.

Yellow perch are hitting on many waters, a few big largemouth bass are being boated and crappie catches are steady on most waters.

The bass picture should change in the next few weeks. Historically, the year's biggest Virginia largemouth are products of late March and early April.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the seasons are a-changing, a fact which should be warmly greeted by local anglers.

THE WINNERS: Ken Chilton, Rennie McAllister, Paul Conners and James Hutchinson received the top awards at the recent soiree of the Virginia Beach Billfish Foundation.

The foundation was formed last year by merging the Cape Henry Billfish Club and the Virginia Bluewater Gamefish Association.

Jim Ingham was elected foundation president, with Larry Davenport named vice-president, Martha Davenport secretary/treasurer and Cathy Ingham corresponding secretary.

SEMINAR TIME: Herb Gordon and Richard Welton of Virginia Beach will conduct a free seminar on catching trophy flounder March 12. It'll be 7-8:30 p.m. at West Marina at 2865 Lynnhaven Drive, near the Marina at Marina Shores, off Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. For details call 496-9996.

PIER REOPENS: The Sea Gull Fishing Pier on the South Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel reopened Friday after being closed for several months.

The pier will remain open 24 hours a day. Also reopened were the adjoining restaurant and gift shop, with current hours 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. All three facilities were closed due to construction of the bay crossing's parallel causeway.

SHORT CASTS: Volunteers are being sought for the annual spring clean-up at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. Volunteers may call the refuge at 721-2412. The event is being co-sponsored by the Appalachian Trail Club, the Audubon Society, Sierra Club and Sandbridge Civic League. . . . Edward Yarasvich of Norfolk has earned a citation award from the Virginia Fresh Water Fishing Program with an 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth bass caught at Lake Whitehurst. . . . The 71st Anglers of Virginia Beach will hold their 13th annual charity ball March 29 at the Upper Deck. Tickets are $30. Details: Harry Heinke, 428-8229. . . . Lake Maury, a 167-acre impoundment at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, opened to fishing Saturday, with rental boats available. For details call 596-2222. ILLUSTRATION: UPCOMING DATES

March 10: Virginia snow goose season closes; Virginia raccoon

season closes east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

March 15: Virginia crow season closes.

March 31: Virginia striped bass season closes in ocean waters.

[Chart]

VIRGINIA SALT WATER TOURNAMENT LEADERS

For copy of chart, see microfilm

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