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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2007 Contact: Kim Iverson 843/571-4366 or Toll Free 866/SAFMC-10
Federal Fishery Advisory Panel Seats Open to Applicants
Members of the public are encouraged to submit applications to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council for seats currently available on its advisory panels. Working at the grass roots level, advisory panel members provide information and guidance in the development and implementation of federal fishery management plans. The Council has 15 separate advisory panels composed of individuals who are engaged in the harvest of, or are knowledgeable and interested in the conservation and management of the fishery or group of fishes to be managed. Members include recreational and commercial fishermen, seafood dealers and processors, conservationists, scientists, and concerned citizens.
Advisory panel members are appointed by the Council and serve for a three-year period, based on the frequency of meetings. As those appointments expire, members currently serving on the AP can reapply for their positions. These seats also become open to new applicants. AP members generally meet no more than once or twice each year and are compensated for travel and per diem expenses for all meetings. Applications are now being solicited for the following positions:
Information & Education Advisory Panel 1 Open Seat
King and Spanish Mackerel 1 North Carolina Commercial Seat Advisory Panel 2 Florida Commercial Seats
Deepwater Shrimp Advisory Panel Commercial Seats (Targeting Royal Red Shrimp Fishermen)
Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel 1 South Carolina Commercial Seat 1 Georgia Charter/Headboat Seat 1 Non-governmental Agency Representative Seat
If you are interested in serving as a member on the Council's advisory panels, please submit an application to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405. Applications can be obtained by contacting the Council office at 843/571-4366 or toll free 866/SAFMC-10, or online at www.safmc.net.
Advisory panel members will be selected during the next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, scheduled for September 17-21, 2007 in N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Applications must be received by August 21, 2007. Contact: Patricia Smith TAGGING REQUIREMENT STARTS SUNDAY FOR STRIPED BASS FISHERMEN MOREHEAD CITY – Starting Sunday, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will require recreational anglers who catch striped bass along the Outer Banks to participate in a 15-week tagging and reporting program. From 12:01 a.m. July 15 through 12:01 a.m. Nov. 1, recreational fishermen must obtain and complete a “catch card” for the striped bass they catch and attach a landing tag through the mouth and gill cover of every fish taken from the Atlantic Ocean north of Ocracoke Inlet. “Catch cards” are forms that document the vessel, trip type, the number, size and weight of the striped bass caught, and the number that correlates to a number on a landing tag. Fishermen will receive the tags when they fill out the catch cards. Cards and tags are available at North Carolina striped bass reporting stations, a list of which can be found on the DMF website at www.ncdmf.net, ocean fishing piers and most tackle shops along the Outer Banks. They also will be available from DMF Recreational Port Agents. The cards must be completed and the tags affixed to the fish before removing the fish from the boat, or taking the boat out of the water. Anglers taking striped bass from fishing piers should report their catch at the pier house before. Surf fishermen should report catches of striped bass at the nearest reporting station. This is the third year DMF has implemented temporary tagging and reporting requirements for ocean-caught striped bass. It is necessary to enable better catch estimates of ocean harvests during the closed season for striped bass in the Albemarle Sound Management Area. Catch estimates provided by the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey are not precise enough for the state’s management needs. For-Hire Permit and For-Hire Blanket Coastal Recreational Fishing License holders may apply for an on-board kit with catch card and landing tag materials that allows self-reporting. The for-hire kits can be obtained by contacting Doug Mumford or David Daniel by phone at either 1-800-338-7804 or (252) 946-6481 or by email at Doug.Mumford@ncmail.net, or David.Daniel@ncmail.net. Anglers who get to the dock after business hours can report catches at a toll free number, 1-800-682-2632, and receive a verification number as evidence of compliance. Contact: Patricia Smith TAGGING REQUIREMENT STARTS SUNDAY FOR STRIPED BASS FISHERMEN MOREHEAD CITY – Starting Sunday, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will require recreational anglers who catch striped bass along the Outer Banks to participate in a 15-week tagging and reporting program. From 12:01 a.m. July 15 through 12:01 a.m. Nov. 1, recreational fishermen must obtain and complete a “catch card” for the striped bass they catch and attach a landing tag through the mouth and gill cover of every fish taken from the Atlantic Ocean north of Ocracoke Inlet. “Catch cards” are forms that document the vessel, trip type, the number, size and weight of the striped bass caught, and the number that correlates to a number on a landing tag. Fishermen will receive the tags when they fill out the catch cards. The cards must be completed and the tags affixed to the fish before removing the fish from the boat, or taking the boat out of the water. Cards and tags are available at North Carolina striped bass reporting stations (weigh stations), ocean fishing piers and most tackle shops along the Outer Banks. They also will be available from DMF Recreational Port Agents. This is the third year DMF has implemented temporary tagging and reporting requirements for ocean-caught striped bass. It is necessary to enable better catch estimates of ocean harvests during the closed season for striped bass in the Albemarle Sound Management Area. Catch estimates provided by the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey are not precise enough for the state’s management needs. For-Hire Permit and For-Hire Blanket Coastal Recreational Fishing License holders may apply for an on-board kit with catch card and landing tag materials that allows self-reporting. The for-hire kits can be obtained by contacting Doug Mumford or David Daniel by phone at either 1-800-338-7804 or (252) 946-6481 or by email at Doug.Mumford@ncmail.net, or David.Daniel@ncmail.net. Anglers who get to the dock after business hours can report catches at a toll free number, 1-800-682-2632, and receive a verification number as evidence of compliance. Contact: Patricia Smith MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION SEEKS NORTHEAST COMMITTEE ADVISOR MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is looking for a commercial fisherman to serve as an advisor on its Northeast Regional Advisory Committee. The northeast committee is one of four regional advisory committees to the commission that discusses marine fisheries topics of regional interest. The committee reviews matters referred to them by the commission, such as draft fishery management plans and makes recommendations on those matters. The committee may also raise issues of importance to its region. Meetings are typically held once every two months on the third Thursday. The committee rotates meeting locations throughout the northeast North Carolina, which includes Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties. Advisors are reimbursed for travel and other expenses incurred in relation to their official duties. Qualified candidates for this seat must either hold or be an immediate family member of someone who holds a standard commercial fishing license or retired standard commercial fishing license. The candidate must also live in one of the counties mentioned above. The Marine Fisheries Commission chairman appoints members for three-year terms. Applications for committee membership are available at Division of Marine Fisheries offices by calling 1-800-682-2632 or online at http://www.ncdmf.net/download/ADVISOR_AP.pdf. Applications should be returned by July 31 to the Division of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557, Attention: Kelly Mullen. For more information about the Northeast Regional Advisory Committee and the issues it reviews, contact Sara Winslow in the Elizabeth City office at (252) 264-3911. Contact: Patricia Smith FISH FOR FREE JULY 4 MOREHEAD CITY – Anglers can cast their lines into the surf without a fishing license and without fear of getting a ticket on Independence Day. State law establishes July 4 every year as a free fishing day for all public fishing waters in North Carolina – both saltwater and freshwater – as a way to promote the sport of fishing. Free fishing runs from midnight to 11:59 p.m. July 4 and applies to residents and non-residents alike who fish with recreational gear. However, those fishing coastal waters with gill nets, trawl nets, crab pots or other commercial gear still need appropriate licenses. All size and bag limits and other fishing regulations remain in effect, as well. Fishermen age 16 and older who want to fish the remaining 364 days of the year need to hold a fishing license. Annual saltwater fishing licenses sell for $15 to N.C. residents and $30 to non-residents. Ten-day licenses sell for $5 to residents and $10 to non-residents. A variety of lifetime and combined saltwater, freshwater and hunting licenses are available, as well. Fishermen can purchase a license 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Web site at www.ncwildlife.org or by calling (888) 248-6834 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays. Licenses are also sold through many tackle shops and other stores that sell sporting goods, and at N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries offices. |