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IMMEDIATE RELEASE Public Hearings Scheduled for Snapper Grouper Management The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a series of public hearings beginning in November to solicit public comment on two amendments to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan for the South Atlantic. Amendment 15A addresses rebuilding of snowy grouper, black sea bass, and red porgy stocks. Amendment 15B contains actions to prohibit the sale of recreationally-caught snapper grouper species, reduce the effects of incidental hooking on sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish, change the commercial permit renewal period and transferability requirements, implement a plan to monitor and assess bycatch, and establish management reference points, such as Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and Optimum Yield (OY) for golden tilefish. Amendment 15B will also establish allocations between commercial and recreational fishermen for snowy grouper and red porgy. Stocks of snowy grouper, black sea bass and red porgy have been identified as overfished by the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock assessment process. In response, the Council is developing Amendment 15A to establish rebuilding plans for these three economically important species in the snapper grouper management complex. Over the years 2001 – 2005, snowy grouper, red porgy, and black sea bass represented an average of 21% of the total annual commercial landings of snapper grouper in the South Atlantic valued at $7.73 million dollars. Regulations were implemented in October 2006 to end overfishing for snowy grouper and black sea bass, and allow for a moderate increase in the harvest of red porgy. These factors will be considered in the rebuilding plans. Through Amendment 15B, the Council is considering options to prohibit the sale of recreationally caught snapper and grouper. Recent restrictions on commercial quotas have raised concerns that these recreationally harvested fish are being included in the commercial landings, and fish may be double counted with current recreational reporting methods. Allocations for snowy grouper and red porgy are also being addressed in Amendment 15B in order to establish commercial quotas and recreational allocations. A complete listing of all actions is contained in each amendment. SNAPPER GROUPER AMENDMENTS 15A/15B PUBLIC PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULE Hearings Begin at 6:00 p.m. except for 12/3/07* November 13, 2007 November 14, 2007 November 15, 2007 November 16, 2007 November 27, 2007 November 28, 2007 November 28, 2007 November 29, 2007 November 30, 2007 December 3, 2007 (*Begins at 7:00 p.m.) The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional councils, conserves and manages fish stocks from three to 200 miles offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and east Florida. Kim Iverson Contact: Patricia Smith DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR WATERFRONT ACCESS IDEAS MOREHEAD CITY – Time is running out to submit ideas for Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund projects. Fisheries Director Louis Daniel will accept public comment and proposals until 5 p.m. Nov. 1. Daniel has oversight of the $20 million fund, created to improve and/or develop public and commercial waterfront access. Daniel has set up a citizen advisory committee to help consider projects. Daniel is seeking proposals for multi-purpose facilities that provide water access to multiple user groups, such as boat ramps and docks for commercial, recreational and research needs, piers for land-based recreational fishing, kayak launches and boat trailer parking. Only coastal water access proposals will be considered, and the state must take title to any property or facility purchased with the fund. Properties considered for purchase must be available for sale; DMF will not undertake condemnation proceedings. Special consideration will be given to projects that partner with local governments or other state agencies, such as the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Natural Heritage Trust Fund, Wildlife Resources Commission and Division of Coastal Management. Priority will also be given to projects that provide access to sustain working waterfronts in traditional fishing communities where access has been lost. To the greatest extent possible, Daniel plans to evenly distribute the funding across the three coastal geographic regions: Northeast, Central and Southeast. Those with ideas should send them in writing to WAMI Projects, c/o Patricia Smith, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557 or to tricia.smith@ncmail.net, or call Patricia Smith or Jennifer Floyd at 1-800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021. Include your name, phone number, e-mail address or other alternative means of contact. Also, provide the location and address of the property and other pertinent information, such as the water body on which it lies, number of acres, waterfront footage, water depth, existing facilities and any funding partnerships involved. A citizens advisory committee will review the proposals and seek additional information, as needed. Contact: Patricia Smith STUDY DRAWS DISMAL SKETCH OF CORE SOUND FISHING INDUSTRY MOREHEAD CITY – Economic factors, such as coastal development and low seafood prices, have deteriorated the historic commercial fishing industry in the Down East area of Carteret County, according to an economic analysis released today by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. The value of seafood landings has decreased by 50 percent since 1997 and participation in commercial fishing has dropped by 43 percent, according to the report. Most disturbingly, fewer than half of the commercial fishermen who participated in a recent survey think they will still be a commercial fisherman a decade from now. “Compared to a study of the same area five years ago, these numbers are alarming,” said Scott Crosson, DMF socio-economic program manager and author of the report. “This is the first time we’ve seen this many of the fishermen believing they will not be around in the future.” The report finds that while household incomes in the area still compare to those in other rural North Carolina areas, fishing incomes have dropped sharply. Many fishermen have adapted by taking landside jobs and continuing to fish as supplemental income. Active and retired commercial fishermen surveyed ranked the issues of fuel prices, low prices paid the fishermen at the docks, imported seafood, coastal development and loss of working waterfronts as the top challenges facing the industry. Many of these pressures are not likely to diminish in the near future. A new law that gives tax breaks to working waterfronts and a new state fund for waterfront access may help lighten at least one of the economic pressures affecting the industry. Efforts to educate consumers about the benefits of locally harvested seafood and recent national headlines about tainted imported seafood may help sustain local markets, as well. The report marks the seventh in a series of studies investigating the social and economic characteristics of North Carolina’s commercial fisheries. The Core Sound area of Carteret County (Down East) offers a representative view of the North Carolina fishing industry as a whole. For more information, contact Crosson at (252) 726-7021 or scott.crosson@ncmail.net. A copy of the economic analysis can be found at http://www.ncdmf.net/download/CoreSound2007.pdf. Contact: Patricia Smith MOREHEAD CITY – A proposed new recreational fishing survey could soon expand into North Carolina and may serve as a prototype for fishing data collection nationwide. If approved, the project will be conducted in partnership between NOAA Fisheries and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. It will use contact information from the state’s new Coastal Recreational Fishing License to develop improved recreational data collection methods. NOAA is seeking public comments on the proposed pilot project through Nov. 13, and DMF plans to begin its first phone surveys under the program in late December and early January. “This is a great program that satisfies the primary objective of the division in pursuing the Coastal Recreational Fishing License, which was better information on the recreational fishery in North Carolina,” said DMF Director Louis Daniel. Currently, the federal government and the state collect recreational fishing data through the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey, a program that will be phased out during the next several years. This program uses random phone surveys of coastal households to estimate saltwater recreational catches. But this is a less effective means of gathering information because usually only a small percentage of those called actually fished during the survey period. Recent changes in federal law require the federal government to conduct future surveys by targeting anglers through licensing or registration programs. The pilot project is part of a new Marine Recreational Information Program being designed by NOAA to meet this requirement. The pilot project will test the assumption that replacing the existing random phone survey of coastal residents with a survey of only those people who purchased a saltwater fishing license will improve efficiency and lead to a more accurate accounting of angler fishing habits. A similar project is already being tested in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. The inclusion of North Carolina in the program will help NOAA fine-tune its survey methods. Comments on the pilot project may be sent to dHynek@doc.gov through Nov. 13. For more information about the pilot program, e-mail Rob.Andrews@noaa.gov or visit http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrii/index.html. For questions regarding North Carolina’s role in the program, contact Doug Mumford at (800) 338-7804 or (252) 948-3876 or by e-mail at doug.mumford@ncmail.net.
Contact: Patricia Smith HEARINGS SET FOR BAY SCALLOP, COMMERCIAL LICENSE ELIGIBILITY RULES MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing Oct. 9 to accept comments on proposed permanent rules for the Bay Scallop fishery and eligibility requirements for a Standard Commercial Fishing License. Proposed rules to implement a Bay Scallop Fishery Management Plan: Clarify the criteria under which an area may be designated as a Shellfish Management Area, and that the harvest of all shellfish is prohibited in these areas Proposed rules regarding eligibility requirements for a Standard Commercial Fishing License: Remove application criteria and Eligibility Board meeting dates pertaining to the years 1999 and 2000 The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in room 306 of the N.C. State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technologies, 303 College Circle, Morehead City, N.C. Comments also may be submitted to Catherine Blum by mail at P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557, by phone at (252) 808-8013, by fax at (252) 726-0254 or by e-mail to Catherine.blum@ncmail.net. The deadline for submitting comments is Nov. 5. Complete text of the proposed rules can be found on pages 291 through 294 of the Sept. 4, 2007 N.C. Register on the Office of Administrative Hearings Web site at http://www.oah.state.nc.us/rules/register/Volume22Issue05September42007.pdf.
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