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Contact: Patricia Smith New Trawling Regulations Impact New River MOREHEAD CITY –A new regulation goes into place this year that will impact shrimp trawling in the New River. Fishermen will not be allowed to use otter trawls upstream the N.C. 172 bridge when the waters open to shrimp trawling later this summer or fall. However, fishermen may continue to use skimmer trawls in these waters when they open. An otter trawl is a traditional shrimp net that utilizes a set of wood planks, called doors, that fishermen drag on the water bottom behind the boat. A skimmer trawl is a more modern shrimp net that fishes the water column on the side of boat. The new regulation is a provision of a Shrimp Fishery Management Plan adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission in 2006. The plan called for a four-year delay in implementation of the regulation to give fishermen time to change gears, if they choose to do so. Studies show that skimmer trawls capture less bycatch than otter trawls, and the bycatch caught in skimmer trawls have a higher survival rate than by-catch caught in otter trawls. Also, skimmer trawls cause less damage to the water bottom. Another factor considered in the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan was that N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries statistics show that an increasing number of fishermen are already choosing to use skimmer trawls, rather than otter trawls, in upstream waters of the New River. For more information, contact division Southern District Manager Rich Carpenter at (910) 796-7215 or [email protected]. |