Fisheries Commission to Meet in New Bern

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet Nov. 3-5 at the Hilton Riverfront Hotel, 100 Middle Street, New Bern.

The meeting is open to the public. Public comment periods are scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 3 and 9:15 a.m. Nov. 4.

The commission is scheduled to vote on adoption of a supplement to the Oyster Fishery Management Plan that proposes giving the director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries discretion to increase the mechanical harvest limit of oysters up to a set amount selected by the commission. Information collected by division staff indicates mechanical harvest could be as high as 25 bushels per operation per day, in periods of high abundance, without significantly impacting the sustainability of the stock. As another option, the commission is considering allowing two fishermen, fishing on one vessel, to each keep a daily harvest limit.

The commission is also slated to vote on final adoption of an amendment to the Bay Scallop Fishery Management Plan that will put in place a new way to determine when to open waters to bay scallop harvesting. The draft amendment sets up progressive management triggers, based on sampling data from 1984-85, prior to a red tide event in 1987-88. These triggers would allow limited harvest when division sampling indicates bay scallop abundance in a given water body is at 50 percent of the level it was in 1984-85. Trip limits and fishing days would progressively increase if sampling showed bay scallop abundance was at 75 percent or 125 percent of 1984-85 levels.

Other agenda items include selecting preferred management options for an amendment to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan for review by the secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture. The draft plan proposes increasing the recreational minimum size limit to 15 inches and decreasing the creel limit to six fish per day.

The Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan will go before the commission again, as well, so the board may consider departmental and legislative input before tentatively adopting the plan.

A full agenda can be found online at http://www.ncfisheries.net/mfc/agendas/MFC_Nov2010/MFC_AgendaNov2010.pdf.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Nov. 3, 9 a.m. Nov. 4 and 8:30 a.m. Nov. 5.

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