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NEWS
| Coastal Conservation Association North Carolina is Disappointed in the Marine Fisheries Commission's Decision to Extend the Southern Flounder Season |
CCA North Carolina is extremely disappointed with the decision by the Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) to extend the flounder season for pound nets in all inland waters. Under state management measures adopted by the MFC in 2005, the flounder season should close November 30th. The MFC voted 5-2 to instruct the Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) Director, Dr. Louis Daniel, to extend the commercial pound net flounder season until December 15th. The MFC has once again decided to ignore NCDMF data stating flounder are being overfished and overfishing continues to occur. No data was presented that justified this decision.
In 2007, the Commission decided to extend the season, resulting in an additional 90,000 pounds of flounder being caught in that 2 week period. If appropriate measures aren't taken soon and the current plan keeps being adjusted to please commercial fishermen, the overfishing will never stop and the fishery will never rebuild. "We should not try to increase harvest of this valuable resource; we should be taking actions to insure its long-term health and viability," said Stephen Ammons, director of CCA North Carolina.
Southern Flounder have been overfished for the last two decades. Based on adopted management plans, by law, the MFC has only 5 more years to end overfishing. The expected date to implement new Southern Flounder management regulations is April 1, 2012. If the Commission continues to blatantly disregard the viability of one of our state's most popular marine resources, it is likely that much more drastic measures will be needed in the future. At a time when we should be critically reviewing the next steps to conserve this species, the MFC is trying to maximize commercial take.
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| 25 Nov 2009 - 10:50 by CCA North Carolina |
XNews
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| Pending Litigation by the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue Center |
CCA NC is aware of, and monitoring, a recent notification of intent to litigate regarding alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in NC waters by the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. The action by the Beasley Center is in response to "takes" or deaths of sea turtles from interactions with gill nets that exceed the allowable limit in the permit for the Pamlico Sound Gill Net Restricted Area (PSGNRA). Additionally, any takes outside the PSGNRA are not presently permitted and are illegal. CCA NC will continue to monitor the responses and reactions to this letter by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the NC Marine Fisheries Commission (NCMFC), and the NC Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF). To the extent that current ESA laws are being broken or where insufficient enforcement or observation is occurring, CCA NC urges the NCDMF and NC MFC to react immediately to end these violations.
The threatened litigation once again demonstrates that gill nets are an indiscriminate and lethal gear that catch and kill, not only non-targeted finfish, but turtles, birds, and marine mammals.
The threat is not limited to by-catch and other marine animals. Many types of commercial fishing gear historically used in North Carolina can negatively affect essential marine habitats in addition to experiencing high rates of by-catch. Mobile gear such as trawls, clam kicking boats, and oyster dredges are known to damage habitat that our fisheries depend on.
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| 10 Nov 2009 - 11:05 by CCA North Carolina |
XNews
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| ASFMC Denies Increase in Commercial Striped Bass Harvest |
Anglers rally to defeat proposal for commercial sector to kill more fish
Coastal Conservation Association commends the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for denying a proposal to increase the commercial harvest of striped bass at its meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island. The proposal would have allowed commercial fishermen to add at least half of their uncaught commercial striped bass quota to their quota for the following year. Many anglers from CCA Maine made the journey to Newport to express their concern over the status of this important fish, and their voice made a difference.
"The Striped Bass Board understands that anglers at the north and south of the striped bass range are not seeing the numbers of fish they saw even just a few years ago," said Richen Brame, CCA's Atlantic States fisheries director. "There is cause for concern and we commend the ASMFC for taking a conservative approach."
In its formal comments before the ASMFC against the proposal, CCA cited several disturbing trends in the striped bass fishery, including a dramatic decrease in the number of striped bass caught and released by recreational fishermen, particularly in the northeastern states of New Hampshire and Maine, the prevalence of the fatal disease Mycobacteriosis among the Chesapeake Bay spawning stock, and a Fish and Wildlife Service annual survey that encountered the fewest striped bass in the survey’s history.
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| 4 Nov 2009 - 13:24 by CCA North Carolina |
XNews
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| CCA to Testify Before Senate Committee on Oceans Policy |
Committee seeks CCA's input on role for recreational fisheries in ocean,
coastal stewardship
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, has invited Coastal Conservation Association to appear before a hearing on Nov. 4 to testify on the National Ocean Policy Task Force's Interim Report. CCA federal lobbyist Matt Paxton will address the development of the National Ocean Policy and the role for recreational fisheries in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes stewardship.
"The Senate Commerce Committee is critical in the passage and implementation of laws that impact the oceans and fisheries," said Matt Paxton, CCA federal lobbyist. "This is the committee that gives the Administration the legal authority to do what it wants to do with the National Ocean Policy."
The hearing is the first Congressional hearing specifically about the National Ocean Policy and CCA intends to highlight several areas of concern in its testimony, particularly the need to include recreational anglers as a core element in the development of any overarching oceans policy.
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| 3 Nov 2009 - 09:13 by CCA North Carolina |
XNews
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