Releases – March 29, 2012
North Carolina fishermen should be aware that Atlantic sturgeon will be listed as a federally endangered species effective April 6. The National Marine Fisheries Service has published a final rule in the Federal Register listing four distinct population segments of Atlantic sturgeon as endangered and another as threatened.
To read the final rule, go to www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/regs.
The Carolina and South Atlantic population segments, both of which are prevalent in North Carolina waters, will be listed as endangered. It has been illegal to harvest Atlantic sturgeon in North Carolina coastal waters since 1991, so the immediate implications of the listing are unclear. However, the potential exists for the listing to impact both commercial and recreational fisheries.
The Endangered Species Act prohibits the take of listed species. The term “take” includes harassing, harming, pursuing, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting the listed species. Fishermen should avoid interactions with these fish.
A National Marine Fisheries Service Status Review of Atlantic Sturgeon concluded that Atlantic sturgeon are caught as bycatch in various commercial fisheries along the entire U.S. Atlantic Coast within inland, coastal, and federal waters. The final listing decision stated that based on available bycatch data, sturgeon are primarily caught in waters less than 50 meters deep by commercial and recreational fisheries using trawl and gill net gear.
The division, along with most other East Coast states, opposed this listing as unnecessary based on its review of available scientific data. These data show that Atlantic sturgeon stocks are improving coast-wide, partially as a result of the moratorium on harvest. However, once the listing takes effect, it will have the force of law and fishermen will be subject to federal fines and penalties if they interact with the fish.
The division is exploring all avenues to address this issue, and plans to draft a request for an incidental take permit under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act. These permits allow for takes of endangered species that occur incidentally to an otherwise lawful activity under limitations specified in each permit.
The LBARA has officially been notified that once again they have qualified for a grant from the Coastal Recreation Fishing License funds. This grant is for the establishment of AR-430.
The plan is to truck 4,000,000 lbs. of assorted concrete pipe to the NC State Port in Wilmington, NC, and then transport the material to the reef site by a private barging company. AR-430 will be located approximately 2.5 miles south of Middleton Street Water Tower on Oak Island.
The final paperwork and bid process will probably not allow the LBARA to start moving pipe to the NC State Port in Wilmington until late June or early July.
North Carolina Sea Grant will convene the 2012 N.C. Marine Recreational Fishing Forum on Saturday, April 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The daylong event is expected to draw recreational anglers, fisheries scientists, resource managers, elected and appointed officials, and others with an interest in the latest happenings in North Carolina marine recreational fishing.
“Sea Grant had hosted similar gatherings annually from 1992 to 1997, which today are recalled as engaging the recreational fishing community on pressing issues through a facilitated discussion outside of the regulatory arena,” explains Michael Voiland, Sea Grant executive director.
“Reconvening the forum this year will support outreach and information activities for recreational fisheries data collection programs. But even more, it will provide an additional venue for communicating information on some of today’s pressing issues and for garnering engagement and gathering input from the marine recreational fishing community,” Voiland adds.
Speakers hail from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coastal Conservation Association North Carolina, and more.
The agenda will include all-embracing topics, such as state and federal officials describing catch data collection for marine recreational and for-hire fisheries; recommendations from a North Carolina legislative study committee looking at marine fisheries; and information for anglers on Atlantic sturgeon that was recently listed as endangered and the invasive lionfish.
The event is free and lunch is included, but preregistration is required. Space will be limited to the first 200 registrants. Registration will close at 5:00 p.m., April 13. Participants will receive a follow-up e-mail prior to the event.
For a complete agenda, registration details, directions, and proceedings from past forums, go to www.ncseagrant.org/s/recfishforum.
Please contact Lisa Humphrey at humphreyl@uncw.edu or (910) 962-2490, or Scott Baker at bakers@uncw.edu or (910) 962-2492 with questions regarding online registration.
Just in time for shad and striped bass spawning runs, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has completed renovations to the Gaston Boating Access Area in Northampton County.
With that, the Commission has renovated 9 of its 10 sites along the Roanoke River, known for its premier striped bass fishing and equally enjoyable shad fishing, in the past decade.
“Come March, anglers flock to the Roanoke River for great shad fishing, followed closely by arm-wrenching striper fishing,” said Erik Christofferson, chief of the Commission’s Division of Engineering Services. “Some of our access areas along the river have lines of up to 100 cars waiting to launch. With newer, better lots, more launch lanes, and more accessible sites, our ramps along the Roanoke are better than ever.”
Most recently, the Gaston site received a new ramp with a floating dock and a paved parking lot. Single vehicle spaces are also available for bank anglers, and solar lights have been installed. In 2011, the Commission completely revamped the Weldon Boating Access Area. The new ramp has three lanes. The site’s lot has been paved and landscaped, and the river bank has been stabilized to decrease erosion.
Renovated sites also include Williamston, Hamilton, Water Street Landing, and several others. Several of these sites have dedicated fishing piers. Boaters and anglers can use the sites year-round for fishing, recreation, and wildlife watching. All are ADA accessible. The renovations were funded through the Sport Fish Restoration Program and motorboat registration receipts.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission opens the entire Roanoke River Management Area to striped bass harvest from March 1 through April 30. From early March until the end of May, the Commission will post online weekly fishing reports from the Roanoke River every Thursday afternoon. The fishing reports, along with other updated information on striped bass fishing and boating access areas, will be posted on the Commission’s blog.
NOAA Fisheries Service requests public comments on Amendment 18A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 18A). The primary purpose of Amendment 18A is to reduce effort in the black sea bass component of the snapper-grouper fishery to address the continued shortening of fishing seasons caused by derby fishing conditions, and to improve data reporting in the for-hire sector of the snapper-grouper fishery.
Actions in Amendment 18A include: (1) updates to the acceptable biological catch and annual catch limits for black sea bass based on a new stock assessment; (2) an endorsement program for the commercial black sea bass pot segment of the snapper-grouper fishery, where only endorsement holders who meet certain landings criteria and also have a valid Unlimited South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Permit would be allowed to use pot gear to harvest black sea bass; (3) an appeals process for the black sea bass pot endorsement and endorsement transferability requirements; (4) modifications to commercial and recreational accountability measures; actions taken if the catch limits are exceeded; (5) a limit of 35 black sea bass pot tags issued to each endorsement holder each permit year; (6) a requirement to bring black sea bass pots back to shore at the end of each trip; (7) a 1,000 pound gutted weight (1,180 pound whole weight) commercial trip limit for the black sea bass commercial sector; (8) an increase to the commercial minimum size limit from 10 inches total length (TL) to 11 inches TL, and an increase to the recreational size limit from 12 inches TL to 13 inches TL; and (9) a requirement for selected for-hire vessels to report landings information electronically on a weekly or daily basis.
*Please Note: If the black sea bass pot endorsement program is approved, a 30-day freeze on transfers of Unlimited South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Permits with black sea bass landings using black sea bass pot gear between 1999 and 2010 will begin on the publication date of the final rule, which will be announced with another fishery bulletin.
Comments on Amendment 18A must be received no later than April 2, 2012, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service.
Electronic or hardcopies of Amendment 18A may be obtained from the NOAA Fisheries Service website at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/SASnapperGrouperHomepage.htm or the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website at www.safmc.net.
You may submit comments by the following methods:
Electronic Submission: The Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov (select “Submit Comment”, then type in NOAA-NMFS-2011-0282 in the “Keyword or ID” box). All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to www.regulations.gov without change.
Mail: NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, c/o Kate Michie, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Comments received through means not specified in this bulletin may not be considered.
More Information
For more information on Amendment 18A, please view the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s webpage at www.safmc.net.
