Releases – April 23, 2015
All recreational anglers and charter captains are invited to attend an organizational and informational meeting of the Recreational Fishing Alliance North Carolina (RFA-NC) chapter to be held Monday, April 27, at the Carolina Beach American Legion Hall (1500 Old Dow Road, Carolina Beach, NC 28428).
Incorporated in 1996, the RFA is a national grassroots political action organization dedicated to lobbying and education to protect the current and future rights of recreational anglers to participate in the sport they love.
Along with local recreational and for-hire anglers, representatives from the RFA’s national office and Policy Group (NC lobbying wing) will be in attendance and speaking.
Key topics of this first meeting include proposals from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to reduce recreational flounder landings and implement a mandatory logbook for all charter captains in the state.
The meeting is open to the public and the organization welcomes any questions about its mission and objectives by any in attendance.
Those who can’t make the meeting can learn more about the RFA by visiting www.joinrfa.org or RFA-NC at www.facebook.com/RFANC.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has re-opened the Dawson Creek Boating Access Area in Pamlico County after completing renovations.
The site is located at 303 Creek Place Road in Arapahoe and provides access to the Neuse River. Wildlife Commission staff constructed a concrete boat ramp, an 8-foot x 56-foot floating dock, and a gravel parking lot with space for four cars and 17 vehicles with trailers.
The entire area is ADA accessible with a dedicated single-vehicle parking space, a dedicated space for a vehicle with trailer, paved sidewalks, and assist rails on the dock.
Dawson Creek offers excellent fishing opportunities for popular freshwater and saltwater game species, such as largemouth bass and sunfish in the upper part of the creek, and speckled sea trout, redfish, and flounder in other parts of the creek.
The Commission paid for the renovation of the Dawson Creek Boating Access Area using money from motorboat registration receipts as well as a coastal recreational fishing license grant from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.
For more information on boating in North Carolina, including the locations of more than 200 free, publicly accessible boating access areas, visit the Commission’s online locater map. For more information on fishing in North Carolina, including where to fish, visit the fishing page on www.ncwildlife.org.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is holding a series of public hearings and a workshop to solicit public input on areas that could be considered for designation as Spawning Special Management Zones in federal waters (ranging from 3 to 200 miles offshore) off the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida.
The Spawning Special Management Zones (SMZs) are being considered in Amendment 36 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. This will be the first round in a series of public hearings on measures in the amendment. A second round in the series will be scheduled for August 2015.
The amendment includes alternatives to identify and protect important spawning habitat for snapper grouper species through the designation of Spawning SMZs. The amendment would specify a process for identifying spawning sites/aggregations of snapper grouper species, including speckled hind and warsaw grouper, based on the characteristics of sites important for spawning such as bottom topography, current systems, etc.
The Spawning SMZs would provide protection to designated areas by prohibiting fishing for or possession of species in the snapper grouper management unit. Trolling for pelagic species such as tuna, dolphin, and wahoo would be allowed within the Spawning SMZs.
Fishermen, divers, and other interested members of the public are encouraged to suggest sites that could be considered for Spawning SMZs. Eight sample sites are currently in the Amendment 36 Public Hearing Document, including the Malchase Wreck off of North Carolina, “Devil’s Hole” off the coast of South Carolina, “Daytona Steeples” off the central east coast of Florida and “Warsaw Hole” in the Florida Keys.
The amendment also includes alternatives to reconfigure an existing Deepwater Marine Protected Area off the coast of Georgia and allows for the boundary of the Charleston Deep Artificial Reef MPA off the coast of South Carolina to be moved to accommodate recently deployed artificial reef material. The amendment includes alternatives for anchoring and transit provisions.
A Spawning SMZ Workshop will be held on Monday, April 13, 2015, at 5:30 p.m. in conjunction with a meeting of the Council’s Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel. Council staff will provide an overview of Amendment 36, demonstrate an online mapping tool, and Dr. Will Heyman will present cooperative research results.
Questions will be answered and then participants will break into small groups to discuss and gather input. The advisory panel meeting and workshop are open to the public and will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd., North Charleston, SC 29418.
Members of the public will have two options for participating in the public hearings.
Option 1: Participate via webinar – The public can register for a live webinar and listen to Council staff present an overview of Amendment 36 and answer questions. Public comment will be accepted during the webinar. Webinar registration is required, and registration links are available on the Public Hearing and Scoping meeting page of the Council’s website at www.safmc.net.
Option 2: Participate in person at a comment station – Persons may also attend a hearing at specified public comment stations to listen to the webinar, ask questions, and provide comment. An area Council member will be present at each comment station to moderate questions and accept public comment.
Details on the public hearing schedule and locations for the comment stations are listed below. Any maps, graphics, or other visual items that are part of the public comment should be emailed to mike.collins@safmc.net prior to the hearing.
Written comments are also being accepted and should be addressed to: Robert Mahood, SAFMC, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405 or by FAX at (843) 769-4520. Email comments may be submitted to mike.collins@safmc.net with a reference to “Snapper Grouper Amendment 36” included in the Subject line of the email. Written comments will be accepted until 5:00 PM on May 1, 2015.
Copies of the public hearing document are available on the Council’s website on the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page at www.safmc.net and available by contacting the Council office at (843) 571-4366 or Toll Free at (866) SAFMC-10.
The April public hearings are available via webinar on the following dates and times. If preferred, the public can attend the hearing in person at the following public comment stations:
Monday, April 13 at 5:30 p.m.: Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd., N. Charleston, SC.
Monday, April 20 at 6:00 p.m. (2 locations): S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Research Institute, Auditorium, 217 Ft. Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29422-2559; and Holiday Inn Express, 722 Highway 17, Little River, SC 29566.
Tuesday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m.: NC Division of Marine Fisheries, Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City, NC 28557.
Wednesday, April 22 at 6:00 p.m. (2 locations): GA DNR Coastal Resources Division, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, GA 31520-8687; and Richmond Hill Fish Hatchery, 110 Hatchery Drive, Richmond Hill, GA 31324.
Thursday, April 23 at 6:00 p.m.: Hampton Inn Daytona Speedway, 1715 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114.
Wednesday, June 10 at 5:30 p.m. (in conjunction with the Council meeting): Doubletree Grand Key Resort, 3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd., Key West, FL 33040.
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.
Several divers and fishermen want to honor former Artificial Reef Coordinator Jim Francesconi by sinking a ship in his name.
They have started a fundraising campaign to help pay for the purchase of a vessel and the towing, cleaning, and sinking process.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has agreed to the plan and hopes to schedule the project for mid-July in commemoration of Francesconi’s passing.
Francesconi, who began working for the division in 1987, headed the Artificial Reef Program for 14 years before losing a battle with leukemia on July 18, 2014.
His efforts resulted in hundreds of enhancements to artificial reefs from the Outer Banks to Long Bay, including the creation of the New River Reef (AR-398) near Jacksonville, the Jim Knight Reef (AR-430) near Oak Island, and the Bob Black Reef (AR-400) near Frying Pan Tower. He also oversaw the sinking of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter SPAR, the Tug Titan, the Captain Greg Mickey, the Tug Pawtucket, the Admiral Charlie, and two U.S. Coast Guard Falcon aircraft.
The fundraising group is headed by Bobby Purifoy of Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City, Debby Boyce of Discovery Diving in Beaufort and Carteret County, and diver Steve Broadhurst. They have set up accounts for donations with the East Carolina Artificial Reef Association and the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.
The group wants to purchase a 180- to 200-foot vessel, rename it after Francesconi, and sink it on the Howard Chapin Reef (AR-330), about 12 miles outside of Beaufort Inlet.
About $70,000 of the cost will come from a special fund that receives money from the sale of SCUBA license plates, created in 2005 through the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles license plate program to develop North Carolina’s artificial reefs. The division estimates another $50,000 is needed to make the project a reality.
Donations may be made through the East Carolina Artificial Reef Association at (252) 728-2265 and the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament at (252) 247-3575. Donations may be made electronically to the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament account through www.gofundme.com/jjf-reef-project.
For more information about the fundraising group, contact Purifoy at robert@olympusdiving.com, Boyce at debby.boyce@discoverydiving.edu, or Broadhurst at steve@carolinareef.org.
For more information about the Artificial Reef Program or details of the ship’s sinking, contact Gregg Bodnar with the Division of Marine Fisheries Artificial Reef Program at (252) 808-8053 or Gregg.Bodnar@ncdenr.gov.
