Releases – June 18, 2015
Red snapper will remain closed in South Atlantic Federal waters in 2015. There will not be commercial or recreational seasons in 2015 because the total number of red snapper removed from the population in 2014 exceeded the allowable level.
In 2013, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed, and NOAA Fisheries implemented, a standardized process that specifies harvest may only occur in a given year if total removals (landings plus dead discards) in the previous year were less than the number allowed for population rebuilding. The total removals allowable for 2014 were 106,000 fish. After evaluating landings and discard information for 2014, NOAA Fisheries has determined the estimates of total removals were 205,859 fish; therefore, the fishery remains closed in 2015.
The process will be repeated in 2016 to determine if there will be a season in South Atlantic Federal waters in 2016. The next assessment of the South Atlantic red snapper population is scheduled to be completed in 2016 and allowable harvest may change as a result of the population assessment.
For additional sources of information, including Frequently Asked Questions, details of the standardized process, and the report of 2014 estimates of red snapper total removals in the South Atlantic Region, please go to http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov, click on “Fisheries” and then click on “South Atlantic.”
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will accept public comments between June 10-July 10 on six proposals for southern flounder management.
The public may submit comments in writing and at a public meeting from 1:00-5:00 pm on June 17 at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, 203 South Front St., New Bern.
At the meeting, members of the public may speak for three minutes each until time runs out. Due to the time constraint, the commission chairman urges individuals to bring written comments to submit in case the meeting ends before they have an opportunity to speak.
Beginning June 10, written comments may be submitted electronically to flounder.supplement@ncdenr.gov.
Written comments may also be submitted to: Southern Flounder Comments, c/o Nancy Fish, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557.
No oral comments will be accepted outside of the public meeting for this comment period.
The six proposals are part of a draft supplement to the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. The proposals can be found online at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/ under Hot Topics.
The commission is scheduled to vote on what management measures to implement at its August business meeting in Raleigh.
CCA wants you to tell the Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) that you support pro-resource action on the Southern flounder FMP supplement!
The MFC voted unanimously at their May meeting to move forward with a supplement to the Southern Flounder FMP, seeking in essence an emergency plan to reduce harvest between 25%-60%.
Now we are asking CCA members, recreational anglers, and conservation supporters to provide written comments to the Commission in support of the following actions for the recovery of Southern flounder:
(1) No changes to the current recreational harvest rules. All previous attempts to reduce the harvest of Southern flounder have been directed at the recreational limits yet the commercial harvest accounts for almost 80% of the total annual harvest of Southern flounder.
(2.) A TAC (Total Allowable Catch) limit on commercial harvest that would reduce total commercial harvest by 50%. No depleted fish stock in North Carolina has ever recovered without the implementation of a TAC or quota.
(3.) A closure of the flounder large mesh gill net fishery in estuarine waters. We support recovery of our coastal marine resources by the use of cleaner, more efficient commercial gear specifically pound nets and commercial gigging.
(4.) A universal 15-inch minimum size limit for both commercial and recreational fishermen.
(5.) A moratorium on new pound net sets and permits until the stock has recovered with a provision for the event of death or disability of the owner.
Your written comments must be received by July 10 and can be submitted electronically to flounder.supplement@ncdenr.gov. We also encourage you to copy MFC commissioners directly on your emails by using the following addresses: Sammy Corbett, Chairman, Commercial Industry, samjcorbett3@gmail.com; Anna Beckwith, Vice-Chairman, At-Large, annabarriosbeckwith@yahoo.com; Mikey Daniels, Commercial Fisherman, nccroakerjoe@yahoo.com; Kelly Darden, Recreational Fisherman, kdarden@embarqmail.com; Mark Gorges, Recreational Fisherman, captgorgesmfc@gmail.com; Chuck Laughridge, At-Large, sobxl1@gmail.com; Joe Shute, Recreational Industry, captjoemfc@yahoo.com; Mike Wicker, Scientist, amikewicker@gmail.com; and Alison Willis, Commercial Fisherman, awillis.mfc@gmail.com.
Your voice will provide the support the pro-resource commissioners will need to approve this supplement.
Waters in Pamlico Sound and the northern portion of Core Sound closed to anchored, large-mesh gill nets at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, June 8, due to interactions with sea turtles.
The closure impacts Management Unit B under the state’s Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit, which includes all of Pamlico Sound and the northern portion of Core Sound down to a line from Club House on Core Banks to a point on the shore at Davis near Marker 1.
Staff with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries have observed interactions with 19 live and 11 dead green sea turtles in anchored, large-mesh gill nets. This comes near the maximum allowed takes of green sea turtles, based on observer coverage, in Management Unit B for the Incidental Take Permit year, which runs from Sept.1 through Aug. 31.
The Incidental Take Permit requires the division to close a Management Unit if allowable takes are approached based on observer coverage.
Waters in Management Unit B will not reopen to anchored large-mesh gill nets until at least Sept. 1. The reopening could occur later, depending on the abundance of sea turtles in the area at that time.
For more specifics on open and closed area, see Proclamation M-10-2015 at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/proclamations.
North Carolina’s estuarine gill net fishery is managed under incidental take permits for sea turtles and Atlantic sturgeon, issued to the state by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The permits authorize limited takes of these species, listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, as part of conservation plans that divide the state’s internal coastal waters into six management units. The permits require observer coverage, so that the management units are closely monitored for interactions with sea turtles and Atlantic sturgeon. An annual number of allowed interactions with each species is assigned to each gear type in each management unit. If the number of interactions is approached, the management unit must close for the remainder of the season or year.
For more information, contact Chris Batsavage, the division’s Protected Resources Section chief, at (252) 808-8009 or (252) 241-2995, or via email at Chris.Batsavage@ncdenr.gov.
