Releases – August 5, 2010
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) is seeking public comment on Amendment 17A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 17A), which addresses overfishing of red snapper in the South Atlantic.
Actions contained in Amendment 17A include: (1) annual catch limit and accountability measures for South Atlantic red snapper; (2) a rebuilding plan for red snapper; (3) a prohibition on all harvest and possession of South Atlantic red snapper; (4) an area closure off southern Georgia and northern Florida where fishing for all snapper-grouper species would be prohibited, except when using spearfishing gear or black sea bass pots to fish for species other than red snapper; (5) a requirement for circle hooks in the snapper-grouper fishery north of 28˚ latitude; and (6) a requirement for a program to monitor red snapper.
Electronic copies of Amendment 17A may be obtained from (1) the NOAA Fisheries Service website at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov, (2) the e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov (docket number NOAA-NMFS-2010-0035), and (3) the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website at www.safmc.net.
Or for hard copies contact NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Comments on Amendment 17A must be received no later than September 27, 2010, in order to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service.
You may submit comments electronically at the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov using the following docket ID in the search box: NOAA-NMFS-2010-0035.
All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to www.regulations.gov without change. 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.
Or you can mail in written comments to Kate Michie, NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Avenue South,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505.
The First Annual “Fishin’ 4 A Cure” Multi-Species Fishing Tournament, hosted by Ocean Crest Pier, will bring together anglers for a good cause on August 21, 2010. North Carolina has earned a reputation for incredible fishing competitions, and this tournament is giving back—donating proceeds to the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, NC.
The grand prize for this year’s tournament raffle is a new 2010 Smart Car.
“It is imperative that we use our passion of fishing and leverage our position as a respected business member of the greater North Carolina coastal community on Oak Island to raise awareness and money to help families affected by cancer,” David Cooper, President of Ocean Crest Pier said.
There are multiple ways to support “Fishin’ 4 A Cure”: being a sponsor, participating in the raffle, donating, or entering the tournament as a participant. Sponsoring businesses already include Smart Center Cary, Jonathan Williams Plumbing Company, and more.
The tournament will take place at Ocean Crest Pier at 1411 East Beach Drive on Oak Island from 6:00 am-7:00 pm. The entry fee is $25 to participate, with tournament rules and entry forms available at www.fish4cure.oceancrestpier.net.
Trophies will be awarded to the three top qualifying anglers in each species category who successfully catch their own fish and qualify the catch under tournament rules.
Rules, raffle, sponsorship, and registration details are all online at www.fish4cure.oceancrestpier.net, or by phoning (910) 278-6674.
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet August 11-13 at the Holiday Inn, 5032 Market St., Wilmington.
The public is welcome to attend, and comment periods are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on August 11 and 9:15 a.m. on August 12.
The commission is scheduled to select its preferred management options for Amendment 1 to the Bay Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The proposed amendment allows the director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries more flexibility in opening bay scallop harvest coast wide.
The commission is also slated to review a draft Amendment 1 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan and approve sending it out for public review. By law, the commission must establish harvest reductions that end overfishing and rebuild the fishery by 2015. Possible management options include increasing the size limit, decreasing the recreational bag limit, season closures, and stiffer commercial gear restrictions.
Other agenda items include setting the annual Standard Commercial Fishing License eligibility pool cap and approving a five-year update to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.
The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. on August 11, at 9:00 a.m. on August 12, and at 8:30 a.m. on August 13.
The North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest for the 2010-2011 seasons will be available online at www.ncwildlife.org on Aug. 1.
Hardcopies of the digest will be available in mid-August from wildlife service agents, many of which are located in bait and tackle shops and larger sporting good stores.
NOAA Fisheries Service will be the primary sponsor of an “International Symposium on Circle Hooks in Research, Management, and Conservation” to be held in Miami, Florida, May 4-6, 2011.
The goal of the symposium is to produce an updated, science-based assessment of the management and conservation utility of circle hooks in commercial and recreational fisheries around the globe. To learn more about the symposium and to be added to their email distribution list, please see the Southeast Fisheries Science Center website at www.sefsc.noaa.gov/CircleHookSymposium2011.jsp.
Over the last decade, a growing number studies have investigated the biological and socioeconomic effects of using circle hooks in a variety of fisheries and for the potential benefit of a wide diversity of target and bycatch organisms. The most informative analyses have made side-by-side comparisons of the performance of two or more hook types, with at least one being a circle hook.
Study outcomes, however, have varied depending on: (1) the hook types, shapes, and dimensions compared; (2) the target or bycatch species and body sizes examined; (3) the performance measures (e.g., catch, mortality and injury rates) investigated; (4) the study designs adopted; (5) the statistical analyses performed; and (6) numerous other factors associated with fishing technique and environment.
Because interpreting heterogeneous studies and their results is difficult, and resistance to changing traditional fishing practices is the norm, circle hook performance has not been adequately tested, let alone adopted, in fisheries where circle hooks might extend considerable conservation benefits. For the conservation benefits of circle hook use to be fully realized, greater consensus among the international scientific and conservation communities is required as to what defines a circle hook and under what circumstances this relatively inexpensive technology should, and should not, be applied.
The goal of the symposium is to produce an updated, science-based assessment of the management and conservation utility of circle hooks in commercial and recreational fisheries around the globe.
Note that the symposium is not a venue for advocating widespread use of circle hooks in all fisheries around the world. Rather, the intent is to provide a forum for individuals, organizations, and agencies to share relevant research results and perspectives and to subject their findings to peer-review through publication in an internationally-recognized scientific journal.
This exchange of information in an interactive forum is an essential step for developing much-needed uniformity in circle hook terminology, research approaches, and data analyses, as well as for fostering greater collaboration among the international scientific, management, and conservation communities.
A new 13-week television show series aims to show an up close view of the devastating impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Gulf of Mexico boating and fishing communities.
Airing Sundays at 10 a.m. (EDT) on Fox Sports Net and presented by BoatUS Angler, Cabela’s Fisherman’s Handbook portrays a realistic picture of conditions out in the field. Visits to bird recovery facilities, documenting the oil spill’s damage to sensitive marshes and bays, and most importantly, fishing trips on the large swaths of unaffected areas are all included.
Traveling to the region with show host and TV fishing personality Wade Middleton is Chris Edmonston of BoatUS, who presents segments on how to avoid and take care of oil spill damage to your boat, hurricane preparedness, and boating safety topics. “‘I have spent my entire life on the water, but you just can’t understand how important the water is to Gulf residents until you go down there,” said Edmonston. “The water is life to them.”
“This show doesn’t go into the politics,” said Middleton. “It tells the compelling stories of the anglers, guides, captains, boaters, and many others whose lives have been irrevocably affected by the spill. We’ve traveled to four states and fished many spots, seeing first-hand how this region is coping.”
The show repeats Fridays at 4:00 p.m., but check your local listings to be sure.
