Releases – April 11, 2013
This month has been both an incredibly exciting and frustrating time for the Cape Fear Community College Marine Technology program. On March 14, the college purchased the nationally-recognized research vessel the R/V Cape Hatteras to replace the R/V Dan Moore for offshore training, which is the core strength of its program.
Unfortunately, not even a week after the R/V Cape Hatteras arrived in Wilmington, the funding for the program was targeted for a devastating cut by the governor’s budget proposal. This cut reduces the Marine Technology budget from $688,670 to $345,000, roughly half of the program’s overall budget.
If full funding is not restored by the North Carolina General Assembly, the CFCC Marine Technology Program will be unable to provide the critical training its students need to get jobs. Specifically, the cut will prevent the college from operating the R/V Cape Hatteras, and, therefore, eliminate the at-sea training that is so vital to the program.
While college officials are working with leaders in the state government to reverse this cut, CFCC needs your help to make sure this critical job training program can continue.
Please contact your local North Carolina state senators and representatives and urge them to restore full funding to CFCC’s Marine Technology program this year.
Why does CFCC’s Marine Technology Program deserves full funding?
1. Now is not the time to cut a proven job training program that consistently provides jobs for North Carolinians.
2. CFCC’s Marine Technology program is North Carolina’s only job training program that prepares students to work in a wide variety of offshore maritime industries that are essential to the state’s economy. This specialized offshore training produces great jobs for students. Without full funding for the training in CFCC’s Marine Technology Program, these jobs will go elsewhere.
3. Specifically, CFCC Marine Technology graduates work in jobs that support many critical marine industries in the state, including: offshore petroleum exploration, offshore wind farm feasibility, dredging inlets and waterways for the shipping industry, monitoring the commercial fishing industry, beach re-nourishment for tourism, managing fish hatcheries, maintaining clean drinking water, and monitoring the overall health of the coastal environment.
4. The key factor that makes CFCC graduates so attractive to employers is the unique at-sea training provided by this program. This training cannot be simulated in a classroom; it must be experienced in a real-world environment.
5. CFCC’s program has a proven track record for placing graduates in jobs for nearly 50 years. An average of 140 students enroll in this program each year. The most recent graduate survey indicated that 94 percent of CFCC Marine Technology students get jobs in industry after graduation. The average starting salary for these jobs is $40,000 a year.
6. The funding that has been removed from the proposed state budget will cripple the ability of CFCC’s Marine Technology Program to train students for jobs in the maritime industry. Without full funding, this specialized training will not be possible and, as a result, students will not get jobs.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is requesting public input on management alternatives that may require the use of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) on vessels with a Federal South Atlantic Commercial Snapper Grouper Permit, both unlimited or trip-limited (225 pounds) permits. The Council is not considering the use of VMS on private recreational or for-hire vessels unless these vessels have a South Atlantic Federal Commercial Snapper Grouper permit. Currently, the Council is developing Amendment 30 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan to address the proposed VMS requirement.
VMS is a satellite-based program installed on vessels in a fishing fleet to assist with monitoring vessel movement and fishing activity in real time. These systems have been used in the South Atlantic rock shrimp fishery since 2003 and have been required in the Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery since 2005. The Council is considering the use of VMS in the commercial snapper grouper fishery in the South Atlantic to improve data collection and better quantify fishing locations to improve management and compliance in the fishery, including enforcement of area closures and marine protected areas.
The system consists of a mobile transceiver unit placed on the vessel that is linked via satellite between the vessel and a shore-based satellite monitoring system located at a secure NOAA Fisheries facility. The mobile transceiver unit automatically sends VMS data in “real time” to the shore-based satellite monitoring system, where NOAA Office of Law Enforcement staff can monitor compliance. VMS data are considered highly confidential.
Currently, federal funds are available to reimburse fishermen for the initial purchase of units for up to $3100. Units range in price from $3100 to $3800. Monthly usage fees begin at $45 and increase with unit features. Fishermen would be responsible for installation, monthly fees, and maintenance. In addition to providing information for compliance and management, VMS have been shown to serve as an added safety tool, providing location information that has resulted in at-sea rescues of vessels in distress. The units may also be equipped to handle email and other communication services. The Council’s preferred alternative in Amendment 30 is dependent upon federal funding being available for the VMS units.
The Council will hold a series of public hearings in April to gather public input on Amendment 30 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. Council staff will be on hand to provide an overview of the measures proposed in the amendment, and available for informal discussions and to answer questions. Members of the public will have an opportunity to go on record after the presentation to record their comments for consideration by the Council. Local Council representatives will attend the hearings and listen to public comment.
The Council is also accepting written comments on Amendment 30. Written comments should be addressed to: Robert Mahood, SAFMC, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405. Comments may be sent via FAX to (843) 769-4520. Email comments may be submitted to SGAmend30Comments@safmc.net. Written comments will be accepted until 5:00 PM on May 3, 2013.
The public hearing in North Charleston, SC will be held in conjunction with a meeting of the Council’s Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel and will be held from 5:30 PM until 7:00 PM. All other hearings will be held from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM. Copies of the public hearing document will be posted on the Council’s web site at www.safmc.net and available by contacting the Council office at (843) 571-4366 or Toll Free at (866) SAFMC-10.
The SAFMC public hearing schedule for Snapper Grouper Amendment 30 (VMS) in South and North Carolina is as follows (4:00 PM – 7:00 PM): Tuesday, April 23, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Boulevard, North Charleston, SC 29418, Phone: 843/308-9330; and Thursday, April 25, at the Doubletree by Hilton New Bern, 100 Middle Street, New Bern, NC 28560, Phone: 252/638-3585.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is seeking public input on how to best manage the sheepshead fishery.
Three advisory committees have scheduled upcoming meetings to discuss whether to recommend that the Marine Fisheries Commission give the director of the Division of Marine Fisheries proclamation authority to specify seasons, fishing areas, size limits, trip limits and gear limits for sheepshead. Also, a range of size and bag limits will be presented to gather public comments.
The meeting are set for:
April 17 at 6 p.m., Southern Regional Advisory Committee, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Wilmington Office, 127 Cardinal Drive Ext., Wilmington, Contact Chip Collier, 910-796-7215 or Chip.Collier@ncdenr.gov and Mike Marshall, 252-808-8077 or Mike.Marshall@ncdenr.gov.
April 18 at 6 p.m., Northern Regional Advisory Committee, Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington, Contact Kathy Rawls, 252-264-3911 or Kathy.Rawls@ncdenr.gov and Katy West, 252-946-6481 or aty.West@ncdenr.gov.
April 23 at 10:30 a.m., Finfish Advisory Committee, Division of Marine Fishery Central District Office, 5285 Hwy 70 West, Morehead City, Contact Kathy Rawls, 252-264-3911 or Kathy.Rawls@ncdenr.gov and David Taylor, 252-808-8074 or David.L.Taylor@ncdenr.gov.
Comments may also be sent in writing to Chip Collier, 127 Cardinal Drive, Wilmington, NC 28405 or Chip.Collier@ncdenr.gov.
Sheepshead is a highly sought recreational fish and is caught in a variety of commercial fisheries. Until last year, sheepshead was managed under the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan, and was included in a 20-fish snapper-grouper recreational bag limit aggregate. When sheepshead was removed from the South Atlantic plan, management of the fishery was left up to the state. No state regulations prevent overfishing of sheepshead. If adopted, a rule giving the division director proclamation authority wouldn’t take effect until at least April 1, 2014.
There are no published stock assessments for the North Carolina stock of sheepshead; however, it is a common practice in fisheries management to set size limits to allow fish to reach spawning size. Most sheepshead are mature at 12 inches fork length, and all are mature at 14 inches.
