Releases – April 14, 2016
The next meeting of the Recreational Fishing Alliance of NC will be taking place on April 19, 2016. The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. and take place at The Ironclad Brewery, 115 N. 2nd St, Wilmington, NC 28401.
There will be food provided, and you can purchase beverages from the bar.
The purpose of the meeting is to update everyone on the work the Recreational Fishing Alliance of NC has accomplished this past year and what they will be working during this upcoming legislative short session.
Representatives John Bell, Ted Davis, Brandon Jones, and Billy Richardson have confirmed that they will be attending the meeting. As we get more confirmations from legislators, we will update the list on our Facebook page, RFA-NC.
So, come on out and show your support to improving your coastal fisheries.
For more information, you can contact Robert Schoonmaker at (910) 264-1807 or Owen Sewell at (910) 622-3474.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has certified a new state record for false albacore.
Michael Voytkowski, of Waverly, PA, reeled in the 32 lb. fish on April 7, 2015, but only recently applied for the state record honor.
He caught the false albacore while fishing on the charter boat “Beagle” at the Big Rock off Morehead City.
The fish measured 39.75” curved fork length (tip of the nose to the fork in the tail). The girth of the fish measured 24.25”.
The former state record for false albacore was 25 lbs. 8 oz. The fish was caught off Wrightsville Beach in 1991. The world record for false albacore is 36 lbs. That fish was caught off New Jersey in 2006.
Voytkowski caught his fish using a Penn International rod and reel spooled with 60-lb. test and baited with ballyhoo.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission announces the opening of a new boating access area located at 86 Griffin Road in Vandemere in Pamlico County.
The Vandemere Boating Access Area will provide access to Log Pond Creek which connects to the Bay River. The BAA has two 15-foot wide boat ramps, a 60-foot floating dock, a wooden fixed courtesy dock, a bulkheaded and dredged canal, and an asphalt parking lot. The parking lot includes 32 spaces for vehicles and trailers and 15 spaces for single cars, including three ADA-compliant spaces.
The Wildlife Commission funded construction of the project with motorboat registration receipts and Sport Fish Restoration Program funds. Additionally, the Town of Vandemere renovated existing marina docks using funds from a CAMA grant and other sources.
The BAA is a partnership between the Commission and the Town of Vandemere, which owns the property and is providing the public access to the Commission through a Memorandum of Agreement.
“This new boating access area will give anglers some great fishing opportunities,” said Benjamin Ricks, the Wildlife Commission’s district fisheries biologist. “Boaters can expect to catch a wide variety of species including redfish, seatrout, flounder, croaker, and spot.”
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.
Three new rules pertaining to the striped mullet gill net fishery and mechanical oyster harvesting went into effect April 1.
Two of the rule changes impacting gill nets will implement Amendment 1 to the N.C. Striped Mullet Fishery Management Plan, adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission at its November meeting.
The first amends Marine Fisheries Commission rule 15A NCAC 03J .0103 to prohibit non-stationary gill nets from blocking more than two-thirds of a water body or interfering with navigation or other traditional uses of the area. This restriction already exists for anchored gill nets. The new rule is meant to address user conflicts between gill net fishermen and shoreline residents and recreational hook-and-line fishermen in smaller coastal creeks.
The second amends rule 15A NCAC 03R .0112 to remove the Newport River Trawl Net Prohibited Area as a small mesh gill net attendance area, making attendance requirements consistent with similar areas of the state.
A third change amends the existing rule for mechanical methods for oyster harvesting (15A NCAC 03R .0108) to clarify that it only applies to internal coastal waters, not the Atlantic Ocean.
The new rules will be included in a 2016 supplement to the 2015 North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission Rules that was posted online at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/rules-and-regulations by April 1.
For more information on the rule changes, contact Catherine Blum, with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, at (252) 808-8014 or Catherine.Blum@ncdenr.gov.
Commercial harvest of vermilion snapper in South Atlantic waters closed at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on March 29, 2016. The 2016 January-June commercial catch limit is 431,460 pounds whole weight. Reports indicate the catch limit was met by March 29, 2016. Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on July 1, 2016.
During the closure: (1) Harvest or possession of vermilion snapper in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits; (2) Sale and purchase of vermilion snapper in or from federal waters is prohibited; and (3) The closure applies in both state and federal waters for a person onboard a vessel with a federal snapper-grouper permit.
This closure is necessary to protect the snapper-grouper resource.
Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters closed at 12:01 a.m. (local time) April 2, 2016. The commercial annual catch limit for gray triggerfish in the South Atlantic is divided into two quotas for two 6-month periods (January through June and July through December). Landing reports indicate the January through June commercial quota of 156,162 pounds whole weight was met by April 2, 2016. This commercial closure will be effective until June 30, 2016. Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish will re-open on July 1, 2016, with a commercial quota of 156,162 pounds whole weight for the July – December fishing season.
During the commercial closure: (1) Harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open; (2) Sale or purchase of gray triggerfish from both state and federal waters is prohibited for a person onboard a vessel with a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for snapper-grouper.
This closure is necessary to protect the snapper-grouper resource.
Both CCA NC Executive Director David Sneed and Immediate Past Board Chairman Greg Hurt have been asked by Rep. John Bell, House Chairman of the NC Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, to participate on the 2016 Sportsmen’s Caucus Advisory Council. Greg Hurt has been asked to Co-Chair the Fishing/Dredging Working Group along with Captain Charlie Schoonmaker of Carolina Beach, NC.
The mission of the Advisory Council is to assist the state Sportsmen’s Caucus; it will act as a conduit of information for the Caucus and work to provide the Caucus with the ability to function, offer grassroots support for Caucus initiatives, and assist with Caucus events.
The Advisory Council should be made up of individuals representing key industry, conservation and sportsmen’s organizations/groups who are appointed by National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses staff and the Caucus Chairs.
