Releases – August 22, 2013
For the second year, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will collect red snapper carcasses from recreational fishermen during the upcoming red snapper mini-season, Aug. 23-25.
The division has set up freezers at eight locations along the coast where fishermen can take their carcasses. In return, the angler will receive a limited edition fishing towel and a citation (certificate) from the N.C. Saltwater Fishing Tournament.
The freezers are located at:
Hurricane Fleet, 9975 Nance St., Calabash
Ocean Isle Fishing Center, 65 Causeway Beach, Ocean Isle Beach
Carolina Beach Fishing Center, 313 Canal Drive, Carolina Beach
Tex’s Tackle, 215 Old Eastwood Road, Wilmington
Dudley’s Marina, 106 Cedar Point Blvd., Swansboro
Capt. Stacy Fishing Center, 415 Atlantic Beach Causeway, Atlantic Beach
Carolina Princess Fishing Center, 604 Evans St., Morehead City
Oden’s Dock, 57878 N.C. 12, Hatteras
For a map of these locations, go to http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/snapper/freezer-locations.
Fishermen should leave the head and tail intact on the fish carcass. Instructions on how to deposit the carcasses are posted on each freezer. Anglers will be asked to give information related to how and when the fish was caught. Fishermen also will be asked for their names and addresses in order to receive their reward and citation.
Division biologists will measure the fish, determine the sex, if possible, and remove the otoliths (ear bones) to determine the fish’s age. The information collected will be provided to the National Marine Fisheries Service for use in an upcoming red snapper stock assessment.
The recreational red snapper season will open at Aug. 23-25 for one three-day weekend. There will be a one-fish bag limit and no size limit.
A commercial mini-season will open Aug. 26 and close when the commercial quota is met. Division biologists will obtain data from commercially-caught red snapper at the fish houses. Commercially-caught carcasses should not be left in the freezers listed above.
For more information on this red snapper carcass collection program, go to http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/snapper/red-snapper-collection or contact Carole Willis, division sportfishing specialist, at (252) 808-8081 or carole.y.willis@ncdenr.gov.
NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule that establishes a bag limit for vermilion snapper within the reef fish aggregate bag limit, sets the annual catch limit for yellowtail snapper, and eliminates the reef fish venting tool requirement. The final rule will be effective September 3, 2013.
Vermilion Snapper
The rule sets a 10-vermilion snapper bag limit within the 20-fish aggregate reef fish bag limit. Vermilion snapper is not overfished (the population is healthy) or undergoing overfishing (catch rates are not too high). However, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) received input from some fishermen that the vermilion snapper population may be declining.
In addition, recreational landings have been increasing in recent years and could contribute to the vermilion snapper annual catch limit being met before the end of the fishing year. This would result in a closure of vermilion snapper fishing. To minimize the risk of this occurring, the Council recommended a 10-fish vermilion snapper bag limit within the 20-fish aggregate reef fish bag limit.
Yellowtail Snapper
The rule increases the Gulf of Mexico yellowtail snapper annual catch limit from 725,000 pounds to 901,125 pounds. A recent assessment determined the yellowtail snapper population is considered to be healthy. Therefore, the Council recommended the annual catch limit be increased.
Reef Fish Venting Tool
The rule eliminates the requirement to use venting tools when fishing for reef fish. Some scientific studies have questioned the usefulness of venting tools in preventing barotrauma in fish, particularly those caught in deep waters. Barotrauma is damage caused by a quick change in pressure when fish are brought to the surface.
In addition, some fish caught in shallow waters may not need to be vented, and attempts at venting may cause damage to fish by improper venting and increased handling times. Finally, the current requirement interferes with using other devices such as fish descenders. These devices can be used by fishermen to return fish back to depth. Because of these factors, the Council recommended the venting tool requirement be rescinded.
Need more information on these topics? You can visit the Southeast Regional Office’s webpage at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
NOAA Fisheries is implementing management measures in Regulatory Amendment 15 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 15). The final rule published in the Federal Register on August 13, 2013, and is effective on September 12, 2013 (78 FR 49183).
Gag and Shallow-Water Groupers
In 2009, fishery managers implemented a management measure that closes the commercial sector for gag and all other shallow-water groupers for the remainder of the fishing year when the gag annual catch limit is met or projected to be met. This final rule will modify this management measure so that only the commercial sector for gag will close when the gag commercial annual catch limit is met or projected to be met.
The measure to close the commercial sector for gag and all other shallow-water groupers when the gag annual catch limit is met or projected to be met was implemented to reduce bycatch of gag. However, new information suggests this measure is not as effective as previously thought, because gag are not closely associated in landings with all of the other shallow-water grouper species. Also, since the measure was put into place in 2009, fishery managers have implemented annual catch limits, and measures to prevent the annual catch limit from being exceeded, for all shallow-water grouper species.
This final rule will also reduce the gag commercial annual catch limit from 353,940 to 326,722 pounds gutted weight to account for projected gag discard mortality from commercial trips that target co-occurring species (i.e., red grouper and scamp) during a gag closure.
This final rule will not change other management measures for shallow-water groupers such as the annual January through April spawning season closure.
More information, including Frequently Asked Questions for Regulatory Amendment 15, may be found online at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting proposals for the Boating Infrastructure Grant, or BIG, Program for federal fiscal 2014.
BIG is a grant program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that reimburses up to 75 percent of costs for projects that construct, renovate, or maintain tie-up facilities and related amenities for recreational transient vessels that are at least 26 feet long. The grant program was authorized by Congress in 1998 and is funded by excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel.
The state Division of Marine Fisheries serves as the liaison between projects in North Carolina and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the BIG Program. Proposals must be submitted to the division to be considered for this funding opportunity.
Some examples of potentially eligible activities include transient slips, mooring buoys, day-docks, floating and fixed piers and breakwaters, dinghy docks, restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, retaining walls, bulkheads, dockside utilities (water, electric, telephone, Internet), sewage pumpout stations, recycling and trash receptacles, navigational aids, and marine fueling stations. Applicants must have or intend to construct dedicated dockage for transient vessels to receive funding for these eligible activities.
BIG funds are distributed each year. Grants are available on a two-tiered basis. For Tier 1 (Basic) grants, all states may receive up to $100,000 per grant cycle as long as proposals meet the program’s guidelines. Tier 2 (Competitive) grants are reserved for large-scale, more expensive undertakings and are awarded on a nationwide competitive basis. For this funding opportunity, applicants may apply for up to $100,000 under Tier 1 and up to $1.5 million under Tier 2.
For information about grant availability, project eligibility, and proposal development, please visit the division’s website at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf or contact division Federal Aid Coordinator Kelly Price at P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557-0769. You may also contact Price at (252) 808-8168 or (800) 682-2632 (in North Carolina only) or at Kelly.Price@ncdenr.gov.
The deadline for applications to be received by the state Division of Marine Fisheries is Sept. 26. Electronic submission is preferred.
