Releases – July 31, 2014
After significant objection from the recreational fishing and boating community, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has taken steps to correct a key fisheries economics report that misleadingly indicated that the domestic commercial fishing industry in the United States was significantly larger than the recreational fishing industry. When imported seafood, which is not regulated or managed by NMFS, is removed from the equation, the corrected data show that the recreational fishing industry is actually $7.9 billion dollars larger than the commercial fishing industry. Furthermore, the corrected data show that the domestic commercial fishing industry actually decreased by $2.3 billion in 2012.
“When seafood imports, industrial species, shellfish, and fish that aren’t caught by recreational anglers are removed, recreational fishing generates $33.3 billion more than their commercial counterparts while taking far fewer pounds of fish,” said Ted Venker, Conservation director for the Coastal Conservation Association. “That is the apple-to-apples number that needs to be considered when we are talking about management decisions that impact domestic fisheries, and it is important that NOAA corrected the data.”
In late April of this year, NMFS released its Fisheries Economics of the United States 2012 with the headline “NOAA Reports Show Strong Economic Gains from Fishing, Continued Improvement in Fish Stocks,” but there was no indication that the agency had changed the way the economic impact data were compiled in the report. Previously, NMFS separated imports from domestic industry figures and reported each separately. In the latest report, the agency eliminated that distinction and simply published a total that included domestic and imported seafood. As such, topics such as imports from illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, 75,000 pounds of shark fins and shrimp harvested by practices that the U.S. has banned were included in the totals for the domestic commercial sector.
“It was important to set the record straight because people naturally use this report to compare the two sectors, and combining imported seafood with domestically caught seafood gives an overinflated and incorrect representation of the economic impact of this country’s commercial fishing industry,” said Mike Nussman, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association. “This is particularly risky if this information is used to halt progress on important management decisions such as how fisheries are allocated between the two sectors. More than 64 percent of the total sales of seafood is generated by imported product which should have no bearing whatsoever on allocation discussions.”
Recreational fishing and boating organizations including the American Sportfishing Association, Center for Coastal Conservation, Coastal Conservation Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, International Game Fish Association and National Marine Manufacturers Association recently met with agency officials to request a correction. The agency refused to reprint the report, but did release a web query that allows individuals to remove imports and generate an accurate report on their own.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently signed an agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service that implements a statewide incidental take permit for Atlantic sturgeon in the estuarine large-mesh and small-mesh anchored gill net fisheries.
The permit, valid until July 17, 2024, authorizes the limited take of Atlantic sturgeon in this fishery under a conservation plan designed to monitor, minimize, and mitigate incidental interactions. Atlantic sturgeon was listed as “endangered” under the federal Endangered Species Act in April 2012.
“This is the result of the division’s ongoing efforts to continue to allow culturally and economically important commercial fisheries–southern flounder, American shad, spot and striped mullet–while protecting endangered species.” said Louis Daniel, director of the Division of Marine Fisheries.
Under the conservation plan, the division will manage the estuarine gill net fisheries by dividing waters into seven management units that will be monitored seasonally and by fishery. An annual number of allowed interactions is assigned to each gear type in each management unit on a seasonal basis. If the seasonal number of interactions is met, the management unit must close for the rest of the season.
The fishing year will run from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 each year.
Requirements of the permit include: (1) Implementing a permit that identifies all participants in the fishery prior to opening the season; (2) Maintaining a monitoring program that consists of onboard and alternative platform observers for at least 7 percent of large mesh gill net trips and 1 percent of small mesh gill net trips; (3) Requiring fishermen to report any incidental capture of a sturgeon to the division at (252) 726-7021 or (800) 682-2632 (self-reported interactions by fishermen fishing without an observer do not count toward the number of interactions allowed in the permit); (4) Providing education and outreach on identifying sturgeon species and the proper handing methods; (5) Gathering data on post-release mortality; (6) Reporting incidental interactions; (7) Identifying and managing hotspots.
Daniel stressed the importance of fishermen complying with these regulations, including observer coverage.
“As with sea turtles, if we do not meet the required percentage of observer coverage, the National Marine Fisheries Service can revoke this permit and close the fishery,” Daniel said.
The permit and implementing agreement, which includes management area descriptions and annual allowable takes, can be found under Hot Topics at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/home.
For more information, contact Chris Batsavage at (252) 808-8009 or Chris.Batsavage@ncdenr.gov or Jacob Boyd at (252) 808-8088 or Jacob.Boyd@ncdenr.gov, with the division’s Protected Resources Section.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission announced several changes to its hunting, inland fishing and trapping licenses, which will go into effect Aug. 1.
Changes include: (1) Increased fees for certain short-term, annual, and lifetime licenses. The duration of a short-term hunting license also will increase from six to 10 days, making it consistent with short-term fishing licenses; (2) Eligibility requirements for senior licenses, which raise the age to 70 for residents who were born after Aug. 1, 1953. The age requirement remains 65 for residents born on or before Aug. 1, 1953; (3) Elimination of county licenses, which include Resident County Hunting, Resident County Trapping, and Resident County Inland Fishing; and (4) Increased reciprocal license fees for Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Non-resident, short-term (10-day) hunting license fees will cost $60 for Georgia residents, $75 for South Carolina residents, $70 for Tennessee residents, and $110 for Virginia residents.
While the prices have increased for many hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses, the majority increased by less than $10 and there is no increase for resident lifetime licenses. This year is the first time since 1987 that the Commission has raised license fees.
“The fee increase is part of a comprehensive plan passed by the legislature to move the Wildlife Commission toward fee-based self-sufficiency while reducing reliance on general fund tax appropriations,” said Commission Budget Director Tommy Clark.
Commission Executive Director Gordon Myers thanked all of the Commission’s partners, especially hunters and anglers, for their support of the Commission and its programs.
“Without the support of our sportsmen and women, Commission staff would not be able to accomplish our management goals,” Myers said. “These increases in license fees will support wildlife, fisheries and land management directly, while also allowing us to continue our outreach to youth and disabled sportsmen, as well as introduce new participants to the wonderful outdoors.”
To purchase a license: (1) Call the Commission at (888) 248-6834. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., 7 days a week; (2) Go to www.ncwildlife.org/licensing using a computer or mobile device; (3) Visit a local Wildlife Service Agent.
For more information on hunting, fishing and trapping licenses in North Carolina and a complete list of all 2014-15 license fee and regulatory changes, download the Commission’s 2014-2015 North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest at www.ncwildlife.org.
