Marine Fisheries Commission Business Meeting
Wilmington, North Carolina
February 7 – 8, 2002
The Marine Fisheries Commission and the Division of Marine Fisheries continue to look for ways to keep committee advisors and the public informed about commission activities. It is our intent to publish the MFC Advisor after each business meeting, summarizing the meeting, and providing a list of motions, actions, and rulemaking proceedings. Hopefully, this bulletin will keep you better informed about commission activities. Your comments regarding this update are always appreciated – please contact Nancy Fish by e-mail at Nancy.Fish@ncmail.net or by phone at 252-726-7021 or 1-800-682-2632.
The Marine Fisheries Commission held a business meeting on Feb. 7-8, at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside in Wilmington, North Carolina. The meeting opened with an invocation and roll call. Members in attendance: Jimmy Johnson, Chairman; Norm Bradford, Mac Currin, Dr. B.J. Copeland, Bryan Gillikin, Dr. Barbara Garrity-Blake, Tilman Gray and Bradley Styron.
Motion:
A motion was made to accept the minutes from the last meeting with modifications – motion passed unanimously.
The following people spoke during the Public Comment Period:
Jerry Schill, Executive Director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association – requested that the MFC become more actively involved in fighting for more bluefin tuna allocations for N.C., to increase the harvest quota and allow harvest of striped bass in the EEZ, and the impact of closing the monkfish and dogfish fisheries on other fisheries such as croaker and bluefish. He also expressed concern over industry representation being removed from the ASMFC’s Menhaden Advisory Board and NMFS’s denial of an experimental flynet fishery south of Cape Hatteras. He commended Louis Daniel, with the Division of Marine Fisheries, for his outstanding work on trying to get the experimental flynet permit.
Issues from MFC Members –Barbara Garrity-Blake expressed concern over the Core Sound Stakeholder Committee and that many people felt disconnected from the process. The advertisement for committee members said the MFC was looking for fair and reasonable people and she felt this deterred outspoken people who opposed the lease issue. Chairman Johnson explained only 13 people applied and 10 of those people were chosen to be on the committee. Bradley Styron said he thought the process was done fairly. A discussion followed about the history of the lease moratorium in Core Sound. Ultimately, the General Assembly will decide on whether or not to lift the moratorium, the MFC will simply make a recommendation to them this spring.
The following advisor appointments were made:
NE Advisory Committee – Frank Folb, Owen Maxwell, Riley Williams and Fred Waterfield
Central Advisory Committee - Jeff McBane, Bob Hines and Pam Morris
SE Advisory Committee – Davis Beresoff, Joe Clem and Bill Douglass
Inland Advisory Committee – Bill Christian, Bill Harrrel and Tom Smith
Crustacean Advisory Committee – Doug Cross, Mark Hooper and Martin Posey
Finfish Advisory Committee- Gene Balance, Tyler Stone, Wayne Lee and Glenn Montgomery
Habitat and Water Quality Advisory Committee- Jim Banks, Jim Stephenson, Tom Getchell and Pricey Harrison
License Eligibility Board Appointment – Norm Bradford will replace Robert Southerland and Rusty Russ will serve as alternate.
Election of Vice-Chair – Brian Gillikin was elected vice chairman.
Bluefin Tuna Letter – MFC drafted a letter to send to the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding North Carolina receiving a permanent allocation of a portion of the United States bluefin tuna quota.
Petitions for Rulemaking – Carolina Marlin Club submitted a petition for rulemaking regarding nets set around their marina basin and the entrance channel off the Newport River. Referred to Finfish and Central advisory committees for review.
Fishermen and dealers from the Hampstead area submitted a petition regarding the RCGL bag limit for spot and shrimp and RCGL shrimp trawling restrictions. Referred to Finfish, Crustacean and all Regional advisory committees for review.
Reports were given on all the various MFC Advisory and FMP committee activities.
Motion:
Motion was made to
write a letter requesting that the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources appoint MFC member Dr. B.J. Copeland to their Reverse Osmosis
Committee - motion passed unanimously.
John Carmichael, DMF-Morehead City, gave an Overview of Stock Assessments for Fisheries
Management.
Striped Bass FMP - A report was given regarding the optimum yield and the maximum sustainable yield of striped bass in the Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River.
Jim Armstrong, DMF-Morehead City, gave a presentation on the
most recent Southern Flounder Stock
Assessment. It appears that the
status of the southern flounder population calls for stricter harvest levels,
which will be addressed through the Southern Flounder FMP.
DMF Director Pres Pate reviewed the following topics during the Director’s Report:
Fellowship Program –
DMF has been working with Sea Grant and C-MAST to create a fellowship position
to work on a limited, short-term management issue each year that has direct
bearing on management plan or some research need. This year the fellow will
work on the life history analysis of striped mullet.
Legislative update –
Several items before the Legislative Study Commission on Seafood and
Aquaculture that could result in legislation introduced in the upcoming
session, including management needs for Oyster and Clam FMPs and the Core Sound
lease moratorium.
ASMFC – Vince O’Shea
will take over as head of the ASMFC head in March, replacing Jack Dunnigan, who
will be moving over to NMFS.
Weakfish – NMFS denied an experimental fishery permit to look at the use of flynets south of Hatteras with new gear modifications. NC wanted to conduct an experiment to see if fishermen could use legal flynets to catch legal-sized weakfish and avoid undersized weakfish. North Carolina needs to get the data to show the impact or lack of impact of this gear. The MFC will consider drafting a letter to NMFS on this issue because when fishing effort is increased in other states as weakfish stocks recover, those other states will be allowed to return to their commercial harvest efforts, but NC will not, if the area cannot be opened to flynets. This issue was referred to the Finfish Committee.
Summer Flounder – NC has to reduce the recreational harvest of summer flounder this year, the DMF will seek input from advisory committees on harvest options. The commercial season is going well. This year DMF is trying to optimize the most favorable market conditions
Rule Suspension for Commercial Minimum Size Limit for King Mackerel – last year, the DMF Director changed the commercial limit from 20 inches to 24 inches by suspending the rule and implementing a new size limit by proclamation. The rule needs to be resuspended at each subsequent MFC meeting until a permanent rule change becomes effective.
Motion:
Motion was made to resuspend the rule and continue the commercial size limit for king mackerel at 24 inches – motion passed unanimously.
Summer flounder Rule Suspension/Recreational Size Limit – last year, the DMF Director changed the recreational limit from 15 inches to 15 ½ inches by suspending the rule and implementing a new size limit by proclamation. The rule needs to be resuspended at each subsequent MFC meeting.
Motion:
Motion was made to
resuspend the rule and continue the increased size limit – motion passed.
Motion:
Motion was made to suspend the menhaden rule – motion passed.
Striped Bass –An update was given on the commercial ocean season and the recreational and commercial upcoming seasons in the Albemarle Sound Management Area. The MFC discussed the possibility of the NMFS opening commercial harvest from 3 – 200 miles. The ASMFC Board will look at this issue at the annual meeting so the MFC decided to wait for the outcome of that meeting before making a formal request to open the season in the EEZ.
River Herring – Season is going well and poundage was set aside for Jamesville’s herring
festival.
Updates were given of the activities of the following groups:
South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council
Meeting Adjourned
2002 Meeting
Schedule:
April 23 & 24 –
Williamston
June 27 & 29 –
Edenton/Chowan County
Aug. 20 & 21 –
Inland
Oct. 3 & 4 –
Morehead City
Dec. 10 & 11 –
Dare County