NC: The Gill Net Quandry: Part 1(The Issue) - Debatable Catch

Area recreational, commercial fishing gill nets causing havoc along North Carolina's shore?
By Kent King, correspondent
Rocky Mount Telegram
Saturday, September 20, 2008
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/sports/recreation/the-gill-net-quandry-part-one-the-issue---debatable-catch-142625.html

The summer day was typical for late June on the sound. The morning started fair and quite warm. The seagulls were busy in the shallows, picking off wayward minnows for an easy breakfast.

Puffy clouds lazily floated by as the fishermen worked the Haystacks near Morehead City for speckled trout, flounder and puppy drum. As the tide began to rise, the minnows formed tighter schools. Larger fish were present in deeper channels, chasing them into the flats. It was fun to watch.

As the morning wore on, those harmless clouds began to gather. A classic Carteret County thunderstorm was building on the western horizon; it was time to pull the anchor. In just a few short minutes the storm formed an anvil head, and rotation was visible. The sound turned a mean shade of green. The fishermen left the Haystacks in a hurry, barely loading all the gear into the truck before the bottom fell out.

Sometimes these storms last for minutes, other times they last for days. Little did the fishermen know at the time, a storm of a different kind was building on these same waters.

Conflicts of Interest

For many years the commercial and recreational fishermen have stormed at each other. Even though the waters are vast and the targeted species seem plentiful, there are still differences of opinion based on economic and lifestyle issues.

Some of these conflicts produce brief squalls and pass very quickly. Others are more deep-rooted, and much like the storm that ran the fishermen out of the sound, may rain for generations. As long as two distinct user groups fish the same water for very different reasons, there will always be the likelihood of disagreements.

Commercial fishermen toil the waters of the sound to make a living off what they are able to catch in their nets. The catch feeds the family and pays the bills. They are at the mercy of the elements. The tides, moon phases, scorching summer sun and bone-chilling winter winds all play a part in what they can put in the bank.

Recreational fishermen have every right to fish these same sounds, bays and creeks. This larger group of fishermen enjoys being on the water, catching whatever they can with a rod and reel. They fish because their grandfathers taught them how much fun a day on the water can be even if the fish don’t bite. For some it is also a vocation, guiding eager fishermen willing to pay the price for an experienced captain who can put them on fish.

The Latest Storm

For the past several years, guides and recreational fishermen have become increasingly angry at the tactics of some commercial fishermen who they say set gill nets in prime red drum habitat to get even with the growing number of guides and weekend anglers who want to ban gill nets.

The recreational guides say the commercial fishermen see their clients “hooked up” fighting red drum on certain areas of the sound. The next day or even later that same day, flounder nets are stretched out to cover the entire area wiping out the drum. And it’s totally legal.

Swansboro guide Rick Patterson said, “I’ve had guys look me in the eye and say they’re going to kill every drum they can. I have no idea what they want to accomplish, but it’s a twisted mentality.”

Read the rest at http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/sports/recreation/the-gill-net-quandry-part-one-the-issue---debatable-catch-142625.html

==================================== Additional background on NC Gillnetting


Net catch results in net waste
Mike Zlotnicki, Staff Writer Comment on this story
When Gordon Churchill went drum fishing two weeks ago, he expected to catch something in the Bogue Sound.

"I was just going out to catch some fish," he said from his home in Newport. "I didn't catch anything."

In a way, though, he did.

He "caught" about 28 drum and bluefish and two undersized flounder.

He caught them on video, rotting in an unattended gill net set for flounder near Morehead City.

"I was in the Haystacks, poling around and went down a narrow creek, and this mud flat barricaded the creek I was trying to get to," he said. "I looked up and saw the net. My first thought was revulsion. Then I thought I better do something about it."

That's when he dropped his push pole, grabbed his video camera and recorded the waste.

He and other anglers are saying that this is one of the worst years they've seen for gill netting in their area, and they fear the nets are taking a heavy toll on game fish, particularly red drum.

Churchill, 42, a physical education teacher and coach at Morehead City Middle School, has long been an opponent of entanglement (gill) nets in sound waters.

The issue of netting in the sound pits a minority of commercial gill netfisherman against a majority of recreational hook-and-line fishermen, each with a stake in the fish. Commercial fishermen, many of whom are part-timers, are trying to make money. Recreational fishermen, who fish for fun, decry the "bycatch" (non-targeted species caught) that sometimes results from the use of gill nets. Throw in the fact that recreational anglers also can be licensed to use gill nets, and you have trouble in the sound.

The problem with gill nets is that they catch indiscriminately, and what netters can't legally keep is returned to the water -- alive or dead. The dead bycatch is the bane of recreational anglers and guides. Churchill and other anglers say they fear the impact on coastal fish stocks. Professional guides -- also commercial anglers of a sort -- need sport fish for revenue.

Using Churchill's video to identify the net owner, Marine Patrol officer Mitch Stone, with the Division of Marine Fisheries, cited Virginia Dare Fulcher Oglesby of Morehead City for using a gill net without proper buoys or identification. The buoys were not the right color, and they were marked by outdated registration numbers, according to a DMF news release.

Oglesby also was cited with "leaving a gill net in coastal fishing waters when such devices contained edible species of fish unfit for human consumption."

Efforts to contact Olglesby for comment were unsuccessful.

The citation carried a fine of $35 and court costs of $110.

Churchill isn't the only angler fed up with nets. Rick Patterson, 36, a part-time guide from Cape Carteret, says he thinks they're hurting the red drum.

" 'Problem' ain't the word for it," he said. "Last year was a banner year for redfish in the Newport River. Last year, I could go out with a client for four hours and average 15 or 20 redfish. This year, it's four to six."

Patterson said he doesn't see many recreational nets, almost all commercial nets. He also cited three factors for the increased netting in Bogue Sound and surrounding areas: poor blue crab catches, higher flounder prices and a regulation that requires recreational fishermen to tend gill nets at all times south of Carteret County to the South Carolina line.

Although red drum are incidental bycatch, flounder netters are allowed to keep seven drum per trip if the amount doesn't exceed 50 percent of the trip poundage. The rest go back dead or alive. The recreational limit on drum is one fish per day 18 to 27 inches long.

"Our backwaters are not big enough to sustain this kind of netting," Patterson said.

On June 29, Patterson took Chris Batsavage, lead fisheries biologist for southern flounder from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, out on a scouting trip.

"It appears this year there's a little more effort to net southern flounder than in recent years," Batsavage said after his cruise with Patterson and fellow guide Jeff Cronk. "We basically went from Stella to Swansboro, Queens Creek, Hammocks Beach Channel, Bogue Inlet and western Bogue Sound. We counted a total of 40 nets from 50 to 100 yards long."

Patterson has seen even more.

"If [Batsavage] had ridden with us last month, we would have seen 40 in the White Oak River alone," Patterson said the Monday after the biologist's trip. "I took some clients out for a six-hour trip on Sunday. We caught one red."

Assessing the magnitude of the nets is very difficult, but "with the smaller bodies of water, there is a possibility of red drum bycatch," said Batsavage, who added that none of the nets seen Thursday evening was a recreational net.

Glen Montgomery, a commercial flounder netter from Straits, near Beaufort, said there are lot of nets this year for a variety of reasons.

"I'm amazed at the number of them this year," Montgomery, 60, said from his home. "There are too many nets in the water this year. Prices are higher for flounder, and the shrimp and hard crab [catches] have been off.

"I have nothing against a recreational netter. They have as much right to catch fish as I do. I hate to see a few violators ruin it for everyone. Gill nets can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. I'm glad [Churchill] did what he did."

Montgomery said different types of netters are on the water, some serious, others not so serious.

"A part-timer is someone who fishes when the fishing is good," he said. "You also have weekenders -- dingbatters -- who come down and stay in their cottages. They will cough up $2,000 for a commercial license and catch a cooler full of fish. I'm seeing a lot more of that than the rec nets."

He said bycatch is a concern but that not all of it is bad.

"Even rod-and-reel fishermen have bycatch," he said. "I target flounder, but I make extra money selling conch and stone crab in season. The red drum is the 'meat fish' for the recreational guides. I guess they see us as competition. As they [red drum] rebound, there will be be more drum caught in the nets."

Churchill, who guides occasionally, makes no bones about his anti-net stance.

"The first step is CCA [Coastal Conservation Association] or some other large organization needs to jump on it," he said. "Every time I brought this up at meetings, they talked around it; they were afraid of it. If you fish in a state with no gill nets, it's amazing how many more fish they have."

Gill nets are efficient and indiscriminate fish-catching devices. Why not take them out of the hands of amateurs -- recreational anglers and part-timers -- while looking to lessen the bycatch of full-time commercial netters? Perhaps state-wide mandatory attendance would reduce the number of part-timers and save drum and other bycatch. Maybe gigs and hook-and-line -- more selective and less efficient methods -- are the answer. One result would be higher-priced flounder at the market.

The issue doesn't have to be commercial versus recreational. The fish are what matter to each side. Let's quit throwing them away.

Staff writer Mike Zlotnicki can be reached at 829-4518 or mike.zlotnicki@newsobserver.com.

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NET BASICS

Gill netting in North Carolina for commercial and recreational netters is tightly regulated.

RECREATIONAL NETS: Recreational nets have two yellow buoys and one pink buoy at each end and a maximum length of 100 yards. The user must be in a vessel, in the water or on shore and immediately available to work the net and no more than 100 yards from the net at all times (not in a building or structure.)

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: North and east of the Emerald Isle (N.C. 58) bridge in Carteret County, attendance of gill nets less than 5 1/2 inches stretched mesh (small mesh) is required at all times. Attendance of gill nets 5 1/2 inches stretched mesh or greater is required from one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset. South and west of the N.C. 58 bridge to the South Carolina line, attendance of recreational gill nets is required at all times. Commercial nets do not have to be attended.

DAY OR NIGHT: Commercial netters north of N.C. 58 can set flounder nets left unattended day or night. Small mesh commercial nets must be attended unless they are 200 yards from shore. Recreational gill nets may be unattended at night but must be attended during the day. Small-mesh nets must be attended at all times. Various locales have different regulations.

REASONS FOR RULES: "It's based on the different species present, the way the gear is used, and the time of the year," said Mike Marshall, an N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries biologist. "There's a whole suite of reasons that go into it. You kind of segregate your rules by the mesh size, species, depth and time of the year."

WHY FULL-TIME RECREATIONAL ATTENDANCE SOUTH OF 58?: "The majority of the fishing is in smaller bodies of water like the Intracoastal Waterway and rivers," Sgt. Tim L. Mitchell of the N.C. Marine Patrol said.

REPORT VIOLATIONS: Marine Patrol (800) 682-2632

New coalition offers gill-net solution

by Bill Monroe, special to The Oregonian
Friday September 19, 2008, 4:20 PM
http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2008/09/gill_nets_may_be_le...

After decades of debate, agitation and bitter feelings between those who hook and those who net salmon, gill-netters' days may finally be numbered on the lower mainstem Columbia River. But if that happens as a new coalition hopes, the nets' harvest of prime Pacific Northwest salmon stands to increase, perhaps significantly.

The resulting ripple effect from additional salmon could be felt along the entire Oregon Coast as more hatchery salmon become available in the Pacific Ocean. In short, change is in the air that may alter the face of salmon sportfishing in Oregon and southwest Washington - forever for the better.

A broad-based coalition of fish scientists, angling conservation groups and sportfishing industry representatives launched a formal campaign this weekend to move commercial non-tribal nets off the river and out of the path of returning wild salmon. "SAFE for Salmon" proposes to instead expand commercial fishing in off-mainstem sloughs and bays, such as currently practiced in Youngs Bay, Grays River and other locations along the lower Columbia. Gill-netters themselves have suggested a new Youngs Bay-type SAFE zone in Willapa Bay north of Ilwaco. Other bays and sloughs along the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia could also be opened.

SAFE is an acronym for Select Area Fisheries Enhancement, an existing program supplementing the commercial net fishery with hatchery fish released from net pens and caught for the market when they return as adults. SAFE for Salmon proposes more net pens be filled with hatchery salmon to be released close to the ocean as smolts, imprinted on the SAFE areas. That vastly improves their survival rates, since they don't have to swim a gauntlet of predators and bad water to get to the ocean.

In exchange, the mainstem Columbia would then be managed for sportfishing, currently the safest harvest method because anglers practice catch-and-release on wild salmon with much smaller incidental killing of wild fish. Tribal net fisheries above Bonneville Dam would not be affected since all hatchery salmon for the restructured net fisheries would come from below the dam.

"It's a win-win for everyone," said Jim Martin, retired fisheries chief for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Martin is the lead of four authors of SAFE for Salmon's white paper, "Columbia River Fisheries, a new vision." Others are Rod Sando, former director of fish and wildlife agencies in Idaho and Minnesota, Bill Shake, retired assistant regional director for fisheries in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regional office in Portland, and Don Swartz, retired fish biologist and Columbia River management team member for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The SAFE for Salmon coalition includes sportfishing conservation groups such as the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, fish preservation groups such as Trout Unlimited, industry officials from sporting goods companies, the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association and the Northwest Guides and Anglers Association. I also am on the coalition's steering committee.

The coalition and it's proposal are not connected in any way with the new Coastal Conservation Association Pacific Northwest (CCAPNW), which has grown quickly to nearly 9,000 members since it arrived in the northwest two years ago with an eye to ending all gill-netting on the Columbia. The CCAPNW leadership is working on policies, but has maintained silence on pending strategies for improving Northwest fisheries.

It's probably preparing its debut for the coming Oregon legislative session. At least one legislator is drafting a bill to end all non-tribal gill-netting in the lower Columbia River, including the current SAFE areas. "We wholeheartedly support that bill as it pertains to the mainstem Columbia," Martin said. "But we believe our proposal offers a better alternative."

The 2009 legislature could be the perfect storm for moving gill-nets off the Columbia River.

Angler agitation is growing, fueled in part by Quixotic, sometimes overnight season openings and closures. Legislators are almost certain to get an earful of both sides of the debate next spring. At the same time, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife needs a license fee increase. But asking for more money to fish is a tough sell to anglers watching their seasons shrink.

SAFE for Salmon offers a perfect fit for all sides.

The proposal: Expands commercial fisheries (and probably adds jobs to fishing communities), eliminates harvest management debates on the mainstem Columbia, allows more wild salmon to escape for spawning, results in major reductions in competition between stray and wild coho on spawning grounds, eliminates most of the wasted uncaught coho returning to hatcheries, potentially expands offshore coho seasons coastwide, ensures continued support for hatchery funding (likely to fade or die with a total ban on nets) and gives salmon managers much-needed breathing room on the threshold of global warming and unknown problems on the horizon.

Downsides? Very few.

Funding for additional hatchery logistics could be a challenge and fewer salmon - coho and chinook - will be released in lower Columbia tributaries in both states. Those are small sacrifices for such great returns.

Fish and wildlife department leaderships in both states have been briefed as well as key legislators and others. Fish and Wildlife commissions in each state could pre-empt their legislatures and make the proposed changes themselves, but have balked in the past at taking the lead on harvest reform.

Oregon, however, dropped a minor bombshell this past Monday by suggesting a change similar to the SAFE for Salmon proposal during a joint-state session called to discuss spring chinook allocations. The Oregon pitch covers only spring chinook while the SAFE for Salmon idea applies to all of the lower river's salmon runs.

It's almost certain the gill-net community will circle its wagons and oppose both proposals. But the ultimate alternative, as Martin and SAFE for Salmon point out, is an outright ban on nets like those in other states over the past century. That could come from the legislature as early as next year or after continued protracted debate over the next several years.

Why waste precious time, sacrifice wild salmon and forgo what could become major improvements in the way we all fish together?

SAFE for Salmon's proposal is posted on several Web sites and pending on others. They include www.ifish.net, www.theguidesforecast.com, www.berkley-fishing.com, and www.nsiafishing.org. The coalition is raising money for a legislative campaign and has more than $35,000 committed already.

Until an office is opened, questions for the coalition and/or the proposal's authors are being handled through the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, either on its Web site or by calling 503-631-8859.

In more than three decades of covering sport fisheries and concern over gill-netting on the Columbia, I've remained a steadfast supporter of both sport and commercial fishing on the river.

This proposal is the first in all those years to offer a clear and improved vision for the future of the Columbia's beleaguered salmon.

Sen. Fred Girod To Submit Bill Banning Gillnets in the Columbia River

Chinese, Canadian, U.S., High-Seas Law Enforcement Operations Continue with Seizure of Chinese Fishing Vessel Suspected of Illegal Drift Net Fishing

Date: Sept. 12, 2008 /Contact: Lt. Eric Eggen / Phone: 907-463-2065 / 907-321-4516
http://www.uscgalaska.com/go/doc/780/225855/

JUNEAU, Alaska - A People's Republic of China Fisheries Law Enforcement Command (FLEC) officer, in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard, seized a Chinese fishing vessel suspected of illegal large-scale high-seas drift net fishing 460 miles east of Hokkaido, Japan.

Vectored in by a Canadian maritime patrol aircraft, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro, with a Chinese fisheries officer on board, intercepted the Chinese-flagged fishing vessel Lu Rong Yu 2879. A joint China FLEC/U.S. Coast Guard boarding team from the Munro determined Lu Rong Yu 2879 had seven miles of driftnet, approximately 45 tons of squid and about 110 pounds of skipjack tuna on board, was rigged for large-scale high-seas driftnet fishing, and was registered in the People's Republic of China. Munro will assist with accompanying the Lu Rong Yu 2879 until the fishing vessel can be transferred to a Republic of China Fisheries Law Enforcement Command patrol vessel for escorting back to China where further investigation and final legal disposition for suspected violations of PRC fisheries law will occur.

"Last year we were able to seize six vessels engaged in similar activities," said Capt. Michael Inman, chief of response of the 17th Coast Guard District. "Not only are these fishing practices illegal in both the U.S. and China, they are indiscriminately destroying marine life and negatively impacting global food stocks."

A driftnet is a fishing net that has the ability to indiscriminately catch massive amounts of fish and other marine life by means of suspension in open water. The U.S. Coast Guard participates in the international cooperative efforts against large-scale high-seas drift net fishing as encouraged by the United Nations.

"China is very satisfied with the cooperation between the United States and China and looks forward to continuing this productive partnership." said Peng Xiaohua, Deputy Director, Fisheries Law Enforcement Command Center. "This was the outcome of long-standing U.S.-China fisheries law enforcement cooperation on the high seas."

The term Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing describes a wide range of destructive fishing activities, which includes use of large-scale high-seas driftnets. Many maritime nations, including the U.S., have undertaken to monitor and deter IUU fishing, and protect shared living marine resources and their environments.

The United States, Japan, Canada, Russia, South Korea and China are part of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum. This Forum, which is at present meeting in San Francisco, California, was in part stood up and developed to combat IUU fishing and increase cooperation on international maritime safety and security issues in the Northern Pacific Region.

Additionally, The United States, Japan, Canada, Russian and South Korea are part of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Convention (NPAFC), a regional fisheries management organization which meets annually to discuss issues related to marine science and high seas fisheries enforcement. Enforcement meetings under the NPAFC achieve coordinated efforts.

"This seizure is directly attributable to the work done through organizations like the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum and North Pacific Anadromous Fish Convention (NPAFC)," said Vice Adm. David Pekoske, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area. "The results of our efforts speak to our home countries of the relationships we've formed in the past several years."

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro is a 378-foot high endurance cutter based in Kodiak, Alaska.

Restaurant Awarded for Serving Wild Fish

The Editor
Seattle Post Intelligence
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119

Dear Editor:

The P.I. recently reported that the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center, dedicated to recovering wild salmon, had inducted the owner and chef of the “Flying Fish Restaurant” into its Wild Salmon Hall of Fame because only wild salmon were on the menu.

This seems more than strange to me. First of all, it is more than likely that any local Chinook or coho served in that establishment, would have originated in a hatchery and therefore be anything but wild. Secondly, if the fish served were indeed wild they well could be from over-fished stocks or even from those listed under the Endangered Species Act. High end restaurants proudly advertise wild salmon from Alaska, but 95% of these troll-caught Chinook salmon originate in southern rivers where fish are struggling to survive despite “protection” under the Endangered Species Act.

It would seem far more appropriate if the award had been given to an establishment serving only fish specifically targeted for harvest, e.g. marked hatchery salmon or farmed fish.

Frank Haw
Olympia, WA

Cc: Pacific Northwest Salmon Center

Accomplishments of Coastal Conservation Association (1978-2007)

PROHIBITED TRAWLING FOR TROUT (Texas 1978). Defined major-minor bait-producing bays, nursery areas (Texas 1979). Outlawed single-strand monofilament nets (Texas 1980). Protected billfish, except swordfish, from commercial harvest (Texas 1980). Outlawed gill, trammel nets (Texas 1990). Obtained game fish status for redfish, speckled trout (Texas 1981). John Wilson Hatchery completed (Texas 1982). Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Maine) given authority to set limits on fish (Texas 1983). Obtained game fish status for redfish, speckled trout (Alabama 1984). Established saltwater stamp for anglers (Texas 1985). Halted commercial harvest of adult redfish in Gulf of Mexico (National 1986). Won game fish status for redfish, speckled trout (South Carolina 1986). Closed Apalachee, Blakeley rivers to shrimping; placed restrictions on gill nets (Alabama 1987). Obtained game fish status for marlin, sailfish (National 1988). Banned gill netting of flounder during spawning run (Alabama 1988). Won game fish status for redfish (Florida 1988). Banned possession of illegal fishing devices on or near Texas waters (Texas 1989). Prohibited sale of naturally raised, wild redfish (Texas 1989). Banned drift gill nets in South Atlantic (National 1990). Federal District Court upholds game fish status for billfish (National 1990). Intervened in lawsuit to uphold bans on fish traps, drift gill nets in South Atlantic (National 1991). Won approval of saltwater fishing license (Alabama 1991). Amendment to Louisiana Constitution approved, guaranteeing funds to preserve wetlands (Louisiana 1991). Won management of speckled trout (Louisiana 1991). Obtained permanent game fish status for redfish (Louisiana 1991). Won approval of saltwater fishing stamp (South Carolina 1991). Adopted no-harvest regulation for tarpon (Texas 1991). Minimum size, bag limits placed on cobia, amberjack, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, for commercial and recreational fishermen (Virginia 1991). Federal District Court upholds ban on drift nets in South Atlantic (National 1992). Formed Save Our Sealife Committee to get state constitutional amendment to limit marine net fishing in Florida waters (Florida 1992). Obtained game fish status for tarpon (Alabama 1993). Broke ground for SeaCenter Texas fish hatchery (Texas 1993). Established saltwater license (Virginia 1993). Created limited-entry plan for commercial fishing of black drum (Virginia 1993). Florida constitutional amendment limiting marine net fishing (Florida 1994). Stopped proposal to open sounds to shrimp trawling (Georgia 1994). Banned use of gill nets, purse seines in Presumpscot River (Maine 1994). Protected eel grass beds by prohibiting near-beach squid and scup dragging in Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds (Massachusetts 1994). Federal District Court approves ban on flynets in North Carolina (National 1995). Restricted use of gill nets (Alabama 1995). Outlawed most gill nets (Louisiana 1995). Intervened in Louisiana lawsuit challenging new gill net law (Louisiana 1995). Restricted use of gill nets in Kennebec River (Maine 1995). Placed minimum size, bag limit, commercial quota on speckled trout (Virginia 1995). Approved regulations requiring all commercial shrimpers operating in EEZ to use bycatch reduction devices (National 1996). Banned commercial gill nets in Old River (Alabama 1996). Banned use of tarp nets statewide (Florida 1996). Mandated bycatch reduction devices on all shrimp boats in northeast region (Florida 1996). Intervened in federal, state lawsuits to uphold Louisiana gill net ban (Louisiana 1996). Banned all non-biodegradable gill nets (Mississippi 1996). SeaCenter Texas opened, establishing world’s largest redfish hatchery (Texas 1996). Won commercial quota for bluefish (Virginia 1996). Mandated use of bycatch reduction devices on shrimp vessels (National 1997). Won adoption of bycatch reduction devices on shrimp boats (Georgia 1997). Obtained game fish status for cobia (Mississippi 1997). Secured $2.5 million from Bath Iron Works to remove Edwards Dam on Kennebec River (Maine 1997). Banned commercial fishing within one mile of barrier islands (Mississippi 1997). Restricted purse seining of menhaden in state waters (New York 1997). Outlawed use of gill, trammel nets for black fish (New York 1997). Won passage of Fisheries Reform Act, first comprehensive state fishery reform (North Carolina 1997). Passed first comprehensive state water plan (Texas 1997). Limited number of commercial crab licenses (Texas 1997). Won seat for recreational fishermen on Marine Resources Commission (Virginia 1997). Granted petition by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) establishing blue, white marlin as overfished; 10-year recovery plan mandated (National 1998). Eliminated striped bass fishing in EEZ through striped Bass Act reauthorization (National 1998). Helped establish new state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Florida 1998). Mandated use of bycatch reduction devices on shrimp trawls in all state waters (Florida 1998). Created "Universal Fishing License," which includes saltwater as well as freshwater fishing (Georgia 1998). Obtained game fish status for shad (Maine 1998). Won no-sale regulation on black drum (Maryland 1998). Helped establish pro-conservation state Marine Fisheries Commission (North Carolina 1998). Intervened in federal lawsuit challenging NMFS requirement that shrimp trawlers pull bycatch reduction devices in Gulf of Mexico (Texas 1998). Won federal, state lawsuits upholding Louisiana’s gill net law (Louisiana 1999). Reduced number of commercial licenses sold to elver fishermen by 70 percent; shortened eel season by three weeks, removed 3,000 nets from Maine waters (Maine 1999). Created Marine Recreational Fishing Advisory Committee to advise state Department of Marine Resources (Maine 1999). Established limited-entry license management program for all finfish not under a management plan (Texas 1999). Eliminated kill citations for black, red drum (Virginia 1999). Stopped attempts to allow gill netting of striped bass along Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (Virginia 1999). Federal Court upholds requirement that Gulf shrimp trawlers pull bycatch reduction devices (National 1999). Helped draft and introduce the first comprehensive longline management bill in the 106th Congress (National 2000). Helped draft legislation that tightened regulations on the possession of illegal fishing gear (Mississippi 2000). Helped initiate the Freedom to Fish campaign to stop the arbitrary implementation of no-fishing zones (National 2000). Bycatch reduction devices become mandatory on shrimp trawls in Texas bays (Texas 2000). Sued NMFS to stop an arbitrary no-fishing zone off the Florida coast (National 2000). Played a critical role in the development and adoption of the first federal fishery management plan for mahi-mahi and wahoo (Florida 2000). Won federal court battle to maintain bycatch reduction devices in Gulf waters (National 2000). Sued NMFS in federal court to reduce excessive billfish, shark and turtle bycatch in Gulf and Atlantic longline operations (National 2000). Provided LDWF enforcement agents with navigation, global positioning and sonar equipment (Louisiana 2000). Raised grassroots funds to protect angler access along the New Hampshire coast (New Hampshire 2000). Successfully worked in establishing regulations to protect spawning groundfish (Maine 2000). Helped fund the creation of near-shore reefs along the Georgia coast (Georgia 2000). Successfully led opposition to closing Gray’s Reef to recreational fishing (Georgia 2000). U. S. Supreme Court issues final ruling upholding Louisiana’s 1995 gill-net ban (Louisiana 2001). Led efforts to set recreational size, creel limits for flounder; new licensing requirements for commercial gigging, commercial size limit, and annual commercial quota for flounder (Mississippi 2001). Reached favorable settlement in NMFS no-fishing zone suit, allowing recreational trolling in previously restricted area (National 2001). Successfully raised $450,000 in cash and in-kind donations to purchase and remove the Smelt Hill Dam (Maine 2001). Reorganization of Menhaden Management Board ends commercial-fishing industry control (National 2001). Texas’ most comprehensive water bill passes Texas legislature (Texas 2001). Helped retool a bill that would have allowed destructive hydraulic dredging of clams in Virginia waters (Virginia 2001). Launched Gulf-wide phone number – 866-WE ENFORCE – to report coastal game violations (Louisiana 2001). Worked through state legislature and private foundations to continue critical funding for Florida’s state saltwater hatchery, resulting in the 1,000,000th redfish fingerling released in Florida waters (Florida 2001). Opposed Texas Shrimp Association petition to close recreation red snapper season (National 2001). Successfully worked for passage of new redfish conservation regulations (South Carolina 2001). Launched first ever Texas crab trap removal (Texas 2002). Helped ensure areas around Mississippi’s barrier islands are included in Department of Marine Resources’ definition of areas closed to commercial fishing (Mississippi (2002). Mobilized to oppose expansion of commercial shrimp trawling in St. Johns River; commercial request was withdrawn (Florida 2002). Provided TPWD game wardens with night vision equipment (Texas 2002). Constructed Bird Island Artificial Reef (Louisiana 2002). Helped pass first major amendments to state manatee legislation in last 10 years, establishing measurable biological goals for manatees (Florida 2002). Convinced Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to begin rule-making process on use of multiple seine nets tied together and "toy boats" used to circumvent net restrictions (Florida 2002). Defeated initiative by commercial interests to allow commercial harvest of Cobia in Mississippi waters (Mississippi 2003). Funded an expanded TAMU study on spotted seatrout catch-and-release mortality (Texas 2003). Launched first-ever derelict crab trap removal program in the state (Louisiana 2004). Broke the $2 million mark in college and graduate scholarships awarded (Texas 2004). Won passage of the Coastal Recreational Fishing License (North Carolina 2004). Banned trawling in the Upper Mobile Bay shallows (Alabama 2004). Funded more than $530,000 in enforcement equipment and research needs for TPWD over past four years (Texas 2004). Secured grant money for oyster reefs in the Bay of St. Louis & Biloxi Bay (Mississippi 2004). Championed efforts to restore southern flounder stocks through harvest reductions, size and bag limits, license requirements and seasonal closures (North Carolina 2004). Bay Debris Clean-up Project surpasses the 1,150 tons of harmful debris removed from Texas bay systems (Texas 2004). Worked through its representative on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to implement measures outlawing the practice of shark finning in the Atlantic (CCA National 2004). Instrumental in the effort to secure tideland funds for speckled trout hatchery (Mississippi 2004). One of four members of a cooperative effort called Menhaden Matter formed to investigate the status of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay to ensure adequate populations for its role as forage base and filter feeder. (CCA National 2004). Intervened successfully in a case before the First District Court of Appeals attempting to circumvent the net ban and bring back gill nets (Florida 2005). Helped establish the first-ever hatchery for southern flounder (North Carolina 2005). Achieved stronger protection for large permit (Florida 2005). Defeated legislative initiative to reduce minimum size of speckled trout (Mississippi 2005). Successful passage of legislation to increase criminal penalties to a third degree felony for flagrant illegal gillnetting (Florida 2005). Worked with the Biscayne National Park Fishery Working Group to curtail and modify proposed no-entry and no-fishing zones (Florida 2005). Sued in U.S. District Court to end overfishing of red snapper by the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fleet (National 2005). Constructed an inshore reef in Perdido Bay with tons of clean concrete rubble (Alabama 2006). Won lawsuit in federal district court to block federal attempt to close all recreational fishing for all species of grouper for three months (Florida 2006). Donated enforcement equipment to Law Enforcement Division of the Department of Environmental Conservation (New York 2007). Integrally involved in the Oyster Shell Recycling Program to improve water quality and create habitat for fish (North Carolina 2007). Led successful national effort to keep open-loop LNG terminals out of Gulf of Mexico (National 2006). Won first-ever harvest cap on the industrial harvest of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay (Virginia & Maryland 2006). Constructed Redfish Point Artificial Reef (Louisiana 2006). Funded $700,000 for construction of a state-of-the-art marine larviculture research lab (Texas 2007). Won a moratorium on river herring, allowing near-collapsed stocks chance to recover (North Carolina 2007). Launched chapters in Washington and Oregon to address marine conservation issues (National 2007). Partnered with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to retire $200,000 worth of commercial shrimping licenses (Texas 2007). Announced creation of the Building Conservation / Habitat Program (National 2007). Served integral role in the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative to develop marine habitat enhancement projects (Maryland 2007). Won lawsuit in federal district court forcing NMFS to address shrimp trawl bycatch in the management of Gulf red snapper (National 2007).

OSP investigating waste of fish found in net

This is a press release courtesy of the Oregon State Police

The Oregon State Police (OSP) Fish & Wildlife Division in The Dalles is seeking the public's assistance in locating the person or persons responsible for the unlawful waste of salmon, steelhead and other fish found Sunday in a hoop net in the Columbia River below the John Day Dam.

On September 7, 2008, OSP Senior Trooper Craig Gunderson located another net in the Columbia River containing fish that had gone to waste. This hoop net was found off a tribal scaffold near Giles French State Park just below the John Day Dam.

Senior Trooper Gunderson, with the assistance of Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Enforcement Officer Mendoza, removed one catfish, one walleye, one Chinook salmon, one Coho salmon, one steelhead and four suckers. The fish appeared to have been in the net for approximately one week and were beyond salvage. The owner of the hoop net is unknown and there was no identification on it.

Although hoop nets are legal to use during tribal fisheries, subsistence fishing gear must be tended at all times and the waste of game fish is unlawful.

Anyone has information regarding this case is asked to contact Senior Trooper Gunderson at (541) 296-9646 or the OSP Northern Command Center dispatch at (800) 452-7888. Information may be kept anonymous.

Commercial Netting "Salmon Unsafe"

Here's a recent letter I sent to the Oregonian that I guess didn't make the cut, but I thought I'd share it here for you:

It's exciting to see a new Portland housing development given the area's first 'salmon safe' label (Salmon could feel at home in South Waterfront, Sept.6). What a shame we can not rightly give such a label to the salmon caught in Oregon's own commercial salmon gill net industry. This gill net fishery isn't merely 'salmon unsafe' it is lethal to 40% of the precious non-target wild salmon that attempt to migrate upstream past these indiscriminating nets. The nets are also "steelhead, bird, seal, and sturgeon unsafe" as the deadly curtains sweep through the Columbia River at night hoping to catch the hatchery salmon that are the legitimate targets of this fishery.

Oregonians should work toward the day when our low-value gill net industry, one that directly injures and kills adult wild salmon listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA, can be converted to a high-value, live capture, selective fishery for target hatchery salmon. Buyers of Columbia River salmon in stores and restaurants could then see not only a 'salmon safe' label on their fish, but could also be assured that 'no steelhead, birds, sturgeon or seals were killed in the harvesting of this salmon.' That is the high standard we should be working for here in the Pacific Northwest.

CCA Florida Announces 2008 Legislative Conservation Awards

Sen. Ken Pruitt among the recipients
CCA-Florida, Tuesday, September 9, 2008
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/sep/09/cca-florida-announces-2008-legislative-conservatio/

“We are very pleased to recognize these individuals,” said Mark Carter, CCA Florida Chairman. “Their ongoing involvement and support for fisheries conservation has been a great benefit for marine resources and recreational anglers.”

Legislators chosen to receive CCA Florida 2008 Legislative Conservation Awards are:

Senator Paula Dockery (R – Lakeland)
Senator Dennis Jones (R – Seminole)
Senator Ken Pruitt (R – Port St. Lucie)
Representative Andy Gardiner (R – Orlando)
Representative Jack Seiler (D – Pompano Beach)

During the 2008 Legislative session, CCA Florida worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to remove the shoreline exemption from the saltwater fishing license.=2 0The exemption allows Florida residents to fish from the shoreline without having a fishing license. The FWC and CCA Florida have urged removal of the exemption and addition of a provision for a free license or waiver for subsistence anglers such as individuals who receive benefits from Medicaid and Food Stamp programs. All other exemptions such as under 16 and over 65 would not be changed. Senators Dockery and Jones have supported these efforts.

While the removal was not successful, CCA Florida will push again in 2009 because removing the shoreline exemption is necessary to qualify the Florida license to meet the upcoming federal angler registration law. If Florida does not modify the exemption then the federal agency will step in and charge an additional fee to “register” Florida’s saltwater anglers and the funds will not be used to manage Florida fisheries.

CCA Florida successfully promoted the legislative establishment of a saltwater recreational fishing license in 1989. The license has provided more than 200 million dollars i n revenue dedicated to marine research, management, and law enforcement. The FWC has estimated that removal of the shoreline exemption would generate an additional 1.7 to 2.5 million dollars annually. Also, every certified fishing license holder helps Florida obtain approximately seven dollars in Federal Aid funds for sport fish restoration funds.

Earlier this year FWC Commissioners once again dealt with the mesh size issue in seine nets. Commercial netters were pushing for a larger mesh size which would convert a seine net into a gill net. Representative Gardiner and Representative Seiler stood in opposition to the attempt to circumvent the clear intent of 72% of Florida citizens who voted to ban gill nets in all State waters. The FWC maintained the regulations banning gill.

“These legislators have always been there to help us on fisheries conservation issues. Their continued leadership and support during the 2008 legislative session and beyond has been outstanding,” said Ted Forsgren, CCA Florida Executive Director.