FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MAY 10, 2010
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 202/289-6400
ASMFC Finds North Carolina Out of Compliance with Addendum IV to Amendment 4 to the Interstate FMP for Weakfish
Noncompliance Finding Forwarded to the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior
Washington, DC – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has found the State of North Carolina out of compliance with the mandatory management measures contained in Addendum IV to Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Weakfish. The Commission has notified the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior of its finding. This action was taken pursuant to the provisions of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act of 1993.
The State of North Carolina has not implemented the required management measures of Addendum IV. These include a one fish recreational creel limit, 100 pound commercial trip limit, 100 pound commercial bycatch limit, and 100 undersized fish per trip allowance for the finfish trawl fishery. Implementation of these regulations is necessary to rebuild weakfish, which are considered depleted with spawning stock biomass estimated to be three percent of an unfished stock, well below the management program’s 20 percent threshold and 30 percent target reference points.
In order to come back into compliance the State of North Carolina must implement all measures contained in Addendum IV. Upon notification by the Commission, the Secretary of Commerce has 30 days to review the recommendation and determine appropriate action, which may include a federal moratorium on fishing for weakfish in North Carolina’s state waters. For more information, please contact Robert Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at (202) 289-6400.
In a separate action, the Weakfish Technical Committee was tasked with reviewing a proposal to address the bycatch of weakfish in fisheries targeting other species. The Technical Committee is expected to report back to t
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MAY 10, 2010
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 202/289-6400
ASMFC Finds North Carolina Out of Compliance with Addendum IV to Amendment 4 to the Interstate FMP for Weakfish
Noncompliance Finding Forwarded to the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior
Washington, DC – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has found the State of North Carolina out of compliance with the mandatory management measures contained in Addendum IV to Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Weakfish. The Commission has notified the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior of its finding. This action was taken pursuant to the provisions of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act of 1993.
The State of North Carolina has not implemented the required management measures of Addendum IV. These include a one fish recreational creel limit, 100 pound commercial trip limit, 100 pound commercial bycatch limit, and 100 undersized fish per trip allowance for the finfish trawl fishery. Implementation of these regulations is necessary to rebuild weakfish, which are considered depleted with spawning stock biomass estimated to be three percent of an unfished stock, well below the management program’s 20 percent threshold and 30 percent target reference points.
In order to come back into compliance the State of North Carolina must implement all measures contained in Addendum IV. Upon notification by the Commission, the Secretary of Commerce has 30 days to review the recommendation and determine appropriate action, which may include a federal moratorium on fishing for weakfish in North Carolina’s state waters. For more information, please contact Robert Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at (202) 289-6400.
In a separate action, the Weakfish Technical Committee wa
Rec fishermen say MFC members voted to ignore federal weakfish rules out of financial interests
Recreational fishing advocates are charging that two members of the state NC Marine Fisheries Committee (MFC) voted to go out of compliance with federal rules designed to save weakfish stocks due to personal financial interest in catching weakfish.
“I’m angry that the MFC would take this action on weakfish because I made an effort to talk to commercial fishermen and most were fine with the federal weakfish rules,” said Bill Mandulak, who is a NC recreational angler on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) weakfish advisory committee. “There’s just a handful of commercial fishing operations affected by this limit and a couple happen to be on the MFC. MFC members Bradley Stryon and Mikey Daniels seem to have voted for this out of self-interest.”
The ASMFC mandated that all member states on the Atlantic Coast stop overfishing weakfish stocks by limiting the recreational catch to 1 fish a day and making commercial trip limits 100 lbs per day. By federal law, NC must enact the requirements of ASMFC Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) or risk federal sanctions against NC fisheries.
Weakfish are also known as gray trout and were once a numerous saltwater fish in NC. But overall, weakfish landings are down to 3% of what they once were in all Atlantic Coast states, with NC commercial landings only 1.5% of previous historical landings.
That drop has resulted in federal attempts to somehow salvage the depleted stock. NC harvests almost 30% of the Atlantic Coast landings, and Mandulak believes ignoring the conservation measures for weakfish can have a very detrimental effect on the future of the fish.
Interesting that the 2 guys with commercial ties on the NC MFC are the only ones catching all the ■■■■■ from folks, but the vote to go against the feds was 5-2.
what gets me, is the federal reg for 1 per rec angler, and about 300 pounds per trip commercial, but i do agree, WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE, and say, enough, when the federal government walks on state rights
It would also be nice if people didn’t take badly skewed and biased data and conclusions arrived at by special interest adulterated scientific bodies as the gospel truth. This way, people who actually fish for a certain species of fish would be heard moreso than special interest who have money coming in to do the opposite of what is best for a particular fishery or to question the ridiculously inadequate and WRONG data being used to ruin people’s lives. And I’m not just talking about commercial fishing busineses…
I cannot even express just how disgusted I am with these issues. The same thing happened with red snapper. It’ll happen with weakfish. It’ll happen with everything else. And it’ll get easier and easier for them as we’ve started sliding down the slope and ignoring the truth and what fishermen have been saying.
Notice we aren’t saying- “oh more reg’s… That sucks.” We are saying it’s way over the line and outrightly wrong. Businesses are hurting now, and the stocks aren’t at all like the crisis mongers have been telling you for years. Think about it for just a moment. I beg you.
Id have to say in this particular instance it sounds like the only “special intrest” is this guys seafood buisness. I have no dog in this fight, but after reading the articles given I would be much more convinced by Mr. Styron had an argument other than “I’m sick of big government telling me what to do!”…
I’m not saying the government has good science, but the only scientific argument he gave was that “NC has good science”… C’mon man, if your gonna fight this battle and not have any numbers or figures of your own to base it on, other than what comes up in your nets and what you ice down in your seafood store than you better be ready to be attacked as having a “special intrest”…
And as for “most” recreational fishermen being against government oversight… that’s just flat out not true. How do you even measure that… because alot of rec fishermen are uninformed and ignorant to anything, and will always be against someone telling them they can’t keep a fish wheather it actually needs to happen or not. I don’t give two craps who regulates the fisheries (because someone will), as long as its based on real and to the best of our abilities science. That may not be happening with the government, and if they are basing their rules and regs on ****ty science then I’m against it… but the fact of the matter has to be faced. People will not regulate themselves as a general rule. Someone has to impliment, and enforce laws and regulations. As our populations increase, so will demand on our resources, and so must our regulations to protect those resources… thats just how it is. I would hope those regulations come down in a fair and educated manner so that both the fisheries and our rights to harvest them are protected… and that has not been the case with red snapper (im with you on that phin), but reguardless the constraints are going to have to tighten up… thats just how it is.
In a perfect world, we, the anglers would all be responsible stewards of the seas and regulate ourselves… but this aint a
Id have to say in this particular instance it sounds like the only “special intrest” is this guys seafood buisness. I have no dog in this fight, but after reading the articles given I would be much more convinced by Mr. Styron had an argument other than “I’m sick of big government telling me what to do!”…
Nearly every media release I read on any fishery issue pits fishermen vs. government or fishermen vs. environmentalists. Never do I read issues framed as fishermen being environmentalists vs. the so-called environmentalists pushing for more regulations.
Interestingly, the enviro’s the media quotes are from other regions of the country, spend hardly any time in the actual environment, and have no clue what they’re talking about in general. They’ve uncovered a few stats that they can put out in propaganda and get hundreds of thousands of names from hundreds of miles away on a petition opposing what those of us who actually know the resource best are advocating for.
I’m not going to hold anything back here. I’m going to be honest here now. I’m going to do my best to be respectful. I am really glad you responded here on this thread, because I rarely get to talk about any facts with someone who is knowledgable on the issues- at least not publically. It’s frustrating when people will not publically state how they feel about issues other than some vague or uncertain statements.
I feel that your opinion that you’ve stated is that the commercial guys are wrong in this because they do not have data to back up what they said and they’re arguing on principle rather than science. I hope this is what you feel, and that I have not misread what you said.
First, I ask questions. I’ve been taught to. I’ve been taught to question everything. Spiritually and mentally… I
I suppose that I could have just said that
-I like to fish for weakfish from time to time
-I know a few things about how to catch them nearshore
-the 1 per person limit on them in SC is absolutely ridiculous IMO
But that’d just allow people to dumb down my arguments once again like they have with the red snapper issue.
I’ve said over and over again- my issue is not with red snapper- it’s with the entire process and the law that needs to be fixed. PERIOD. Each and every fish has this coming eventually. It’s called mismanagement and overregulation because of hidden agendas and special interests.
It’s not called, “Phin’s mad because he likes to fish for red snapper and weakfish.”
I went 4 years without fishing for or catching red snapper when I was in college. I can go without it, trust me. That was my personal choice. When my choice is limited because of something totally unwarranted, then that’s when you’re going to see me figuring out what’s behind it and calling it like I see it. I’m telling you right now it doesn’t have anything to do with red snapper beyond that being what made me first interested in what in the heck was going on…
Phin- The reply was a little lengthy, but I like to read, and you put it together in a way that I can stay with so it wasn’t that bad.
First off, thanks for not making this a personal bashing party… you seem to be a level headed individual who uderstands that opinions are not hard tangible facts to be disproven… they are just opinions.
I agree with you almost across the board, I just wanted to clarify a few things about my stance as I guess my original post could be confusing to some.
1.) I am not blaming commercial guys. I’m simply stating that in any good argument, if you want to win you better have a good rebutal backed with hard evidence. Force the other person to look stupid, don’t go on record saying something so easy to tear apart and ridicule as “I don’t want the government telling me what to do!.” I feel that IRRESPONSIBLE rec guys are just as dangerous as any commercial boat. I see them every day in my buisness.
2.) I am not all for government control nor am I 100% behind their plan. Do I think our fisheries should be closely monitored, and if need be restricted to protect the fish for the greater good of the whole… yes. Should these restrictions come ONLY after thorough science from multiple parties have agreed upon that solution… YES. Is this happening… unfortunately I don’t think it is. To be honest I am about 99% catch and release. Thats my perogitive and I don’t push it on anyone else. I feel that people should take the lead on conservation themselves… period. You shouldn’t have to have a game warden tell you what you should or shouln’t keep, that should be an easy ethical question you answer in your own brain.
3.) I respect your position on bottom fish. Have I fished for red snapper/grouper… Yes. Have I caught them… Yes. And I believe that to be a sucessful bottom fisherman takes as much skill as any other type of fishing, and in the offshore world, it takes probably more skill than any other offshore fishing.
Mike, I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to see someone respond to what I’ve said the way you have. You understand my concerns I feel. And you understand that the concerns are about what’s happening to all of our fisheries management- the process, if you will.
My response right now is going to be addressing what you’ve said, but it isn’t going to be addressed solely at you. Please know that. I’m going to address some things some other folks have said to me over the past year or two because I know they are reading this. They won’t engage me in a public debate or discussion on these things, but I’d like for people to know where I stand. I hope you can tolerate using my discussion with you for that additional purpose, and I hope you realize that context for some of my statements and questions you’re going to see below.
You know… I have realized the error in my former ways of posting limits of fish here in fishing reports. I’ve tried sometimes to say how quickly the limits came or how many more fish are out there, but people see pictures and titles of reports only sometimes. So I’ve helped add to the perception of some that bottom fishing is not a catch and release sport to my own detriment. I understand that now.
I also understand that without someone or some thing passionate about a species of fish enough to have a body of private research and a nearly dedicated advocacy group, then said species can be used improperly to hurt people. People don’t care a thing about what we’ve got to say.
You say folks have got to have hard science disputing claims. Well, Mike, I need some help with this. If you can help with this, it would be tremendous. Let me explain.
When the paper reported on the red snapper closures, they’d always quote PEW trusts, who’d merely parrot the “3% of the red snapper are left- they’re imperilled,” line. When the paper would quote us- meaning any fisherman- they’d never EVER quote anything we’d said regarding the science or the flaws in the science. The science is so very flawed
Ah… if only there were a world where politics did not play a role… but I digress…
My statements about catch and release were not to imply that everyone should let everything go… and in certain cases, bottom fishing being one, catch and release will inevitably kill fish anyway. And I fully understand wildlife Management… in fact I do some grut work for a company that specializes in just that.
Harvest is necissary. I was refering more to the mentality of the fishermen themselves. Keeping there minds on the management side rather than taking and killing everything just because “it’s legal”. I kill fish, hell i just stabbed 16 mahi on monday… but I also shook off undersize fish, and only kept fish I knew were big enough to get any meat off of.
I read your comments loud and clear phin… and I may actually be able to help… not sure but PM me… I would like to discuss some possible outlets… wheather it will help or not, its worth a try. Nothing like making a public figurehead look like a villan to get his attention.
I will be out of town for a few days, but thank you for the time you took to address this, and I hope others have read and retained what I have from this…
I understand. I was saying much of what I did regarding catch and release so that some other folks would know where I stand. It’s all relative IMO. When you say you’re catch and release 99% of the time, you may harvest more fish than me if you fish twice a week while I fish maybe once a month on average.
If I fish in the Edisto River or a black water creek back home, I may release every redbreast I catch except for maybe every 2 years I might keep a few to fry up. If I fish in a freshwater pond, I may release every largemouth I catch- unless there are too many of them. Like I said, I realize the error in my ways of posting limits of bottom fish on the internet now. I never took pictures of fish being released or pictures of no fish in the cooler. We like to post pictures of fish that are harvested. I can personally make a change in that in what I report here. I can personally try to educate people on how many snapper I’m seeing on a sonar, etc. (I tried that once, but I caught a lot of ■■■■■ about giving too much info for free here). Lack of information is the problem, however. People perceiving that red snapper aren’t as numerous as they ought to be is the problem. Only the few of us who know the fish pretty well know there is not a crisis warranting all the closures and negative effects on small business owners and individual liberties.
I guess I’m just trying to say that I understand already how it is our own fault for getting to this point. I’m doing what I can to not let it get to the same point with other fisheries. When I see ideology pushing agendas instead of the truth, then I’m going to call it like I see it no matter how painful it will be for people to admit what’s happening. There’s so much money at stake when grassroots can be taken over and made into grasstops. There’s so much power at stake. Money and power corrupts.
I am only one person, but as I was telling someone last night- I have help. It isn’t me that’s capable of doing anything to make a difference or to help people see how the
If anybody actually now has interest in discovering how oil money and other big corps are adulterating all environmental and social policy then go to these links and read the info and opinions with an open mind.
The same thing is being said by so many people who arrived at the same conclusions, that it is not just some sort of scapegoating. There are people just like me all over the country mad as fire at what’s happening to what they love and care about outdoors. They’ve tried to figure out how stuff so badly wrong could be happening. They’ve come to the same conclusions as me.
This is the truth, folks.
I’m sorry if you don’t like reading it.
Pew buys out tar sands activists http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/01/06/18634484.php
and http://oilsandstruth.org/impacts-pew-funding-what-others-are-saying
“Because distinctions between grassroots and hierarchical, and between movements and interest groups have been blurred, however, silent control by those with will and money becomes possible while diversity and democracy suffer.¡±
¡°Big Industry has given up its 20th century tactics of demonizing enviros for a whole new strategy. Why should industry play the villain when it can green up its image by hand-picking the conservation groups asking the least and give them fat foundation grants, a seat at the bargaining table, and all the (corporate-owned) media money can buy.”
There’s much more… but I’ll just show you the pertinent links to how we’ve been getting tooled by Pew here locally now…
$1,250.000
Trout Unlimited National Office. Arlington. VA
In support of a national alliance of hunters and fishermen working to protect fish and wildlife populations on federal public lands
I’ve got lots more info regarding the “undue influence” going on at a national level where nobody wants to look, and it’s more than just circumstantial stuff like I’ve posted above. It’s more than just what I’ve posted above to spur some thought and questioning among whomever is reading this. I’ve got stuff that can actually do serious harm to some folks if I really start getting out talking about it. I think people know what’s been going on or at least sense something’s not quite right, and they’re as upset about it as me. I think some changes are going to be made. I don’t know…
I’ll be standing by waiting to see.
I’ll be having faith and trusting that the right thing will happen if I’ve done what is right and no more or no less- or at least I’ve tried to.