Got this from our SAFMC representative that is constantly trying to help us despite the odds against anything fair or accountable ever coming out of the psuedo-legislative federal government body we call the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council.
I wanted you to be aware that according to information presented yesterday by the National Marine Fisheries Service to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the recreational black sea bass fishery will likely be closed sometime in October because the annual catch limit of 409,000 lbs. will have been met.
I have asked NOAA officials to be proactive in getting an official notice out to fishermen as far in advance of a closure as possible. I know this is particularly important for charter and head boat operators.
Its easy to conclude that black sea bass are very plentiful for that many fish to have been caught in such a short timeframe (about 5 months) despite the bag limit reduction from 15 to 5 fish in June.
Hopefully the black sea bass stock assessment that will be presented to the fishery council in December will reflect that abundance and allow the annual catch limit to be substantially increased.
-Tom Swatzel
Capt. Mark Brown was at the SAFMC meeting yesterday, and there is a lot of movement towards making smaller fisheries into catch share managed. They will chip away in this manner and come to the other fisheries next. The commercial guys who are in danger of losing it all will take catch shares out of desperation, and in the fisheries with fewer participants there’s, of course, less opposition to defeat to implement what the public and all sectors have voiced total opposition to. The federal government is going to ram it the way they want it though.
Congress and state leaders are understanding more and more how important these issues are to our economy, recreation and culture.
Please bring fisheries issues up whenever you speak with any elected official. The issue needs to be brought closer to the
Risht now there are so many undersized BSB in and around the harbor. You can catch a limit of undersized in short order. Just how in the hell do they think BSB’s are overfished? Where is the logic or accutal science to prove these outlandish new regs?
Risht now there are so many undersized BSB in and around the harbor. You can catch a limit of undersized in short order. Just how in the hell do they think BSB’s are overfished? Where is the logic or accutal science to prove these outlandish new regs?
fish today work tomorrow
Who ever said logic or science was the basis for their decisions?
data proving the agenda wrong is thrown out- labeled as not acceptable.
C bass live for 10 years. When they go by 10 year old data, then you can guess how badly “off” they can be.
We are in year 5 of a 10 year rebuilding plan. If they were underestimating the population used in the beggining of the plan to project where we’d be at this point, then you can also understand how exponentially wrong they could be.
There is no flexibility or any opportunity for common sense to come into play.
If the AM (accountability measure), i.e. closing the fishery prematurely in the middle of the year, is triggered in 3 consecutive years, then catch shares become the prefered option.
Remember the agenda some have is to elliminate commercial fishermen and replace them with a market system for large companies and enviros to own the rights to the fish. This is what happened to the crab fishery in Alaska. The difference is that recreationals are involved in these fisheries over here, and turning a publically accessed resource into a restricted “buy your way in” fishery for sport fishing is WRONG. There will always be someone to outbid you or me for the right to catch sport fish.
Recreational fishing is worth billions of dollars in the US, and the agenda involves tapping into all that “willingness to pay” for both traders of the “shares” as well as the fed and possibly state governments.
I am called a conspiracy theorist when I say these things, but I have come to the same conclusions independently from many others. All the evidence is there. All the money is there. All you have to do is look at what money is being spent where. Grants, lobbying, PAC donations, etc. Grasstops efforts make themselves look like grassroots. Politicians are easily fooled and will do what they think gets them reelected.
Jeff Duncan and Tim Scott have been trying to help us. They are brand new up there, and have been doing what they can. DeMint and Graham have also helped as much as they could so far. We are only one state. Go
You know it really is scary about the goals that seem to have been met. Look up all the communist goals. One of those goals is to “capture one or both of the political parties”. Im pretty sure we all know which party is more of a communist view then the other.
I would have no problem with them going to a 10 fish limit, but 15". With the limit down to 5 a person, i don’t think anyone keeps anything under 15 or 16" anyway.
So is there a date they will announce by or a certain time frame between when they announce a closure and when it begins? Of course I rented a place on Folly with a slip for a week starting Sep. 29 so it stands to reason that I will only get one day of BSB’s…just my luck.
When the black sea bass fishery was closed mid-year last time, NMFS Regional Administrator put out a presser, and the fishery was closed about 2 weeks later.
That’s what the new law allows, so unfortunately all I can tell you is what Tom told us: “likely coming in October”
Highly doubt you will be out of business for your Sept 29 vacation, LMV.
Phin, first thanks for getting this information out.
I am trying to make sure I have the correct understanding. Didn’t they say we exceeded the annual catch limit for BSB last year? Was that overage deducted from this years ACL? Or is the 409,000 lbs the annual limit? And we met that in 4 months with a 5 fish limit? Has anyone been surveyed on their catch? Now I don’t fish everyday but I have been able to go on a regular basis this year and have not been surveyed, and have not seen or heard of anyone else being surveyed on their catch either. What a crock of bull shhh!
Hopefully I will still be in business that week for BSB’s, especially since last weekend the weather was bad and it appears this weekends forecast is a little to sporty too with high winds and predictions of 4-7…will surely turn out to be the 7 if I go
quote:Originally posted by Phin
When the black sea bass fishery was closed mid-year last time, NMFS Regional Administrator put out a presser, and the fishery was closed about 2 weeks later.
That’s what the new law allows, so unfortunately all I can tell you is what Tom told us: “likely coming in October”
Highly doubt you will be out of business for your Sept 29 vacation, LMV.
Phin, first thanks for getting this information out.
I am trying to make sure I have the correct understanding. Didn’t they say we exceeded the annual catch limit for BSB last year? Was that overage deducted from this years ACL? Or is the 409,000 lbs the annual limit? And we met that in 4 months with a 5 fish limit? Has anyone been surveyed on their catch? Now I don’t fish everyday but I have been able to go on a regular basis this year and have not been surveyed, and have not seen or heard of anyone else being surveyed on their catch either. What a crock of bull shhh!
i have not been surveyed or even check in the last 3 years?
the economy is helping stop the fishing pressure,we have been out there on some awesome weather days with no boats in sight?
