This past week we received word there would be some public hearings conducted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. At first I heard the usual grumbling with people saying, great what are they going to keep us from fishing for now and several other negative comments. With what anglers have been up against when it comes to some of the crazy federal regulations being put into place without good science and reasoning, the reaction was understandable. What we have now found out is that sheepshead have always been a federally managed fishery, but now the management is being moved to the state level. Each state will be able to decide how to best manage their fishery without the blanket rules of the SAFMC being pressed upon them. The SCDNR has done a good job in the past with managing our fish without painting everything with a broad brush and closing entire fisheries. They recently put trust in anglers to release their trout in order to help the species recover more quickly from last years harsh winter temperatures and they have shown that they are willing to work with anglers in order to protect the long term populations of our fisheries. They do their research and readily share what they know with us. Many of the people that work for SCDNR are avid anglers themselves, unlike many of the people on the federal level. There are several public hearings coming up. Here is a list of the times and places. If you are not able to attend and have an interest in having some input you can take the online survey at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/sheepshead/
Oct. 7, 2011
Future management of sheepshead fishery to be discussed at public meeting series
The Marine Resources Division of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host four regional public meetings with stakeholders to discuss future management of the sheepshead fishery in South Carolina. The meetings will include discussion of the biology and life history of the species, population status, and potential management actions designed to i