This was posted already in the freshwater forum, but if anyone is interested here it is again:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/yr2013/aug29/aug29_moncks.html
DNR hosts public meeting on Santee Cooper Blue Catfish in Moncks Corner
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Freshwater Fisheries Section invites concerned anglers to a public meeting Sept. 19, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the current status of the Santee Cooper blue catfish.
In recent years the Santee Cooper blue catfish population has experienced a decline due to almost a decade of poor reproduction. Though no single reason has been identified for the decline in reproductive success, below average water flow in the Santee Cooper lakes has likely contributed to the poor reproductive success. It is clear there are big challenges to this resource and a reduction in harvest is needed.
Meeting details for the Santee Cooper blue catfish public meeting are:
Sept. 19, 2013
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Santee Cooper Auditorium (located just off Rembert C. Dennis Blvd)
1 Riverwood Drive, Moncks Corner, SC.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
I feel like a bum because I can’t make it, had some family stuff come up.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
Well I went to the meeting last night. I was really impressed with the turnout. There were a lot of clubs and guides, some commercial harvesters, and a bunch of recreational anglers like me.
I got there a little late, but I got there in time to see some of the sample numbers.
So basically every time there is a year where the lakes (Marion and Moultrie) stay at full pool over the duration of the spawning season, we get a record crop of fish and get a crop of quality fish. Some fish grow faster than others, but five to six years after that quality spawn, we end up with a large population of ten pound fish. When the ten pound fish are there in good numbers, we fisherman start hitting them hard, and the commercial guys hit them harder. This leads to the decline in the population of these fish. We are seeing the results of the decline in population now. These bigger fish are the spawning stock for the next time we hit that full pool, so we need some of them to still be around for that event.
This year we had another full pool year. The spawn from this year is expected to bring the Santee Cooper lakes back to its world class blue cat fishery status, and SCDNR biologists believe that we need to do more to protect this year’s stock.
Some of the ideas discussed last night were:
-Creel limits
-Size limits: A lot of folks at the meeting seemed to agree that one of the best ways to protect the spawn was to protect the larger “breeder-size” fish. The idea that I heard that appealed to me the most was making possession of the larger cats during the spawn (May-August) illegal. In other words, catch and release only of fishes 30" and above from early May through late August.
-Better enforcement of existing laws and any new regulations. This sounded pretty difficult, because there are only six DNR law enforcement officers that run these lakes. They were at the meeting and spoke up. What they said is that they need our help. If you see something illegal, call the Operation Game Thief number and report it. T
quote:
Originally posted by HoofArded
-The biologists said that the easiest thing to do is to close off the blue cat fishing for a season, but they do not want to do that. That sounded like a last resort.
.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
Sounds like they get their planning from the SAFMC!
.
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
I think SAFMC uses closures as first response rather than last resort.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
I wouldn’t want them to do a closure, but if they allowed it to be catch/release, I’d probably not whine too badly about it.
I wouldn’t mind at all if they put a 30" max on the fish for a couple years to get the population back up.
I think the lousy population we see right now is going to require some sort of unpopular and rather drastic action.
Hoof, thanks for reporting this. I really (REALLY) wanted to go but family had to come first last night. Thanks!
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
Yall need To remember these dam blue cats arent even native to our state. They will rebound . Stripers on the other hand is a different story.
fish today work tomorrow
http://www.southcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=3285
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
I stand corrected. Blue cats are more important than i once thought. Thanks hoofarded!
fish today work tomorrow
quote:
Originally posted by chickenhawk 26
Blue cats are more important than i once thought.
They are the only fish that really puts a big dent in the Asian mussel populations in the lakes. That’s a big reason why the DNR biologists want to get their numbers back up.
I know I noticed a lot more of those mussels in Lake Moultrie over the past few summers.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole