Release: Immediate
Contact: Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-726-7021
Date: April 17, 2012

Symposium Showcases Five Years of the
Coastal Recreational Fishing License Grant Program

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will showcase five years of the Coastal Recreational Fishing License Grant Program at a symposium May 31 at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, 203 South Front St., New Bern.

The symposium will feature presentations from grant recipients for numerous projects, including:

• A Division of Marine Fisheries program to collect recreational fishing data;
• An N.C. State University study of the movement and mortality of spotted seatrout;
• A University of North Carolina at Wilmington project that tested the use of text messaging to submit catch and effort fishing reports from a wireless phone; and The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s construction of several boating access sites.

There will also be exhibits of some of the educational projects funded by the grant program.

A full agenda is attached.

The symposium is free and open to the public, however pre-registration is required. Sign up for the event by May 17 by visiting the Division of Marine Fisheries website at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf//crfl-symposium-registration-form.

The grant program was established in 2007 to fund for projects that aim to manage, protect, restore, develop, cultivate and enhance the marine resources of the state. The program receives revenues from the sale of Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses.

In the five years since its inception, the grant program has awarded approximately $21 million to 68 projects.

For more information, contact grant program coordinator Tiffany Frazier at 252-808-8004 or Tiffany.Frazier@ncdenr.gov.

nr-14-12

Release: Immediate
Contact: Tina Berger
Phone: 703-842-0740
Date: April 16, 2012

Please note that this press release is a re-issue of an earlier release, originally sent out on April 2, in order to clarify that the regulations pertain to black sea bass harvested North of Hatteras.

ASMFC Black Sea Bass Board Finalizes 2012 Recreational Measures

Arlington, Va. – Upon review of the latest black sea bass recreational data from last year (waves 1 – 6), the Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board has modified the percent that states may liberalize their 2012 recreational management measures to achieve the 1.32 million pound (942,857 fish) harvest limit for the 2012 fishery. The northern region states of Massachusetts through New Jersey will implement measures that achieve a 37 percent liberalization throughout the region and a 32 percent liberalization coastwide; the percent of liberalization will vary by state. Northern region states had the option to collectively liberalize regulations by 41 percent but opted to be more conservative. State-specific regulations follow below.

Since the Board’s approval of Addendum XXII and the resultant 2012 state recreational management measures in February 2012, new 2011 recreational harvest estimates were released by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The data indicates the projections used to form the basis of this year’s regulations under estimated the 2011 harvest. Coastwide recreational harvest for the 2011 black sea bass fishery is now estimated at 713,478 fish (versus the initial estimate of 654,142 fish).  As a result of the new estimate, northern states will still be able to liberalize their 2012 recreational management measures but not to the extent that they would have under the previous estimate (initial liberalization was 57 percent). The northern states will be working over the next month to finalize their recreational black sea bass management measures.

Based on the stock projections completed in 2011, the black sea bass stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. The projections indicate the stock is at about 111 percent of its biomass target. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for Management, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703-842-0740.

PR12-18

Release: Immediate
Contact: Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-726-7021
Date: April 13, 2012

Marine Fisheries Commission Continues to Seek Advisers

MOREHEAD CITY — The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission has extended the deadline for applying to sit on various advisory committees.

The commission is seeking commercial fishermen from the Pamlico and Core sounds areas or other individuals interested in sea turtle protection to fill three vacancies on a Sea Turtle Advisory Committee.

The commission is also seeking a recreational fisherman to fill one vacant seat on a Coastal Recreational Fishing License Advisory Committee and a charter and/or for hire fisherman to fill one vacancy on a Northeast Regional Advisory Committee.

Duties of the Sea Turtle Committee include reviewing sea turtle observer reports, assisting with fishermen education; determining measures to reduce the incidental take of sea turtles; monitoring observer program issues; and reviewing Incidental Take Permit applications to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Coastal Recreational Fishing License Committee reviews applications for Coastal Recreational Fishing License grants related to public outreach and education, and improving public fishing access and fishing opportunities.

The Northeast Committee reviews and advises the commission on fisheries issues pertaining to the northern coastal area of the state. These issues may be referred to them by the commission, such as draft fishery management plans, or brought to the commission’s attention by the committee.
 
Individuals interested in serving as advisers should be willing to attend meetings at least once every two months and actively participate in the committee process. Advisers will be reimbursed for travel and other expenses incurred in relation to their official duties. 

Adviser applications are available online at http://www.ncfisheries.net/mfc/advisorforms.html, at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ offices or by calling 252-808-8023 or 800-682-2632. Applications should be returned by May 4 to the Division of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557, Attention: Lauren Morris.

nr-13-12

Release: Immediate
Contact: Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-726-7021
Date: April 13, 2012

Public Comments Sought on New Oyster Sanctuary in Neuse River

MOREHEAD CITY — The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public meeting to receive comments on a new oyster sanctuary site in the Neuse River.

The meeting is set for 6 p.m. April 24 at the Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City. Interested parties are invited to provide advice regarding the selected site and construction methods.

The division’s Resource Enhancement Section plans to start construction on the new oyster sanctuary in the spring of 2013. The project will transform 16 acres of unconsolidated soft bottom on public land into a protected oyster brood stock sanctuary.

The site is located in Carteret County approximately 10 miles east of Oriental and 1.8 miles northwest of Little Creek in the lower Neuse River (N35° 02.616’ W76° 30.889’). The sanctuary will consist of multiple submerged artificial reef structures suitable for oyster recruitment.

For more information, contact Pelle Holmlund, with the division’s Resource Enhancement Section, at 252-808-8055 or Pelle.Holmlund@ncdenr.gov.

nr-12-12