NORTH CAROLINA FISHERIES ASSOCIATION
"Serving Commercial Fishing Families of North Carolina"
HAPPY NEW YEAR; the new year begins with much on our plate; the snapper/grouper lawsuit is moving forward with no word as to whether the state will intervene in the case. Sadly, it seems the decision by the state is being driven by considerations other than the merits of the case. Remember, the Division led the charge against Amendment 13C and as recently as the last South Atlantic Council meeting in Atlantic Beach, was quoted as not being very happy with the SAFMC’s so-called fixes to the socio-economic data, amongst other things. The Council has two versions of the story, one says NC will not be disproportionably negatively affected by the new Amendment, the other says it will; litigation will force that issue to resolution and the state should be part of the process.
Etheridge Seafood continues defending itself from overly zealous federal prosecutors who have stated on record that fishermen should throw fins overboard in order to comply with the 5% fin to carcass ration if they have to. The case is so convoluted the enforcement witness for the federal government said on the record, if he was at the dock and saw the fins and the carcasses, even if the % rate was in access of 7%, he would not have prosecuted the case. Transcripts from the November 13th hearing are still not available…seems like a long time to get them to me.
Still Need Your Help: Recently, James and Licia Caldwell's home in Frisco burned to the ground. James, Licia, and their son escaped uninjured, but they lost their home and everything in it. James gillnets out of Hatteras on his boat, the F/V Sundog, and also runs Swartz Fisheries, a commercial fishing supply business in Frisco. Donations to help the Caldwell’s can be made at any branch of East Carolina Bank to the "Caldwell Family" account. Pam Stoffel is collecting clothes for the family and has a list of sizes for James, Licia, and their son. Pam has also suggested that gift cards from grocery stores and other businesses will help the Caldwell’s. Pam can be reached at
stoffel2040@earthlink.net or 252-995-7902.
LONG AFTER CHRISTMAS, SILENT NIGHT(S) CONTINUE; there is still no word from the Governor’s office regarding the NCMFC commercial seat appointment. Governor Mike Easley 919-733-4240 ask for Sara Allen…on second thought, ask for the Governor…
CRUCIAL NCFA BOARD MEETING TUESDAY JANUARY 9TH EXECUTIVE/FINANCE COMMITTEE @ 10 A.M. FULL BOARD @ 1P.M. PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND RSVP: KAREN 252-633-2288
PROCLAMATION
RE: STRIPED BASS GILL NETS IN ATLANTIC OCEAN
January 2, 2007 Division of Marine Fisheries Proclamation FF-74-2006 dated December 21, 2006 opens the commercial striped bass Atlantic Ocean gill net fishery at 12:01 A.M. on January 3, 2007. A federal rule exists which prohibits the use of large mesh gill nets (= 7 inch stretched mesh) at night from December 16 through April 14 without tie-downs. This federal rule remains in effect and supersedes the state proclamation. In other words, to set a large mesh gill net at night is a violation of the National Marine Fisheries Service rule.
RE: SPINY DOGFISH-COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS- ATLANTIC OCEAN Effective at 6:00 A.M., Monday, January 8, 2007 the following restrictions will apply to the harvest of spiny dogfish in the Atlantic Ocean waters of North Carolina I. HARVEST PERIODS The fishing year for spiny dogfish is divided into two periods: Quota Period I and Quota Period II. Period I is from May 1 through October 1 each year, and Period II is from November 1 through April 30. Harvest will be allowed from January 8 through March 1, 2007, and will close on March 1 at 6:00 P.M. by this proclamation. II. TRIP LIMITS No commercial fishing operation, regardless of the number of people involved may possess more than 4,000 pounds per trip of spiny dogfish during this portion of Period II. http://www.ncfisheries.net/procs/procs2k6/FF-76-2006.html
RE: STRIPED BASS SEASON – COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS – ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA Preston P. Pate, Jr., Director, Division of Marine Fisheries, hereby announces that effective at 12:01 A.M., Friday, January 5, 2007, the harvest of striped bass with COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS IN THE ALBEMARLE SOUND MANAGEMENT AREA WILL OPEN http://www.ncfisheries.net/procs/procs2k6/FF-76-2006.html
Meetings
January 9, 2007 Crucial Board Meeting
NCFA will hold a Board meeting on Tuesday January 9th at the NCFA office in New Bern. Please make every effort to attend this meeting; there are vital issues that need to be addressed and your participation is very important. The executive and finance committee will meet at 10 a.m. with the full board meeting after lunch at 1 p.m. Again, this is a crucial meeting and attendance is strongly encouraged. Call Karen to RSVP 252-633-2288.
January 11, 2007 6:30 p.m.
NCMFC Northeast Regional Advisory Committee
Commission Chambers - Dare County Commissioner Bldg. 204 Ananias St. - Manteo, NC Contact Sara Winslow 800-338-7805 or 252-264-3911
January 11, 2007 2 p.m.
NCMFC Spiny Dogfish Compliance Advisory Panel
NCDENR Regional Office - 943 Washington Square Mall - Washington, NC
Contact Red Munden 800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021
