THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406120205
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson
DATELINE: 940612 LENGTH: Long
In Virginia, Gov. George Allen ended months of speculation when he reappointed William A. Pruitt to another term as head of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Pruitt, who lives in Hayes on the Middle Peninsula, has held the position for 10 years.
{REST} Dr. William Hogarth, Pruitt's counterpart with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, wasn't as fortunate. Bending under political pressure that was certain to lead to his firing, Hogarth has sent a letter of resignation to the office of Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.
Hogarth has cleaned out his desk but officially remains on the job until his resignation is accepted. The resignation letter contained no effective date.
Hogarth could be asked to remain for a few more weeks as the agency grapples with a mandate to reduce its gray trout catch by at least 25 percent. But he has accepted a position as a liaison between the federal government's top fishery regulatory agency and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
As for Pruitt, originally appointed during the administration of Gov. Charles S. Robb, a Democrat, rumors of his impending dismissal proved false. In fact, Pruitt was one of only two reappointments to 16 mid-level management positions filled this week. The other was Shockley L. Gardner as head of the Virginia Resources Commission.
ANOTHER MOVE: Allen has gone over the heads of the board of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and named William Woodson interim director.
Woodson is a well-respected career state employee and has had a key position with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
The executive director's position has been open since last fall, when the board asked Bud Bristow to resign after only two years.
The job is one of the few in the state supposed to be filled by the ruling board, as opposed to a gubernatorial appointment. Larry Hart and David Whitehurst, career employees of the game department, had served as co-acting directors since Bristow's departure.
A special search committee of board members spent almost a year looking for a permanent replacement and had narrowed the field to two, both from Virginia, when Allen took office. The board deferred to the new chief executive, sending him both names, hoping he would decide between them. It should be obvious, from Woodson's interim selection, that neither had the governor's approval.
Walter Conrad, the businessman from Norfolk who is chairman of the 10-person board, said he was uncertain what the group's next step should be.
``The code of Virginia says the executive director shall be appointed by the board,'' Conrad said. ``But we don't want to make the governor mad, or else he could get rid of the entire board. I feel like that would be a disaster for the entire agency. We need a governing body with both knowledge and experience.''
The situation could be clarified Friday, when the board holds a special meeting at its Richmond headquarters.
TROUT LAWS: Starting Aug. 1, Virginia recreational fishermen could be limited to keeping either 10 14-inch gray trout or three 10-inch fish a day.
The options for recreational fishermen in North Carolina are expected to be four 12-inch trout, six 13-inch trout or 14 14-inch trout.
These were among the options the states' marine agencies offered this week to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which has ordered its 15 member states to reduce the overall catch of the beleaguered trout, also known as weakfish. That catch is to be cut by 25 percent for the year that began April 1 and by 50 percent for the year beginning April 1, 1995.
Virginia's proposals on commercial fishing for trout include seasonal weekend bans on pound-net fishing, a 5 1/2-inch mesh size and seasonal bans on gill-net fishing, a May 10-Sept. 27 season on haul-seine fishing and a seasonal ban on landing trout caught by ocean trawlers.
North Carolina has also proposed restrictions on commercial fishing for the species, including seasonal bans on Saturdays for gill-net fishing in the Atlantic Ocean and a seasonal ban of all trawling in the Atlantic south of Cape Hatteras.
TUNA TOURNEY: About $2,000 in cash and prizes will be up for grabs in the annual Wachapreague Marina tuna tournament, set for July 15-24. Top prize will be $1,000.The registration fee will be $25, with awards for the five heaviest fish. You can get details by calling Wachapreague Hotel and Marina, 804-787-2105.
SHORT CASTS: Interested in seeing a bald eagle in Virginia? Beginning Thursday, the Caledon Natural Area in King George County on the Northern Neck will offer eagle tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Thursday through Sunday, through Sept. 4. The area has the largest eagle population on the East Coast. You can make reservations by calling 1-703-663-3861. . . . Mitch Vickers of Virginia Beach has released a mako shark from the Hard Decision. It was about 6 1/2 feet long. . . . Some $50,000 from the sale of commercial fishing licenses has been donated to construction of a fish-passage facility at Bosher's Dam on the James River in Richmond. . . . Ron Southwick has been named assistant fisheries chief of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. He has been stationed in Virginia Beach but will move to the Richmond area. . . . The Hunters for the Hungry program in Virginia hopes to donate about 100,000 pounds of venison to needy families this year.
by CNB