THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 30, 1994 TAG: 9407300412
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Rather that fight the Department of Commerce, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted Friday against expanding the 1994 striped bass season and approved cutting the rod-and-reel bag limit on gray trout, starting Monday.
If the agency had voted to challenge federally-mandated plans for the popular species, all fishing for stripers and gray trout could have been banned by the U.S. Commerce Department.
Additionally, one of the most controversial items to come before the commission was settled without a vote Friday.
Commercial rod-and-reel fishermen had asked for permission to establish bag limits set for recreational fishermen.
After several hearings, the commission's staff gave the plan its approval, but with severe restrictions.
Friday, a small group of commercial rod-and-reelers told the agency they would rather continue to abide by the bag limits than abide by those limitations.
The most serious of the restrictions would have required anyone holding a special commercial rod-and-reel license to give up all other gear licenses, such as those for gill nets and haul seines.
So the commission decided to table the subject indefinitely.
For stripers, the Virginia agency had asked the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to allow it to expand the recreational season from 32 to 47 days and to increase the commercial rockfish catch from 211,000 to 317,000 pounds.
The agency did not learn until Thursday that the 13-state ASFMC coalition had rejected the proposal.
The new restrictions on gray trout will also impact commercial fishermen, part of a coastwide plan to reduce the overall catch of the beleaguered species by 19.2 percent between now and April 1995.
The gray trout plan calls for a 14-inch recreational minimum and a 10-fish daily bag. Limits has been 12 inches and 15 fish.
Had the agency voted more liberal catches for either species, the Commerce Department could have outlawed all fishing for that species until the Virginia commission came back with an acceptable plan.
The striper battle, however, probably isn't over.
Since the recreational season will not open until Oct. 27, the commission's staff has time to pursue other avenues which could lead to a liberalization of the regulations.
``We have several options,'' said Jack Travelstead, head of the agency's fishery-management division. ``The one that we decide on will depend on what the staff recommends and what the commission votes to do. We have a little time, since the season doesn't open until October.''
As plans now stand, striper fishermen will again have a 32-day season, ending Dec. 18, with fishing allowed four days each week.
Some deviations for 1993 were approved Friday, including removing the 36-inch maximum which has existed for stripers in Virginia's salt waters since the season was reopened in 1990.
Additionally, a special ``ocean-fishing season'' for rod-and-reelers will be allowed. It will open Dec. 19 and run through March 31, with a one-fish bag limit and a 28-inch minimum size.
Gray trout restrictions on commercial fishing, also effective Monday, will require some pound-net fishermen to eliminate some rigs, while gill-net and haul-seine fishermen won't be allowed to keep trout during certain times of the year. by CNB