THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408300615
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTIC BEACH LENGTH: Long : 125 lines
A proposal to limit commercial shad and herring fishing was given the go-ahead Saturday by the state Marine Fisheries Commission, which voted to hold public hearings across the state on that and seven other proposed fishing regulations.
The commission voted 7-6 to send the proposal, designed to protect the fish after they spawn and while they are returning to the ocean, to further discussion at a series of public meetings to be held in November.
The proposal limits the commercial herring and shad season to Jan. 1 through April 15.
Supporters of the proposal said the time has come to take steps to protect the herrings and shad that return each year to the state's waterways. But opponents said the proposal would drastically affect the herring industry in Chowan and Bertie counties and would not address the major causes of the decline of the fish in state waters.
``Everybody admits there is a problem,'' said commission member Jodie Gay, a commercial fisherman. ``That makes me reluctant not to do something.''
But commission member Linnie Perry, a seafood processor, disagreed.
``I'll be the first to admit there is a problem here. . . . But the answer is not to cut out a fishery that is already 70 percent reduced,'' Perry said. ``Before we do anything to drastically affect a fishery that has already been affected, I'd like to see a study done.''
River herrings, also known as alewives, have been a significant part of the commercial-fishing industry in northeastern North Carolina since the Colonial era, with landings peaking in the state in 1887 at 23.7 million pounds. Shad landings peaked in 1897 at 8.9 million pounds, according to the Division of Marine Fisheries.
In the past five years, the American shad catch has dropped by about 50 percent, and during the last decade the river-herring catch has dropped about 92 percent to 916,000 pounds, the lowest landings ever recorded. However, problems with the fisheries date back to the 1960s and 1970s.
During that time, the river herring was the target of foreign fishing fleets operating in the Atlantic Ocean. Efforts to move foreign fleets offshore helped the herring population, but the fishery has never rebounded to historic levels, possibly because of water pollution and algae blooms on the Chowan River and elsewhere, dam construction, and loss of habitat, Johnson said.
But area commercial fishermen have said state regulators are targeting the wrong people and that the proposal would have devastating effects on the industry.
This is the first group of proposed rules the commission has considered since a two-year ban on new commercial fishing licenses and a corresponding restriction on new fisheries rules were enacted by the state legislature earlier this year.
Of 17 proposed rule changes considered by the fisheries panel, only eight were considered eligible for further discussion under the terms of the moratorium.
The panel also agreed to seek public comments on a proposal to continue restrictions that have been implemented in recent years on commercial net fishing off Oregon Inlet and other sections of Dare County. But it decided that a request to ban most commercial fishing nets in a section of the Perquimans River near Hertford and Winfall did not warrant commission discussion at this time.
After hearing public comment on the proposals, the commission will vote on them when it meets Dec. 2 and 3 in Smithfield. ILLUSTRATION: Graphics
AMERICAN SHAD AND RIVER HERRING CATCHES
The catch of American shad has dropped by nearly 50 percent in
North Carolina waters in the last five years, and the river herring
catch has dropped by about 92 percent since its decade-high in 1985.
Here's a look at the catches, in pounds, of the two fish.
Year American shad River herring
1984 6,516,000
1985 11,548,000
1986 6,814,000
1987 3,195,000
1988 4,191,000
1989 323,000 1,491,000
1990 314,000 1,158,000
1991 276,000 1,575,000
1992 239,000 1,723,000
1993 179,000 916,000
Source: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.
PROPOSED MARINE FISHERIES RULES
Here's a look at some of the proposals affecting Albemarle-area
fishermen that were considered by the Marine Fisheries Commission
Friday and Saturday, and how they fared:
A proposal to restrict commercial shad and herring seasons to
Jan. 1 through April 15 was approved for public hearings.
A proposal to limit the size of mesh in crab trawls to no less
than 4.5 inches was referred to a committee for additional study.
A proposal to open the Hatteras Navigation Channel to trawling
was rejected for further consideration by the commission.
A proposal to open some areas, now designated only for long haul
nets, to crab potters was rejected for further consideration by the
commission.
A proposal to shorten the length of time during which crab pots
must be moved to waters at least six feet deep was approved for
public hearings.
A proposal to change the recreational weakfish minimum size to 14
inches and catch limit to 14 fish was approved for public hearings.
A proposal to ban some types of commercial fishing in the
Perquimans River near Hertford and Winfall was rejected for further
consideration by the commission.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Marine Fisheries Commission is scheduled to hold public
hearings on eight
proposed fisheries regulations and will ask for public opinion on
a proposed saltwater sports fishing license as well. Area public
hearings are tentatively set for Nov. 1 at the North Carolina
Aquarium in Manteo and Nov. 2 at Pitt Community College in
Greenville. Times for the hearings will be announced by the Division
of Marine Fisheries.
by CNB