THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411130183
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
LENGTH: Long : 128 lines
A lot of eyes will be focused on Florida over the next few years now that voters there have overwhelmingly approved a ban on gill nets and other entanglement nets in the state's waters.
The plan appeared on Tuesday's ballots as an amendment to the Florida Constitution. It was approved by 72 percent of the voters.
The new law does not ban commercial fishing, nor does it ban all net fishing. Commercial rod-and-reel fishing will still be allowed, as will cast-net fishing for baitfish and mullet. But commercial rod-and-reelers will have to comply with established quotas.
The ban does, however, prohibit fishing with gill nets and trammel nets. It effectively outlaws otter trawls, purse seines, haul seines and pound nets by limiting the size of such nets to 500 square feet.
The ban passed for two reasons:
Dwindling fish populations.
The widely held perception that the state's Marine Fisheries Commission was doing little to effect a turnaround.
William A. Pruitt, head of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, declined to comment on the new law, saying he had not had a chance to study it.
``But I'm sure there are going to be a lot of people on the East Coast, including commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen and fishery managers, watching to see what happens,'' he said.
While this is the most wide-ranging net ban in the country, it is not the only one. California has banned most inshore netting for several years, while gill nets have been outlawed in Georgia for almost as long. In Texas it's against the law for any netter to possess speckled trout or red drum, also known as redfish. South Carolina requires that all gill nets be attended when in the water.
Bob Pride of Virginia Beach, president of the Atlantic Coast Conservation Association of Virginia, said he and other members of the organization would be ``watching the situation closely.'' The ACCA is the state's largest group of recreational fishermen.
``We certainly don't want to outlaw all commercial fishing,'' Pride said. ``But I think the (Virginia) Marine Resources Commission has to realize that we have too much commercial gear in the water and that it must come up with some plans to help the fish.''
The Florida law goes into effect July 1, but already there are indications that the state's displaced gill netters are looking north for areas to fish.
That's one of the primary reasons North Carolina has enacted a two-year moratorium on the issuance of new commercial-fishing licenses. More than 500 Floridians already have applied for North Carolina licenses.
If the Florida net ban is as effective as many of its supporters have predicted, the idea is almost certain to gain a lot of support with other East Coast states. That's why a lot of East Coast states will be watching what happens there.
DEER DOINGS: Virginia's major deer-hunting season is slightly more than a week away and already a lot of hunters are so excited they can't sleep well.
``I wish it opened tomorrow,'' said Jimmy Salyers of Norfolk, who with his brother Charlie return to their native Bath County for the two-week mountain season.
``I look forward to this for 50 weeks a year,'' Charlie Salyers said. ``I just love to be in the woods, love to be in the mountains.''
The season will last but two weeks in areas west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But in most areas east of the mountains, it will run through Jan. 7.
Some hunters, however, have been stalking deer since as early as Oct. 1. That's when the season opened in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and the eastern section of Suffolk. That season closes Nov. 30.
Many hunters also have been participating in the state's early archery and early black-powder or muzzle-loader season.
State wildlife officials are predicting a total kill about on a par with that of a year ago, when hunters bagged a record 201,611 whitetails.
Some 300,000 hunters are expected to be out for opening day, according to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. That's down from almost 400,000 a few years ago but still about one of every 20 Virginians.
BEARS, TOO: About 650 black bears will be killed legally by hunters this season, according to Dennis Martin, bruin specialist with the game department.
That's fewer than the record 789 bagged a year ago but still well above the 488 killed the season before that. Virginia's bear kill has increased in 10 of the past 13 seasons, with nine records set.
As usual, the greatest success is expected in counties bordering the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. Rockingham County, which includes Harrisonburg, set an all-time record last fall with 72 recorded kills.
Martin said that the state's bear population was in ``excellent condition,'' and that final figures would depend on weather as much as anything.
``If we get a cold, early winter, the bears will den up early and the kill will not be as great,'' he said. ``But if we have warm weather, we'll see another good year.''
The bear season opens Nov. 28.
MENHADEN MONEY: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has vowed to find alternative funding for a study of the menhaden, now that its attempt to obtain state funding has been denied by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Money for the proposed study would have come from funds generated by Virginia's saltwater fishing license on recreational fishermen. The cost would have been $60,000.
The menhaden industry argued that the study would have been biased because it would have been paid for by recreational dollars.
Dr. William Goldsborough, a foundation scientist, said the study would not have been biased and took exception to the commissioners for believing that the private organization would have been involved in anything of that nature.
``This was proposed solely to learn more about the menhaden and their role in the Chesapeake Bay,'' Goldsborough said.
The study had the backing of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the state's marine biological arm, which would not have been involved.
In recent years, conservationists and some scientists have been concerned that removal of too many menhaden was disrupting the Bay's food chain.
Since 1986, an average of almost 550 million pounds of menhaden have been caught in the Chesapeake Bay each year. Most of the catch is processed by two Northern Neck firms into livestock food and oil used in manufacturing.
SHORT CASTS: Larry Shaffer of Franklin has earned a citation award from the Virginia Fresh Water Fishing Tournament with a 1-pound, 4-ounce yellow perch, caught on the Nottoway River. ... Virginia's ``Hunters for the Hungry'' program, which hopes to contribute 100,000 pounds of venison to the needy this fall and winter, has received a couple of big financial boosts. Employees of the game department recently presented the program with a check for $3,632.52. Another check for $2,150 came from the Virginia Deer Hunters Association. Under the program, hunters donate their venison through any of several meat-packing firms, including Central Meat Packing Co., on Centerville Road in Chesapeake. ... The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the first standards for reducing exhaust fumes from new gasoline and diesel marine engines, including outboards. The multipronged standards are designed to reduce air pollution. Public hearings will be held across the nation before new emission rules are finalized. by CNB