THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505240640
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission on Tuesday refused to change the regulations for catching gray trout by rod and reel in spite of pleas from some Eastern Shore fishermen and charter-boat skippers.
The commission already had established the minimum size and the bag limit twice this year. First, the minimum size was set at 14 inches with a 10-fish daily limit. But two months ago, the agency responded to Chesapeake Bay headboat fishermen and lowered the minimum to 12 inches and the bag limit to four fish. Bay headboat fishermen catch few gray trout of 14 inches or more.
Both sets of standards were within the scope established by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which is grappling with ways to reverse a decline in the species, also known as weakfish.
The request for a return to the previous limits came from Jeff Mears of the Eastern Shore, who presented a petition signed by more than 125 fishermen, including six members of the Wachapreague charter fleet. The skippers said they would lose most of their bookings under the current rules because few anglers would want to charter a boat if limited to four fish.
William A. Pruitt, head of the agency, assured Mears that he and all other interested parties would be given ample opportunity to be heard before 1996 trout-fishing rules are set.
In other action Tuesday, the commission approved spending, for various projects, $274,151 from Virginia's annual $1.3 million saltwater fishing-license fund. The projects include:
$130,820 for assessment of abundance of shark stocks in the Chesapeake Bay, with a delineation of nursing grounds, awarded to Dr. Jack Musick of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
$33,064 for identification of fish fillets using DNA analysis, to Dr. John Graves of the VIMS.
$77,102 for stock identification of juvenile flounder in Virginia nurseries, to Musick.
$10,000 for an ongoing Marine Resources Commission survey of recreational fishermen being conducted by David Boyd of the agency staff.
$20,000 for an ongoing project studying hooking mortality in summer flounder being conducted by Jon Lucy of the VIMS.
$3,165 in remaining funds for a MRC data-base project, being conducted by Jack Travelstead of the agency staff. by CNB