THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511120275
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Hutchinson
LENGTH: Long : 140 lines
Charter boats targeting yellowfin and other tuna must have a special permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service starting Wednesday.
The requirement will cover all boats, private and charter, fishing for the species, including bigeye tuna, true albacore and skipjack, on Jan. 1.
It's the first step in adopting a comprehensive federal management plan for the species.
Permits have been required for bluefin tuna for a number of years, with strict bag and size limits also in effect.
Meanwhile, the federal agency has dropped its proposal to place bag limits on the yellowfin catch on private and charter boats. Earlier, it had called for a 10-fish-per-angler daily limit.
However, the agency has approved a minimum size for yellowfins. That will be 22 inches, measured from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail. This equates to about 26 inches overall and about 17 or 18 pounds. This rule also becomes effective on the above dates.
Chris Rogers of the agency said bag limits could go into effect as early as 1997.
``When we talked about a 10-fish bag, we received a lot of complaints, mostly that the limit was too high. But we proposed it high on purpose,'' he said. ``We just don't have adequate data to show us what a bag limit should be. Hopefully, with the permit system, we'll have a better idea after a year.
``You have to realize that what we do in this country is actually going to have little impact on the overall Atlantic Ocean yellowfin population. Even in the best of years, only about six percent of the world's catch is landed in the U.S.
``We're working on an international management plan and we hope we'll have something in place by 1997. It may not be what everyone wants, but it'll be a step in the right direction.''
The yellowfin is extremely important to anglers and charter fishermen in Virginia and North Carolina. Still, you can't help but wish the federal government moved faster and more efficiently.
Federal officials acknowledge that the yellowfin is most likely being harvested at the maximum it can sustain. Besides, bluefin tuna were almost wiped out before ``meaningful'' regulations were adopted, regulations that in almost 20 years have done little to improve the overall population. Certainly, the world's fishery managers have learned something from that.
The permits to catch yellowfin, bigeye, true albacore and skipjack are available free from: National Marine Fisheries Sevice, Permitting Section, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, Mass. 01930, telephone 1-508-281-9370.
SHARKS, TOO: A leading Virginia scientist has warned that current catch limits will not allow for the recovery of the devastated population of large, coast-roaming sharks.
Dr. Jack Musick, who has been studying sharks for 22 years for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, said stocks of some species have been reduced by as much as 90 percent from historical averages.
Musick made the presentation at a recent meeting in Washington of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation and other scientific, management and conservation groups.
He warned that some species, including dusky, sandbar and blacktip sharks, may be in bigger trouble than fishery managers originally thought.
Shark populations have been devastated in the past 15 years, primarily because of ``finning'' practices in the Gulf of Mexico. Commercial fishermen there have killed untold numbers by catching them, removing their fins and discarding the carcasses at sea. The fins are sold for use in sharkfin soup, considered an aphrodisiac in some Asian countries.
Catch restrictions, in place for the past few years, have not in most cases brought about population increases. That's because unlike most fish, which spawn millions of eggs, sharks give live birth, usually to between three and 15 pups. Additionally, it is several years before they can reproduce.
STRIPER TIME: It's almost striped bass tournament time. Three contests have been announced for the next few weeks, with others in the works.
The Coastal Conservation Association of Virginia will offer $63,000 in awards in its second annual benefit rockfish tournament, to be held Dec. 2 out of Kruse's Wharf Marina at Deltaville, Va. In addition to $13,000 in normal awards, $50,000 is being offered to any contestant breaking Virginia's striper record of 61 pounds. The top prize will be $5,000. The entry fee will be $150 per boat, including $25 for a CCA membership or renewal. For details, contact Brian Dillistin in Richmond at 1-804-360-1600 or Kruse's Wharf in Deltaville at 1-804-776-6200.
The Crittenton/Eclipse and Hobson (CE&H) Ruritans will stage their annual striped bass contest from 4 p.m. Dec. 1 through 4 p.m. Dec. 2, with headquarters at Hazelwood's Dock in the Eclipse section of Suffolk. Activities will also include a casting contest. Registration will be $25 per boat, with awards for the two heaviest rockfish and the heaviest mud toad. Fishing will be limited to waters of the James River and its tributaries. For details, contact Mike Barnes at 238-2259 or Mike Nierman at 238-3931.
The Tidewater Anglers Club and Virginia Beach Sports are staging a striper contest running from 6 p.m. Dec. 1 through 4 p.m. Dec. 4, with the weigh-in at the Marina at Marina Shores on Lynnhaven Inlet. The top five catches will share $500 in prizes. For details, contact Art Christman at 467-7734.
MORE ON STRIPERS: North Carolina opened its ocean striped bass season on Saturday; it will run through April 30.
The bag limit will be two fish a day, with a minimum size of 28 inches. Only fish caught within 3 miles of the coast will be legal.
North Carolina still has not announced when it will open its sound waters to rod-and-reelers. However, that could happen as early as Nov. 22.
NEW CHAIRMAN: With Thelma Drake's victory over Del. Howard Copeland (D-Norfolk) in Tuesday's elections, Del. Jerrauld Jones (D-Norfolk) is in line to become chairman of the House Committee on the Chesapeake Bay and its Tributaries.
Some members of the Coastal Conservation Association of Virginia who worked to defeat Copeland say Jones will be a better friend to recreational fishermen.
``I think he'll have a much better understanding of where we're coming from,'' said Bob Pride of Virginia Beach.
SHORT CASTS: The ninth annual waterfowl show at Chincoteague on Virginia's Eastern Shore is planned for Nov. 24-25. The show will feature carvers, painters, sculptors and decoy collectors from the Middle Atlantic. Proceeds will go to the Deborah Hospital Foundation. For details, contact Jean Boggs Clark at 1-804-336-3478. . . . Charlotte is one of 10 Southeastern cities being considered for the ``Outdoor America'' theme park being planned by B.A.S.S. Inc., sponsor of the professional bass fishing circuit. Helen Sevier, head of the organization, said the park will be an ``entertainment and educational destination stressing fishing, the outdoors and environmental education.'' It will also serve as the organization's headquarters. No target has been set for its opening. Also under consideration are Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala., Daytona Beach, Brevard County and Jacksonville, Fla., Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C., and Nashville and Sevier County, Tenn. B.A.S.S. currently is based in Montgomery. . . . For the first time in more than 30 years, Chippokes Plantation State Park in Surry County will be open for two ``Southern heritage'' deer hunts Nov. 24-25. Offerings will include a horse-drawn wagon ride to the hunting field, a blessing of the hunt and three traditional Southern meals. The hunt, which will cost $250 for adults and $150 for youths, will be limited to 35. It's designed to reduce the 1,000-acre plantation's excessive deer herd. For details, contact G. Scott Travers at 1-804-786-2292. . . . David Limroth of Virginia Beach landed, weighed and released a 10 3/4-pound bonefish while fly fishing on a recent trip to Islamorada, Fla. He was out of Papa's Joe's Marina with skipper C.C. Diggs, an offseason resident of Portsmouth. . . . Tom Peters of Chesapeake has earned a citation award from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament for a 9-pound, 3-ounce speckled trout. It was boated on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. . . . Bill Sugg of Suffolk, a striper guru, will talk on that subject at Tuesday's 7 p.m. meeting of the Tidewater Anglers Club. Open to anyone, the meeting will be in the yacht club at the Marina at Marina Shores, off Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach. by CNB