DATE: Sunday, July 27, 1997                 TAG: 9707270218

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON
                                            LENGTH:   98 lines

DOVE SEASON'S JUST 5 WEEKS AWAY IN VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA

It may be the middle of summer, but one of the most popular hunting seasons in Virginia and North Carolina is just over a month away.

Dove hunting will begin Sept. 1 in both states, with wildlife biologists predicting another banner season.

Once again, both states will have three-part split seasons, and daily bag limits of 12 birds.

But that's where the similarity ends.

Virginia's first segment will run but a week, through Sept. 27. Other dates will be Oct. 4 through Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 through Jan. 6.

North Carolina's opening segment will run through Oct. 4. Following segments will be Nov. 24-29 and Dec. 17 through Jan. 5.

Virginia's railbird season will be split, Sept. 15-27 and Oct. 8 through Dec. 3. The bag will be 15 clapper and king rails in combination, and 25 Virginia and sora rails in combination.

Virginia's woodcock season, also a two-parter, will be Nov. 1-15 and Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, with a three-bird bag. Snipe may be hunted Oct. 8-11 and Oct. 21 through Jan. 31. The bag will be eight daily.

The state's resident Canada goose season, open only west of Interstate 95, will be Sept. 2-25, with a five-bird bag.

With similar limits, North Carolina seasons will be: Rails, Sept. 1 through Nov. 8; woodcock, Dec. 19 through Jan. 17; snipe, Nov. 14 through Feb. 28; and Canada geese, Sept. 2-30, except in the counties of Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington, where it will be Sept. 2-20.

CATCHES UP: Commercial finfish landings in Virginia were up in 1996, with some of the biggest increases in croaker, striped bass and sea bass.

Figures just released by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission show that overall finfish landings went from 38.7 million pounds, worth $14.2 million, in 1995, to 41.2 million pounds, worth $16.4 million, in 1996.

The croaker catch went from 6.9 million pounds to 9.3 million, while striper numbers went from 662,000 pounds to 1.6 million. The sea bass catch went from 307,000 pounds to 749,000.

While there are no constraints on the croaker fishery, restrictions do exist for stripers and sea bass.

Meanwhile, several organizations, including the National Marine Fisheries Service, finally are taking steps to curtail catches of some other species, including amberjack and herring.

The point of all this is that fishery management, as now practiced, is reminiscent of the little boy trying to plug the dike with his finger: As soon as one leak is stopped, another develops. That'll continue as long as fish are managed for economics rather that for what's best for a public resource.

FLOUNDER HOLE: Virginia anglers have registered 205 6-pound-and-up flounder for citation awards from the Virginia Salt Water Fishing Tournament this year. That's a remarkable increase of 156 over the 49 citation-winners registered at this same time a year ago.

Some 120 of the big fish have come from Chesapeake Bay waters near the Degaussing Cell off the lower Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay Buoy No. 42, a couple of miles north.

Claude Bain, who runs the state-operated contest, said he had never seen such a proliferation of big flatfish in the Bay.

``Part of the increase,'' he said, ``reflects an increase in fishing pressure. There are a lot of folks out there. And a lot of big fish.''

THE WINNERS: The boats Mistress Amie and Juggernaut were among the winners in last weekend's Small Boat Marlin Tournament, staged by the Virginia Beach Anglers Club.

Skippered by Ben Tate, the Mistress Amie had the top dolphin in the division for boats under 26 feet. It weighed 13.6 pounds.

The Juggernaut, operated by Calvin Hanchey, had the division's top tuna, a 45-pound yellowfin. Winners in the division for boats between 26 and 33 feet were announced earlier.

To clarify another point, the charter boat Top Billin', out of Hatteras, N.C., by had a rare double grand slam on billfish a few days ago.

The boat, sailing from Hatteras Harbor Marina, released two blue marlin, two white marlin and two sailfish the same day. The boat is skippered by Randy Turner, a Virginia Beach native.

SHORT CASTS: The Tidewater Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will hold its annual fund-raiser Aug. 9 at the Oceana Naval Air Station Officer's Club. Last year's soiree raised $8,000. Tickets are $45 single, $65 couple. Reservations, details: Odell Fike, 456-1517. . . . The fourth annual ``Virginia Gobbler Classic,'' featuring contests for the biggest turkey beards and spurs, will be a part of the Virginia Outdoors Sportsman Show Aug. 8-10. The event will be at the Show Place, 3000 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond. For details, contact Hugh Crittenden, 1-804-748-7529. . . . If you haven't earned a 1997 Virginia citation for a 90-pounds-and-up bluefin tuna, forget it. Effective July 20, only bluefins of less than 47 inches, curved fork length, are legal. The measurement is from the tip of the nose, down the curved body to the fork of the tail. The measurement covers fish to about 66 pounds. The bag limit is four per boat, per day. . . . A major sporting-clays shooting contest will be held Aug. 16 at Old Forge Sporting Clays near Providence Forge, Va. It'll be part of a nationwide series sponsored by the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America, a outdoor lobbying group. For details, contact John Yakshe at 1-804-966-2955. . . . Region 7 of the Virginia BASS Federation will hold a team tournament Aug. 24 at Powhatan Resort on the Chickahominy River. About 100 two-person teams are expected. The region covers Southeast Virginia.

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