Tradewinds Feb-Mar 2017

Tradewinds

cOMPLIMENTARY

February/March 2017

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of

Celebrating the Rich Heritage North Carolina’s Fishing Families

FISHERIES ECONOMICS COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES

- Albemarle Gillnetters - Being part of the Pamlico Trawl Fleet - AFFILIATE NEWS

Board of Directors The North Carolina Board of Directors is comprised of members representing all of the State’s coastal regions as well as the many facets of the industry gear type, targeted species, and commodity groups. The association elects its board members and officers annually.

Brent Fulcher-252-514-7003 Chairman Glenn Skinner-252-646-7742 Vice Chairman Dewey Hemilright-252-473-0135 Treasurer

Tradewinds A publication of the North Carolina Fisheries Association Tradewinds have been used by captains of sailing ships to cross the world’s oceans for centuries. The captain of a sailing ship would seek a course along which the winds could be expected to blow in the direction of travel.

Tradewinds were important in the development of trade and provided a means of transportation and communications to isolated coast communities We are still isolated in a sense even with our modern ships, aircraft, telecommunications and the internet.

We need a connection from island.to island, person to person…and to the rest of the world.

We hope that this Tradewinds will become as important to you.as the Tradewinds were to our ancestors, not only to in-landers wanting to know more about the coast, but coastal people learning about other coastal people.

NCFA Staff: Jerry Schill President Peggy Page Administration & Accounting David Bush Fisheries Biologist Aundrea O’Neal Tradewinds Editor 2807 Neuse Blvd, Suite 11 New Bern, NC 28562 Office: 252-633-6232 • Fax:252-633-6233 www.ncfish.org

Area 1Mike Blanton-252-619-2694 Area 2Dewey Hemilright-252-473-0135 Area 3Mark Vrablic-252-305-2718 Area 4Henry Daniels-252-943-1602 Area 5Wesley Potter-252-229-1881 Area 6Glenn Skinner-252-646-7742 Area 7- Steve Parrish-910-540-0743 At LargeSonny Davis-252-725-0784 At LargeBrent Fulcher252-514-7003 At LargeRoss Butler-757-435-5317 At LargeMike “Jimbo” Ireland-252-671-3621 Charter BoatRalphie Craddock-252-473-0953 Albemarle Fisherman’s Association Terry Pratt-252-339-7431 Carteret County Fisherman’s Association Bradley Styron-252-342-8821 Ocracoke Working Waterman’s Association Hardy Plyer-252-928-5601 Pamlico County Fisherman’s Association Wayne Dunbar-252-670-7467 Brunswick County Fishermen’s Association Randy Robinson-910-209-3463 NC Catch-Karen Amspacher The Tradewinds is a free publication published bi-monthly by the NC Fisheries Association.

All parties advertised herein and the claims represented are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Though every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all advertising and copy contained herein, the publisher may not be held responsible for typographical errors. The NC Fisheries Association reserves the right to refuse any advertising or editorial deemed inappropriate. The agency, its employees, agents or representatives may not be held responsible for any actions or consequences derived as a result of following advice or instructions contained herein. ©2017

contents

February/March 2017

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A Word from Jerry.................... 4

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From the Chairman.................. 5 From David Bush..................... 6 From the Editor........................ 6 Statement From Jerry Schill.... 8 Core Sound Waterfowl Museum Local Seafood & Wild Game........................... 10

14 FEATURE STORY

Fisheries Economics.............................20

NC Catch Summit...................11 Bycatch Reduction................. 12 Letter From Alvia Hearren Jr. 13 Carteret Catch – Featured Chef..................... 14

Talk on the Dock................................... 24

Captain’s Spotlight................. 18

Whale Reduction Plan.......................... 34

Council & Commission Meetings.............................. 22

A Whale of Story................................... 35

Albermarle Gillnetters........................... 26 Pamlico Greenhorn............................... 30 The One That Didn’t Get Away............. 33

24 On the Cover:

Photo by: Courtesy of Chrissy Fulcher-Cahoon Oriental, N.C. F/V Perservance

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advertisers: Ace Marine.............................................. 11 Atlantic Seafood...................................... 19 B&J Seafood........................................... 25 Barbour’s Marine Supply Co................... 15 Beaufort Inlet Seafood............................ 25 Blue Ocean Market................................. 11 Capt. Stacy Fishing Center..................... 23 Capt. Willis Seafood Market................... 17 Carteret Catch......................................... 31 Carteret County Fisherman’s Association............................................ 7 Chadwick Tire ........................................ 23

Dr. Westbrook......................................... 11 Fulcher’s Seafood................................... 29 Grudens.................................................. 39 The Clement Companies........................ 37 Hardison Tire ......................................... 15 Henry Daniels F/V Joyce D................... 19 Homer Smith Seafood.............................. 4 Hurricane Boatyard................................. 15 J.M. Davis Industries, Inc. ..................... 19 Locals Seafood......................................... 7 Murray L. Nixon Fishery, Inc. ................. 29 NC Catch................................................. 28

N.C. Dept. of Agriculture.......... Back Cover O’Neal’s Sea Harvest.............................. 11 Outer Banks Seafood............................. 11 Powell Brothers Maintenance................. 37 Quality Seafood...................................... 31 R.E. Mayo Seafood................................. 31 Ted & Todd’s Marine Services................ 11 Walker Marine......................................... 31 Wheatly Boys.......................................... 33 Wheatley, Wheatley, Weeks, Lupton & Massie............................................... 5

north carolina fisheries association

NCFA President, Jerry Schill

A word from Jerry ...

WHAT A DAY IN NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA!

W

hat a sight it was in New Bern on Tuesday, January 17th! Several shrimp boats anchored at Union Point at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers, directly across the street from the Riverfront Convention Center! Hundreds of folks who had no idea about the very important meeting that was about to take place, but they certainly enjoyed the view!

The public meeting was to allow the five advisory groups to the Marine Fisheries Commission listen to the presentation by the two groups that filed a Petition for Rulemaking last November. If the MFC adopts the provisions in that petition, the affects to our shrimpers and commercial fishing communities would be devastating.

In the nearly 30 years that I’ve been involved in fisheries, that date was THE most important date to ALL of commercial fishing in North Carolina! Although the subject was shrimp, the issue is much larger than that. If the MFC would adopt those measures, or even “accept” the petition, it would indicate that rhetoric, not science, determines fisheries regulations in our state.

The meeting began at 12:30 but we asked fishermen to come a little early for a Prayer Service in a room we rented upstairs at the Convention Center. Many fishermen attended the service as several led us in prayer asking God’s guidance for wisdom and understanding for the advisors, the Commission, the fishermen and the petitioners.

Downstairs, over a thousand jammed the main ballroom and listened intently at the presentations, the questions by the advisors and the comments that went on for hours. It was disappointing that about 60 individuals were not called on for comment due to time limitations. Several of our folks were among that group including some of our Board members and Vice-Chairman; however, it was late and just could not go on forever and the advisory groups still had to debate and vote. And vote they did with all five voting overwhelmingly to recommend to the Marine Fisheries Commission to deny the petition!

Regardless of how the MFC votes at their upcoming meeting in Wilmington in February, I could not have been more proud of the turnout, the boats at Union Point and most of all for the Prayer Service and the demeanor of our folks on that day!

Given the circumstances of such an important and

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emotional day, I thought the Division of Marine Fisheries staff, Marine Fisheries Commission Chairman Sammy Corbett, the Riverfront Convention Center and who attended can be proud of the way it was conducted.

Finally, it should be noted that of the elected officials who were in attendance, four were there from the General Assembly: Senator Bill Cook, Senator Norman Sanderson, Representative Michael Speciale and Representative George Cleveland. We appreciated their attendance on this important day.

God bless, Jerry

A word from the chairman ...

T

he commercial fishing community lost a giant with passing of Steve Parrish, Sr. recently, but so did humanity. Steve was an intelligent, dependable and calming voice at the meetings of our Board of Directors.

The four-hour drive from his home in Brunswick County to Beaufort County did not keep him from attending most of those monthly meetings because he took that responsibility very seriously.

For over 30 years he used his knowledge and love of commercial fishermen to make things better for them and the environment by always working with fishermen and researchers to fine tune the nets that would make it more economical and eco-friendly.

In addition to his published obituary, the Wilmington Star News also had an article about his contributions that appeared in their January 24, 2017 edition, written by Makenzie Holland.

Excerpts are printed below: His son, Steven Parrish, remembers his dad being able to figure out anything, answer any question he had. Parrish, who owned and operated S&S Trawl Shop in Supply for more than 30 years, died Monday at 60.

Parrish leaves behind a legacy of hard work, devotion to the environment and his own take on “turtle excluder devices” (TEDs), which his son said he helped develop along with a team of scientists and other groups. Parrish was one of only two people in the state who built TEDs. Parrish started the S&S Trawl Shop while working for Carolina Power and Light, running the boat that sampled waters and fish near the nuclear plant. Parrish continued to do sampling work throughout his life.

Through the years, Steven said Parrish helped shape commercial fishing regulations. He was involved with several committees and organizations, including serving as vice president of the Brunswick County Fishermen’s Association and serving on the N.C. Fisheries Association board of directors.

Jerry Schill, N.C. Fisheries Association president, said Parrish’s death is a tremendous loss, “not just to the commercial fishing community, but to everybody that was around him.”

Schill said Parrish was well-known throughout the state in both the fishing and environmental communities because of his efforts to make fishing nets, in particular shrimp trawls, more efficient by reducing bycatch, marine life caught in nets while fishing for another species.

While commercial fishing issues can be contentious, “Steve was a calming influence,” Schill said.

“I’m sure he had his moments but I never witnessed him lose his temper. He was very calm, extremely knowledgeable, but also articulated that knowledge in a very calm manner. He was just a great human being.”

Kevin Brown, a gear development biologist with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, worked closely with Parrish to reduce bycatching in the shrimp industry. He said it was a “privilege” to work alongside Parrish.

“I’ve been with the division for close to 15 years and out of everybody I’ve worked [http://with...there/] with...there is nobody that I have respected more than Steve Parrish,” Brown said.

On behalf of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, we offer Steve’s family our most sincere condolences and prayers.

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NCFA Fisheries Biologist, David Bush

Ecological Impacts of Shrimp Trawling in North Carolina

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urrently, the focus of fisheries managers in NC is centered around many aspects of shrimp trawling in state waters. The NC Marine Fisheries Commission’s Advisory Committee recently met to discuss the merits of a petition, which if passed, would substantially change shrimp trawling regulations. Rough estimates of these rules show a potential for an 80% plus reduction to the harvest and loss to the economy from the shrimp fishery. Proposed rules within the petition would bypass and substantially impact most of the entire fisheries management process and negate decades of conservatory efforts and socio-economic considerations. Not really addressed within the petition are also the potential results of proposed rule changes, such as negative biological impacts to other fisheries from shifting fishing effort, or impacts to other coastal activities such as construction, bridgework, dredging, beach renourishment, and possibly many recreational activities.

There are many issues addressed within the petition; however, central to the petitioners’ argument, is the impact of shrimp trawling to juvenile species of many aquatic organisms. The petition cites a few justifications, but fails to look at recent studies, which were completed in these very same waters. One such study, Using stable isotope analysis to validate effective trophic levels from Ecopath models of areas closed and open to shrimp trawling in Core Sound, NC, USA, gets at the very heart of the issue (1). The research team included Dr. Rebecca Deehr, at the time a doctoral student at East Carolina University (ECU), Dr. Joe Luczkovich Professor of Biology and Senior Scientist at ECU’s Institute for Coastal Science and Policy, and also included other scientists from ECU, a geologist from Bates College in Lewiston, ME, and a scientist from the NC Division of Coastal Management, who is also a Panel Member of

From your Editor I hope that you are satisfied with the story qualities that are provided in this publication. My main focus and purpose for taking on this task is to keep our fishermen informed, educate the public and to show that you (whether you are a fisherman or a consumer) are an ESSENTIAL part of our industry!

If there is a question, subject or interest that you may have and would like to see in this magazine, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will try my best to get the question answered, story written or interest directed to the proper people that will supply that information for you.

With your continued support, we can show that we are using conservative, sustainable practices to keep our industry going for the years to come.Thank you Again!!!

Aundrea O’Neal 252-503-8302, Aundrea@ncfish.org, Tradewinds@ncfish.org

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the Habitat and Environmental Protection Advisory Panel of the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council. Their research results were published in 2014 in the International Journal on Ecological Modelling and Systems Ecology, Ecological Modelling. It followed rigorous peer review and has been cited numerous times, and by some of the most recognized names in Marine Ecology all over the world.

How this applies to the current situation is that one of the biggest issues in stock assessments used for fisheries management is developing and appropriately applying accurate computer models or simulations. These models are extremely complex, rarely perfect, and can only perform according to their design and accuracy of the data input. To develop better assessments leading to better subsequent decisions, scientists constantly look for ways to increase the confidence in model outputs. This is usually accomplished by comparisons of the model outputs to empirical data or other validated models, and is quite often the same procedure to perform calibrations in many other venues. The goal of the research team was to validate ecological network (Ecopath) modeling of the entire ecosystem as impacted by shrimp trawling. To accomplish this, they gathered biological samples in Core Sound from trawled and un-trawled areas [primary and secondary nursery areas that were established by the NC Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) in the 1970’s to protect juvenile shrimp and fishes, and which are enforced by the NC Marine Patrol] and entered these data into Ecopath models for each trawling and protected area.

Importantly, the Ecopath models also included data from the commercial fisheries harvests in Core Sound as reported to the NCDMF in their tripticket program. The validation of the Ecopath model was based on δ15N (delta-15-N) values, which are the stable isotope ratios within a sample, or more simply put, an atomic signature. The stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen are one of the most accurate ways to follow the flow of primary production and energy throughout the trophic levels of a complex ecosystem. During their research, they were also able to determine the differences in ecological networks between areas.

The results provided validation to the Ecopath model, but other unexpected results also became evident. While the total values of modeled biomasses were similar between open and closed areas, pinfish, spot, and blue crabs were in greater abundance in the areas open to trawling. The benthos and polychaete worms (fishes eat these worms) were statistically greater in the open trawling area, and the total system throughput (a measure of the amount of energy flowing through the ecosystem) and net primary production was greater in the open trawling area. Taken together, the Ecopath network models show that where trawling is allowed in this system, the system responded by production of more fish, shrimp and crabs. That means shrimp trawling may be a kind of “beneficial predator” at the system level – rather than killing the ecosystem, shrimp trawling might be stimulating certain parts of the ecosystem. Although this exciting Ecopath model needs further experimental verification, early results show potential benefits from shrimp trawling in NC. Overall, the concept to take away from the research from a fisheries management point of view, is that although shrimp trawling may influence the environment here in NC waters, it is not necessarily in a negative way.

In fact, it is becoming scientifically apparent that many important species substantially benefit from its effects.

1. Deehr RA, Luczkovich JJ, Hart KJ, Clough LM, Johnson BJ, Johnson JC. Using stable isotope analysis to validate effective trophic levels from Ecopath models of areas closed and open to shrimp trawling in Core Sound, NC, USA. Ecol Modell. 2014;282:1– 17.

Carteret County Fisherman’s Association Proud Affiliate of the North Carolina Fisheries Association

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STATEMENT OF JERRY SCHILL, PRESIDENT NORTH CAROLINA FISHERIES ASSOCIATION Public meeting: Petition for Rulemaking New Bern, NC; January 17, 2017

“What we want to do is help the commercial fishing industry as a whole…”

THIS ABSURD STATEMENT WAS MADE ON PUBLIC RADIO BY A SPOKESMAN FOR THE PETITIONERS! WHAT WE WILL DO NOW IS HELP THOSE OF YOU WHO SIT AS ADVISORS TO THE MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION TO LOOK AT THIS ISSUE OBJECTIVELY AND SHOW YOU THAT THE PETITION HAS NO MERIT. ALTHOUGH WE WILL TRY TO LIMIT OUR POINTS TO THE ISSUES IN THE PETITION ITSELF, IT SHOULD BECOME QUITE CLEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN LOOKING AT THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THEIR PROPOSAL, THAT THEY AREN’T BEING TRUTHFUL AS TO THEIR TRUE INTENT, AS THE INTENT IS FOR TRAWLING TO BE GONE IN NORTH CAROLINA WATERS! FOLLOWING ME WILL BE JESS HAWKINS AND CONNELL PURVIS, BOTH FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES, WHO WILL PROVIDE SOME OF THE HISTORY AND THE BIOLOGY OF THIS ISSUE. FOR MY PART, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IN THE NEARLY 30 YEARS OF INVOLVEMENT WITH THE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PROCESS, THERE IS NOT ONE ISSUE THAT THE NORTH CAROLINA FISHERIES ASSOCIATION

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HAS WORKED ON MORE THAN SHRIMP TRAWL BYCATCH! FURTHER THERE IS NO ONE ISSUE THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED MORE SUCCESS THAN REDUCING SHRIMP TRAWL BYCATCH! BUT HERE WE ARE, LITERALLY MONTHS AFTER THE LATEST CHANGES IN THE SHRIMP FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN WERE ADOPTED BY THE MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION AND A LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS AFTER MEETING IN THIS VERY SAME FACILITY TO DISCUSS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING THANKS TO THE SAME CROWD. AT ONE TIME I THOUGHT THAT GRAY HAIR EARNED OVER YEARS OF DEALING WITH LIFE’S CHALLENGES BROUGHT ONE WISDOM, PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING. WHILE THAT MAY BE TRUE WHEN IT COMES TO WISDOM, ALLOW ME TO DISPEL THE NOTION THAT FIGHTING THESE BATTLES, AT LEAST IN MY CASE, DO NOT BRING PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING! WHAT IT DOES BRING IS A FEELING OF ABSOLUTE ASTONISHMENT THAT A GROUP OF CITIZENS CAN BE SO RELENTLESS AGAINST THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS TO BRING SUCH A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD DEVASTATE THE WORKING CLASS AND DESTROY FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES! THE ONLY ANSWER, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS GRAY HAIR, IS PRAYER. PRAYER FOR THE PETITIONERS, PRAYER FOR YOU ADVISORS AND THE MARINE FISHERIES COMMISION AND PRAYER FOR OUR LEGISLATORS. BUT MOST OF ALL PRAYER FOR ME, THAT SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY GOOD, HARD WORKING PEOPLE HAVE TO BE SUBJECTED TO THE TEST. BEFORE THIS FORMAL MEETING BEGAN, WE HAD

Photo by Aundrea O’Neal

Photo by Aundrea O’Neal

Photo by Aundrea O’Neal

Photo by Aundrea O’Neal

Photo by Heidi

A PRAYER SERVICE UPSTAIRS, AND MY PRAYER FOR ALL OF US IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE’VE GIVEN THIS ISSUE OUR BEST, AND WHEN THE DUST SETTLES IT’S NOT IN MY HANDS OR YOURS OR THE PETITIONERS, BUT IT’S IN GOD’S HANDS. GOD BLESS YOU.

Photo by Jerry Schill

Photo by Jerry Schill

Photo by Aundrea O’Neal

cswf

Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center

Taste of Core Sound Celebrates Winter Traditions,

Local Seafood & Wild Game

The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center’s annual winter feast brings to the table generations of Down East culture, talent and cooking expertise with a menu that brings together the rich hunting and fishing traditions of Core Sound.

This year’s winter Taste will honor the founders of the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild and the men and women who laid the foundation for what is now the Core Sound Decoy Festival and the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center.

“The 25-year mark for the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center is more than a timeline of events, dollars and buildings, numbers of people and miles traveled,” explained Karen Amspacher, Director of the Core Sound Museum. “This anniversary is the recognition of a “revival” of heritage, traditions and community that have resulted in the wonderful facility we have “at the end of the road” on Harkers Island.”

With a menu of old time Down East cooking -- stewed oysters, scallop fritters, stewed duck and rutabaga, seafood casserole, stewed beef with potatoes and carrots, collards, sweet potatoes, light rolls and fig cake – the table is set for an evening of Core Sound history lived and loved.

Core Sound’s waterfowling heritage is always the theme for this February event, and this year will keep that story alive with a focus on the Carvers Guild history and how that organization and the Core Sound Decoy Festival set the course for the past 25 years and the future. Today, Core Sound decoy carving is at the forefront of Down East’s economy, mixing the old traditions with new collectors, carving competitions and events that provides a year round cottage industry for the region.

The evening’s program will feature the last three members of the “Original Seven” founding board members of the Carvers 10

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Guild, Wayne Davis, Carl Huff and James Salter, with each of them sharing their memories of those first years when a decoy festival and museum on Harkers Island was just a dream.

A highlight of this event will be the 25th Anniversary exhibition, “Core Sound: Building a Place for the People,” documenting 25 years of programs, events and community work that has created not just a beautiful facility on Harkers Island but also an institution that has carried Core Sound’s story across the state and beyond, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. Pam Morris, curator of this exhibition described it as, “This exhibition is just a glimpse of all the people and places that have been part of this museum’s history, but it will capture the spirit of community that has guided all that we have accomplished and all that we envision for the future.”

The night will conclude with a silent auction of decoys from members of the Decoy Carvers Guild donated in honor of the anniversary that are signed, dated and branded as part of the anniversary celebration. These will be true collectors’ items for those who recognize the talent and traditions Core Sound decoy carvings represent.

Tickets for this event are available by calling 252.728.1500 or emailing museum@coresound.com. Tickets are $100/couple for members or $125/couple for non-members and that will include an annual membership.

Sponsors for this year’s Winter Taste are Trader Construction, Neuse Sport Shop and Eastern Aviation.

• Rope,Tools, Cables, Chains & Crosby Fittings • Treated Lumber and Piles • Seawall Materials • Floats & Floating Dock Hardware • Galvanized/Stainless Steel Hardware • Hydraulic Hose Assemblies 1/4” thru 2” MOREHEAD CITY, NC 600 Arendell Street phone: 252-726-6620 fax: 252-726-7499

BEAUFORT, NC 559 Hwy 70, Radio Island

Located at the Beaufort Drawbridge

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We’ve Moved to higher ground!

Ahi Tuna • Clams • Crabs Oysters • Flounder • Grouper Mahi Mahi • Shrimp Local Pan-Frying Fish • Trout Saltwater Striper • Snapper Sea & Bay Scallops Speciality Items • Bait & MORE! SEE US AT OUR NEW LOCATION AT

252-728-FISH 3474

1974 Live Oak Street, Hwy 70E

Fresh Seafood DAILY!

Over 70 years at 464 Old Causeway Road Beaufort, NC

252.728.4935 Gerry : 252.241.2711 Ted: 252.725.4379 Special THANKS to each of our customers

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In Search of a Better Way Bycatch Reduction in North Carolina Shrimp Trawl Fisheries One fish, two fish, red fish … no fish!

That’s the research objective for a team of scientists I’ve been working alongside since winter 2014: develop technical solutions to reduce bycatch in the North Carolina shrimp trawl fishery. We want to “rewrite” that old Dr. Seuss nursery rhyme; no blue fish, please.

At its business meeting in February 2014, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission addressed bycatch, fisheries habitat and conflict among user groups in the state’s shrimp fishery. The Commission selected preferred management strategies that would comprise Amendment 1 to their Shrimp Fishery Management Plan, or FMP. Bycatch refers to fishery discards, retained incidental catch and unobserved mortalities resulting from a direct encounter with fishing gear.

The amended FMP called for an industry work group to guide testing of bycatch reduction devices, or BRDs, which are any gear or trawl modification Sara Mirabilio sorts through the catch on a shrimp trawl. designed to allow Photo by Micah Daniels. finfish to escape from a shrimp trawl.

The Commission set a target reduction of 40 percent above and beyond the 30 percent federal mandate currently required of the industry.

Thus began a partnership between the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), North Carolina Sea Grant, and members of the commercial fishing industry.

The industry work group has 12 members representing shrimpers, net makers and industry leaders from all parts of North Carolina’s coast. In fall 2014, the Commission awarded Conservation Fund funding to DMF to convene the group and to begin industry testing of BRD candidates in the 2015 summer brown shrimp fishery. Participants from the shrimp industry provided matching support. The team received additional money from two organizations: NOAA Fisheries’ Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program to test BRD prototypes in the 2016 summer brown shrimp fishery, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Fisheries Innovation Fund, which enabled testing of the BRD prototypes in the 2016 fall white shrimp fishery.

Both grant programs require proposals to be reviewed by a panel of subjectmatter experts.

These field tests have been great examples of industry-driven, cooperative research. Since the first meeting, the group has freely discussed potential BRD candidates, and together they selected the most promising prototypes to be tested by the shrimp industry. The dialog has proven useful, resulting in the testing of gear technologies and novel fishing practices that have a high likelihood of reducing bycatch at a level exceeding

12

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(Reprinted with permission from Sea Grant North Carolina CURRENTS and Sara Mirabilio)

JANUARY 13, 2017 | SARA MIRABILIO

the Commission’s benchmark.

The research team presented preliminary findings at the industry work group’s public meeting on Jan. 9 in New Bern.Here are some of the results: • A turtle excluder device, or TED, with 3-inch bar spacing installed in a net with two federal fisheye BRDs and a 1.75-inch tailbag, resulted in no significant shrimp loss, but nearly a 45 percent reduction in finfish bycatch (t-Test, p-value < 0.001).

• A BRD called the “Virgil Potter” after its creator and industry work group member — essentially a type of radial escape section — installed in a net with a standard TED using 4-inch-spaced bars, one Florida fisheye BRD, funnel and a 1.75inch tailbag resulted in a little more than 7 percent shrimp loss The “Virgil Potter” bycatch reduction device is (t-Test, p-value < 0.01), but also a radial escape section of 8.5-inch stretch mesh, a 45 percent reduction in finfish five meshes long by 27 meshes around. The bycatch (t-Test, p-value < 0.001). funnel is 1.5-inch stretch mesh, 30 meshes long by 100 meshes at forward opening; 42 meshes All testing occurred in the at aft opening. Photo by Blake Price. central, deepwater portion of the Pamlico Sound in areas that are typically fished by the shrimp industry.

The research methodology follows the steps laid out in NOAA Fisheries’ Bycatch Reduction Device Testing Manual (2008).. The manual establishes a standardized process for evaluating the ability of BRD candidates to meet the federal bycatch-reduction criterion to be certified for use by southeastern shrimp fishermen in federal waters. Collecting data in this manner will allow NOAA Fisheries to consider all of these gear evaluations for certification, making these efforts not just a benefit to North Carolina fishermen but to all shrimpers in the South Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

This research is producing rare “win-win” solutions: conserving species while also improving the operational efficiency of shrimp trawls. Hauls with a lot of bycatch reduce trawler fuel efficiency and increase the time needed to manually cull the catch. In some instances, high bycatch-to-shrimp ratios may result in bruised or crushed shrimp, producing an inferior-quality product.

Through research efforts like these, we one day hope to experience what comes later in Dr. Seuss’ One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: We see them [fish] come.

We see them [fish] go. [Out of trawl nets, that is!]

At the Jan. 9 industry work group meeting, I gave an overview of the scientific methods that have been used to date. Researchers from NOAA Fisheries and DMF presented preliminary results for 2016.

For reports of previous Sea Grant-funded research on shrimp trawl bycatch and the effects of shrimping on habitats, visit ncseagrant.ncsu. edu/shrimp-projects. https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/currents/2017/01/in-search-of-a-better-way/

07 November, 2016 To all of NC fishermen, I have been away for a long time, came up to Virginia to do a 90 day job and as the saying goes have not made enough to leave town yet. I am however about to make the move back to NC where my goal was to return to Commercial Fishing that I left 1975. I am selling the farm and planned on returning to farm the sea continuing a tradition that in my family goes back to original land grants. I fear that my hopes to fish will soon go the way of the family land swallowed up by a bureaucracy of do gooders and the wellintentioned but misguide people who control my sunset years.

I have kept up with all things in NC concerning fishing thru my dad (Alvia) and brother (Bud) that still fishes and the publications of the NCFA, National Fisherman and the bits and pieces that drift through the news here. I did study Marine Biology in school after a stint in Coast Guard then went tug boating and ended up here with memories of the good and bad fishing but the thought of going back and making a go if it presently seems like an unlikely scenario.

I do not have any issue with size limits, quotas with actual research data or limits to help the juveniles make it to size. I understand that nursery areas should be that as everyone wins when the mass increases but please don’t make it a crime to make a living or destroy one of NC’s last surviving owner/operator operations. I live a long way from the water and walking by the “fresh fish” counter at the local grocery store I can spot pink not red gills and shrimp that are just a “little off” or shelled items with that mouth not tightly shut. I fear that NC like the balance of the US will take farmed raised in China or Southeast Asia as good as it gets and my friends it is not.

Sustainable is not just a buzz word but a concept that sets a big table so that many can enjoy the bounty of our waters. Those that do not harvest for themselves have access to a steady sustainable supply and dollars/ jobs that stay home and are not exported.

North Carolina is truly a sportsman paradise and I know that tourist dollars are a major source of income but don’t exclude our rich and valuable traditions. The stresses of everything from Hog lagoons, industrial pollution and in many cases just too many people wanting their slice of the pie to be the biggest have strained the resource and direction of management. Commercial fishing is not dead but may be dying from lack of adequate information and public conception of who we are and what we do information. I do not know the demographics of the coastal areas but almost everybody knows someone who hooks and lines but how many KNOW know a commercial fisherman? I grew up with deep roots to Cedar Island and was in awe of those guys who fished there. North Carolina commercial fishermen need some of those guys now who not only their peers look up to but the community as a whole. Independent, strong willed, doing the right thing, going to work every day and looking after their neighbor and their country. We need to make the Commercial Fisherman great again.

Alvia Hearren, Jr.

north carolina fisheries association 13

featured Bud Gruninger Basnight’s Lone Cedar

I

was raised on Long Beach Island in southern New Jersey. I have lived and worked in Philadelphia, New York, Oregon, and Colorado learning different cuisines.

As a teen I always came to the OBX to fish and sort time. Grew up on the beach, lived in desert woods, mountains and back to the beach to raise my kids Katie and Cole with my wife Sarah.

Lone Cedar Cafe is best known for local seafood. All seafood all year from N.C. waters with exception of squid and scallops, but they are caught

by N.C. boats. Our focus is Outer Banks seafood.

We add a lot of Asian, Italian, Southwest, and Cajun flair to our dishes.

We serve all our seafood from out N.C.’s Northern to Southern border.

We go to Wanchese almost daily to select fresh seafood. I have local fishermen deliver daily to the restaurant. We buy all our fish fresh and whole, fillet and process and serve the same day. Lone Cedar is a member of OBX Catch and North Carolina Catch. We are advocates for local fisherman and the seafood industry.

I like to attend meetings and regulations siting my 40 year experience of seeing species populations rise, fall, and rise again. I believe it is natural cycle. We need regulations and quota but smart regulations where fishermen can survive and raise a family.

Using local seafood is more expensive that is why some establishments don’t NC seafood and buy farm raised imported seafood. If everyone was educated on the difference between NC seafood and farm raised imported seafood they would use local seafood and always want to have that option.

On our menu we try to create links between our customers and where their pioneer came from by printing the name of the fisherman who caught their dinner next to the dish.

I have been asked on many occasions to speak to groups about how and why we do what we do.

It is a shame most seafood caught in N.C. is sent to Philadelphia and New York. Then sent to Norfolk, VA and back to the Outer Banks about a week later, this is not of the same quality of flavor.

At the Lone Cedar we will continue to serve local N.C. seafood and fight for the fisherman and his way of life.

That is what matters to the Lone Cedar and what it is known for.

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chef

ey-Dogfish

pin Pan Seared S

nts:

Ingredie

son ts – Sea e l l i F h ogfis -ounce D • 2 – 10 er p t & epp with sal ula g u Fresh Ar Tomatoes • 2 cups p ed Gra e t s a o R p • 1cu tter spoon Bu • 1Table lic a s Chop G r ese Grit • 1Clove llow Che e Y d n u o Gr il & • Stone virgin o

tra s , add ex 3 minute very hot e about d n i a s p h a c a t Hea ar e , add Fish; se d garlic heat, ad seasoned lespoon m b u a i t d e , m s e an ts d tomato e Heat a p t ngredien s i a o l r add auté al S r e p arugula, p e salt & p & tes butter, h greens 1-2 minu r o f r e pped wit con Jam o a t B s h t togeth t i i r finish w ed of g b & a h s e i c F a Pl ith nd top w tomato a

m: Bacon Ja chopped, cook

Bacon plewood p A . b l • 1/2 crispy hop Garlic C ts 1 • Clove p shallo o h c n o o p s e g l e Vin ar • 1tab Balsamic s e c n u o • 2 Sugar es Brown • 2 ounc n o b e bour utes t 15 min • 1 ounc uce abou d nts & re

ingredie Add all

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bud Gruninger as seen on episode “Spiny Dogfish”, Season 6 November 20, 2016 | Flavor, NC

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Get involved Become a member in your community CONTACT : Albemarle Fisherman’s Association Terry Pratt 252-339-7431 Pamlico County Fisherman’s Association Wayne Dunbar Hwd0123@gmail.com 252-670-7467 Oz Hudgins Home: 252-745-7424 Mobile: 252-571-2002 Carteret County Fisherman’s Association Bradley Styron qualityseafood@clis.com Office: 252-225-0073 Mobile: 252-342-8821 Brunswick County Fishermen’s Association Randy Robinson fishmancsx@gmail.com 910-209-3463 Ocracoke Working Waterman’s Association Hardy Plyler hplyler@gmail.com 252-588-0512 16

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Around the Coast Affiliate News Albemarle Fisherman’s Association

Brunswick County Fisherman’s Association

Terry Pratt- How’s fishing going in your area? “It ain’t going.

I haven’t heard from the guys on the Eastern end, but on the Western end there’s a lot of small Catfish but they are only bringing about .25 to .30 cent. It takes all day to pull them out of the net so it’s not worth it. There’s plenty of Rock fish, and large Catfish, if we could set some large mesh-the boys would be doing good. I don’t know what the hell we gonna do, but we gonna do something.”

Randy Robinson- “We are saddened to hear about the death of Steve Parrish. The shrimper’s that are shrimping are doing good.

The Recreational fishermen are catching Speckled Trout and some of the Commercial giggers are doing good. There’s a few oystermen that have done good up until the past week or so.”

Pamlico County Fisherman’s Association Wayne Dunbar- “Things have slowed down, we’ve been working on crab gear-until it opens up mid-February. They have been catching a few Sea Trout.”

Ocracoke Working Waterman’s Association Hardy Plyler- “We had a good turnout for the annual Oyster Roast, probably about 250 people. It was cold and blowing so people didn’t hang out long, but it was still a success.”

Carteret County Fisherman’s Association Bradley Styron- “Between seasons, some oystering, gillnetting, and crab trawling, but this is a slow time of the year for us. Gives us time to work on gear and do repairs for the upcoming crab season.”

north carolina fisheries association 17

CAPT’S

spotlight

Captain Shannon Dun

n of Buxton, NC

Capt. Shannon Dunn and F/V SHANNON D Buxton, NC

I

come from a commercial fishing family. My father began commercial fishing in the 80`s and was my mentor. I would go out with him when I had the chance in the summer time and that was when my love for boats, water and fishing began. I was probably around 7 the first time I went fishing with him. We went pound netting, and my job was to cull the fish. It was easy and fun.

During the summers of my high school years I would mate for my father on the Shannon D. Our target species during the summer is Spanish mackerel and my dad taught me the techniques of catching them. I learned the ins and outs about the boat throughout those summer months also. Then college took priority. During my last year of college my father became ill and could not run his boat.

I had just finished my internship in Costa Rica at a private school teaching English to an all Spanish speaking school. It was an experience I will never forget. I bought the next flight out and came home to run the boat.

During the months of February, March and April I fish for sharks.

Some of the species of fish I catch are white dotters or Atlantic sharp nose, Smooth Dogs, Threshers and horn dogs. In May, the Spanish Mackerel show up. I use 3 1/8” to 3 ½” sized mesh and about 3 nets. I set them out in sequence, and after the last one is set I let them soak about 15 minutes and then I begin the rotation. Pull the fish out, put them in by fish box filled with ice and reset each net when it’s cleared out. When I have a satisfying catch, I call it a day.

I fish alone, but 18

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Name: Shannon D Draft: 3ft Homeport: Buxton, NC Engine: John Deer 6081 with 330HP Owner: Paul Dunn Gear: 1.5/1 Captain: Shannon Dunn Top Speed: 17 Knots Builder: Glass Marine Prop: 23/23 Year: 1974 Ice/Fish capacity: 2000 lbs Length: 34’ Hull Material: Fiberglass Electronics: Radio, 2 GPS, 1 fish finder, auto pilot Beam: 11ft

the fleet is usually nearby. Everyone keeps their radio on to relay information about where the fish are and just in case someone needs help.

In the fall I switch gear and troll for King Mackerel. We use electric down riggers and hydraulic deck reels to pull our four lines.

We fish anywhere from 10 to 15 miles off the beach. My father usually drives the boat for me while I am in the stern catching fish (hopefully). Although my dad can’t physically fish, he is very in tune with knowing where to go to find the fish and I’m thankful for him driving. He is also teaching me how to fix my equipment when it breaks.

I have been running the Shannon D for a little over 4 years now.

Its hard work sometimes, but its work I truly love. Sometimes the weather is bad or there just are not any fish for a good length of time. I always keep money in the bank to cover the hard times. To keep the boat in shape a lot of maintenance is required in keeping it going. I am slowly buying my dad’s boat and will be proud to be the owner one day. I recommend anyone wanting to start an occupation in commercial fishing to start small and then go big. Do not take on more than you can comfortably handle because the money is not always there for your bills.

Commercial fishing is a very rewarding way to make a living.

I live on the Outer Banks and a lot of the commercial Spanish mackerel catch is served daily, as the catch of the day, in our restaurants. I consider myself very lucky to be able to eat fresh fish any time I like and make my living doing what I love to do.

James M Davis III President

J.M. Davis Industries Inc. 812 Arendell Street Morehead City, N.C. 28557

Henry Daniels Inc.

office: 252-247-6902 fax: 252-247-7014

F/V Joyce D

Captain Bryan Daniels

jmdavisoil@outlook.com

ATLANTIC SEAFOOD Wholesale Seafood Distributor Fresh & Frozen Hampstead, NC

910.270.3331 â&#x20AC;¢ 910.270.4411 north carolina fisheries association 19

FISHERIES ECONOMICS

COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES Stevenson L. Weeks, Sr.

S

eafood is a big business in the United States and North Carolina.

Sustainable fisheries generate billions of dollars for our economy so our fishermen can continue to provide this important food source for all of us to enjoy and saltwater recreational fishing can continue as one of our favorite pasttimes.

highest landings revenue in the region in 2014 with $94 million and $53 million respectively.

South Carolina’s landings revenue was $21 million, while Georgia’s landing revenue was $21 million.

Each year the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries provides a detailed look at the status of our fisheries and the economic performance of commercial and recreational fisheries in its Annual Report. Likewise, each year the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides a detailed look at the economic performance of commercial and recreational fisheries on a state, regional and national basis, in its annual report Fisheries Economics in the United States.

The year 2015 saw a slight increase in pounds of seafood harvested and ex-vessel value in North Carolina of $94,284,106.00. In 2015 there were 65,954,924 pounds of seafood harvested that provided 7,728 jobs, producing income of $163,153,000.00 with a total economic impact of $389,173,000.00. NCDMF 2016 Annual Report.

For fisheries management purposes, the South Atlantic Region of the United States includes East Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

In 2014 commercial fishermen in the South Atlantic Region landed 105 million pounds of finfish and shellfish, earning $184 million in landings revenue.

Landings were dominated by shrimp ($50 million) and blue crab ($46 million).

North Carolina and East Florida had the 20

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North Carolina also had the highest landings (62 million pounds) followed by East Florida (23 million pounds). The U.S. Dept. of Commerce determined that the economic impact of North Carolina’s seafood landings revenue of $94,067,000.00 was that it produced 6,829 jobs, seafood sales of $327,987,000.00, income of $136,312,000.00 and value added of $40,354,000.00. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Fisheries Economics of the United States 2014.

What is the source of these numbers? The North Carolina legislature mandated trip level reporting of all commercial fishery landings by licensed dealers to alleviate the shortcomings of voluntary survey methods. The resulting trip ticket program began in 1994. This program requires seafood dealers to complete a trip ticket for each transaction with a commercial fisherman and to submit these reports to NCDMF on a monthly basis. The NCDMF does not mandate dealers to supply price information. Price information is obtained by monthly surveys of dealers or from dealers who voluntarily supply price data through the Trip Ticket Program. NCDMF 2016 Annual Report.

With information from the NCDMF Trip Ticket Program and dealer surveys, the species, poundage and value of seafood harvested is calculated with fairly precise mathematical accuracy.

Economic impacts from the commercial fishing and seafood industry and recreational fishing sectors are from two separate national IMPLAN models of the Economics and Sociocultural Analysis Division, Office of Science and Technology, NOAA Fisheries. In the Commercial Fishing Economic Model, commercial landings data from the NCDMF Trip Ticket Program are used as the primary input as well as data from North Carolina commercial fishermen and seafood dealers collected during surveys. NCDMF 2016 Annual Report.

This Value Added Model estimates the economic impact of the commercial fishing industry

$ $ $ on the economy in terms of sales and value added contribution.

By tracing the flow of domestically harvested commercial fishery products from the point of first sale through the point of final sale to consumers (either through retail markets or restaurants), the model estimates consumer expenditures for fishery products, and allocates sales and value added between the sectors of the industry including fishermen, processors/wholesales, distributors, retail markets and food service establishments. The following goods or services are deducted from revenues to compute value added: fuel/oil, ice, crew, groceries, miscellaneous purchases (hardware, gloves, rain gear, etc.), vessel and gear, repairs, dockage charges, bait, insurance and unloading, and accounting fees.

Commercial fishing, like agriculture, produces a commodity or product that can be bought and sold. Recreational fishing, other than for hire vessels, does not produce a marketable item.

Therefore, two different economic models are used to value the economic impacts from the commercial fishing and seafood industry and the recreational fishing sectors.

The economic impact estimates for coastal recreational fishing represents the estimated economic activity generated by both trip expenditures and durable goods expenditures (both will be discussed later). There is no reporting system for recreational fishing trips as there is for commercial fishing trips. Therefore, both the state and federal agencies rely upon a system of surveys to provide estimates of fishing activities and trip expenditures.

The Marine Recreational information Program (MRIP) is an integrated series of regional surveys coordinated by NMFS in order to provide estimates of marine fishing effort, catch and participation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-134, Sept. 2013. The MRIP consist of two surveys: 1) a telephone survey of households in coastal counties to get trip information and 2) an intercept survey of anglers at shoreside access sites to obtain catch rates.

The Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) was designed to collect from anglers information including the state and zip code of primary residence, number of hours fished on the interviewed trip, top two target species, type of fishing gear used and the number of days fished in the last 2 and 12 months. The creel portion of the survey collects length and weight of all fish species retained by the angler and the species and disposition of all catch not retained by the angler. The economic questionnaire of the APAIS includes questions on whether or not anglers were on an overnight trip, the number of nights spent away from the anglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary residence, the total number of days spent fishing, and the

primary purpose of the entire overnight trip (fishing, business or personal). All anglers were asked to estimate their expenditures.

Trip expenditures include auto fuel, auto rental, bait, boat fuel, boat rental, charter crew tips, charter fees, fish processing, food/ grocery stores, food/restaurants, gifts and souvenirs, ice, lodging, parking and site access fees, public transportation and tournament fees. Total annual trip expenditures are estimated by multiplying mean trip expenditure by the estimated annual number of adult trips in a given stratum (state/mode/resident).

Durable good expenditures include expenditures in seven categories: Tackle, equipment, boats, houses, vehicles, interest payments and used purchases. Each of the seven categories include the following subcategories: Boats: new powerboat, new canoes/non-motor boat, electronics/accessories, boat maintenance, boat insurance, boat license/registration, boat storage. Houses: new vacation home, property taxes for home, second home maintenance, second home insurance. Vehicles: fishing vehicle, vehicle maintenance, vehicle insurance, vehicle license/registration. Interest payments: boats, homes, vehicles.

Used Purchases: powerboats, canoes/non-motor boat, vehicles, boat electronics, real estate commission.

To measure the economic impact of the recreational fishing industry total annual trip expenses and durable expenditures are estimated by multiplying mean durable expenditures in each category by the estimated annual number of adult participants in a given state.

The economic model used to measure the economic performance of the commercial fishing industry excludes trip expenses and durable goods expenditures.

As two different economic models are used to value the economic impacts from commercial fishing and seafood industry and the recreational fishing sectors the results of these economic analysis cannot be used to compare the economic impact of each fishery to the economy. It would be like comparing apples and oranges. The input-output approach should not be considered a substitute for normative approaches such as benefit-cost analysis.

Benefit-cost analysis seeks to determine whether resources are being put to their best use by examining the difference between total economic value and total costs.

The true value of the commercial fishing industry to the State of North Carolina can only be measured using an economic model that incorporates both the sales and value added contribution of the seafood commodity and the expenses of catching, processing, transportation and sales of the product and the durable goods expenditures of the industry. Currently no such model is being used. It is recommended that the State of North Carolina conduct such an economic analysis so the true value of the commercial fishing industry and its contribution to this State can be realized.

-Stevenson L. Weeks, Sr. is an attorney in Beaufort NC, and who has a history as a commercial fisherman.

north carolina fisheries association 21

Council & Commission Meetings

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s December 2016 Meeting Highlights

NC Marine Fisheries Commission Jan 2017 Joint Advisory Committee Meeting

Discussed a request from the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) for joint management of summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass.

Approved options for criteria for vessels to re-qualify to maintain limited access squid permits.

Voted to postpone further action on the Industry-Funded Monitoring Amendment.

Voted to recommend that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) designate 13 artificial reef sites in federal waters off the coast of New Jersey as year-round special management zones (SMZs).

Approved Framework 10 to the Monkfish FMP with the same preferred measures as the New England Fishery Management Council. Discussed initiating an amendment with the New England Council to consider using catch shares (e.g. individual fishing quotas) in the monkfish fishery.

Discussed a framework and addendum to modify the dates of the commercial scup quota periods, and agreed to move forward to take final action in early 2017.

Received a presentation on an economic model suggesting that the current landings-based allocation of 60% to the commercial fishery and 40% to the recreational fishery is economically efficient. Peer review of the model suggested that the model can be considered the best available science and can be used for management after a few minor adjustments.

Recommended continued use of conservation equivalency to achieve, but not exceed, the 2017 summer flounder recreational harvest limit (RHL) of 3.77 million pounds. Also approved Draft Addendum XXVIII for public comment, including options for summer flounder recreational management under conservation equivalency in 2017.

Discussed recreational scup fishery management measures for 2017. Early indications are that landings would need to be reduced by 15% to prevent an RHL overage in 2017. Agreed to maintain status quo recreational measures in federal waters in 2017, and will discuss management measures in state waters at their winter meeting in early 2017.

Agreed to make no changes to the current recreational management measures for black sea bass at this time, and will revisit this topic during their February 2017 joint meeting.

Discussed recent revisions to the National Standard 1 guidelines, including new options in which changes in ABCs can be phased-in over up to three years, unused quota can be carried over from one year to the next, and overfishing status can be determined based on a three-year average of fishing mortality. The revisions also include new options for calculating rebuilding timelines, as well as new guidance on determining adequate progress in rebuilding and on determining which stocks require federal management.

The revisions do not require the Council to modify their FMPs; however, FMP amendments may be necessary if the Council wishes to implement some of these new options.

Next Meeting: Feb 14 – 16, 2017; Kitty Hawk, NC Hilton Garden Inn Outer Banks ___________________________________________________________ Additional details on these and other agenda items for the councils and commissions, can be found on their respective websites below: http://www.mafmc.org/council-events/dec16-council-meeting http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/marine-fisheries-commission http://asmfc.org http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/december-2016-councilmeeting-details/

The five advisory panels to the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission met to hear comment and discuss a Petition for Rulemaking by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation that would severely restrict shrimp trawling in North Carolina. Representatives for the North Carolina Wildlife Federation presented their case and took questions from the committees.

Then, NCDMF staff made a presentation and answered questions, but took no official position.

Public comment session started about 3:30. NCFA, who had requested permission to make a presentation as an interested party, spoke against the petition. For NCFA, Jerry Schill (NCFA President), Jess Hawkins and Connell Purvis (both biologists and former employees of NCDMF, including Connell who had also served as Director), were given 15 minutes to speak in opposition. Afterwards, public comment began, but was cut off about 7:00pm to allow time for the panels to discuss and vote to recommend to the MFC to approve or deny the Petition. There were approximately 60 that were not able to provide public comment.

Although all five committees voted to recommend denying the petition, the MFC will meet in February to consider their input and make the final decision.

The NCDMF is also expected to present their official position at this meeting.

Next Meeting: Feb 15-17, Hilton Wilmington Riverside, Wilmington *** Fishermen Attendance will also be very important at this meeting! ***

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Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – No new information to report Next Meeting: ASMFC Winter Meeting - Jan 30 - Feb 2; The Westin Alexandria, Alexandria, Virginia

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council December 2016 Meeting Highlights For-Hire Reporting Amendment received final approval for review by Secretary of Commerce.

Directed staff to develop a White Paper to explore limited entry options for the snapper grouper for-hire fishery; stopped work on limited entry for dolphin/ wahoo and coastal migratory pelagic fisheries.

Amendment 41 (Mutton Snapper) received final approval for review by Secretary of Commerce.

Yellowtail Snapper Split from Joint Amendment with Dolphin and approved for public hearings, and added actions for staff to analyze; included action to allow multi-gear trips for lobster pot fishery Amendment 30 (Cobia Recreational Fishing Year) put on hold pending ASMFC Cobia FMP for State waters.

Next Meeting: Mar 6 – 10, 2017; The Westin Jekyll Island, Jekyll Island, GA

north carolina fisheries association 23

Talk on the Dock with

Henry Daniels By: Barbara Garrity-Blake

“Just don’t get scared and panic,” said third-generation fisherman Henry Daniels. We found him in the heart of Engelhard, helping his son Bryan rig up for flounder fishing. Although he no longer fishes, closing in on eight decades of life, Captain Henry stays in the thick of things, attending fisheries meetings, cajoling others to get involved, and spreading fisheries news from community to community, fish house to fish house.

“If you get scared and push her, she’s going to leave you.” He was talking about how to handle a fishing vessel in bad weather, like the time he found himself in 115 mph winds off Virginia, his fathometer registering 26 foot seas.

He’s had the window, door, and lights blown off of the Joyce D. “Slow her down and let her take her time. Most of the time she’ll bring you back to the dock.”

Captain Henry decided to try his luck in the George’s Banks fisheries in the early 1980s, packing out in New Bedford, Martha’s Vineyard, and Rhode Island.

“Shrimping was so terrible here then. Told my wife we’re going to lose the house and the boat. That’s how I ended up paying for the boat, going up north to fish.”

At first the Yankee fishermen were not overjoyed to share their waters with southern boats venturing up from Carolina. “People thought we were poaching on their fish,” grinned the captain. “I told them if I ever caught a fish with their name on it, I’d throw it back.” He eventually forged life-long friendships, and his wife Joyce joined him each season, renting a place on the rocky shores.

“We just kind of adapted. It was a good life.”

Henry Daniels has dragged more than fish out of the water. “I’ve seen a lot of Government waste out there,” he mused. “When their fiscal year ends, they’ll dump their supplies overboard, to get their budgets.” His crewmen have caught whole chests full of brand new tools, gallons of fresh paint, and declassified government documents.

His son once helped rescue a downed Navy pilot. Other fishermen have netted mines, torpedoes, and ordnances.

“We catch ship’s anchors – that’s why you see so many in people’s yards.”

Captain Henry began fishing at age 12 with his father. As a young adult, he served in the military, and then was hired by NC State 24

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to help research water quality in Pamlico Sound. “I still fished,” he added. “The state didn’t pay overtime.” He collected benthic and water samples to study the impact of the Texas Gulf Phosphate mine on the estuarine environment.

“You can’t put millions of gallons of fresh water in saltwater,” he said, “And not expect an impact.”

Henry Daniels has since taken part in a number of research projects, including a study examining the effects of bottom trawling.

“Areas that are trawled are healthier than areas that are not trawled,” he said, maintaining that dragging helps aerate the bottom and prevents sediments from building up. This theory was recently backed up by research cited by an ECU professor in response to a petition to severely limit trawling.

“You close shrimping, Engelhard is gone!” Captain Henry reflected, looking around at the vessels, fish houses, and fishermen tying nets and working on engines.

Organizations petitioning to limit or ban trawling fail to address the real problem of declining water quality, he emphasized. “There’s not a septic tank east of Interstate 95 that works after a hurricane – all of that winds up in these rivers.”

Few fishermen have been as engaged as Henry Daniels in the fisheries management process. He has served on advisory committees for the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and two federal councils. He was involved in the development of the Fisheries Reform Act of 1997. He does not give up, despite what he sees as an increasingly unfriendly environment.

“It’s gotten so bad with more and more regulations, people looking over your shoulder, and tracking devices on boats. People have no respect for fishermen, like we’re dirty to look at.”

Still, Henry Daniels wouldn’t trade a life of commercial fishing for anything. “I love it. I’ve made good money. I’ve had a thrill at fishing.”

When asked to name the most bountiful fishing season he’s ever witnessed, his answer was surprising. “Greatest thing I’ve ever seen is this year. That’s the shrimp.” He explained that the brown and green tail shrimp stocks were extraordinarily thick in Pamlico Sound from July 4th clear to Christmas.

“Never seen anything like it. I can’t explain it.”

“Henry Daniels has been a member of the NCFA Board of Directors for many years.”

P.O. Box 91, Gloucester, NC 28528 (252)342-8028

B&J

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Albemarle Gillnetters - Caught in the Middle

By Maureen Donald Special to Tradewinds

E

arl Ward can’t pay his mortgage but not because he doesn’t work. On the contrary, Earl works every day. So what’s the problem? The problem is Earl’s a fisherman working out of the Albemarle Sound - a region where the fishing regulations are so restrictive, there’s very little he can catch to pay the bills.

Sturgeon are part of the problem, according to Albemarle’s fishermen, whose endangered species designation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has resulted in severe limits on the amount, size and times fishing gear can be in the water, in addition to those that were in place to manage striped bass.

After two prior examinations on the endangered species status of sturgeon in 1998 and 2005, where NOAA found that sturgeon did not warrant being listed as endangered or threatened, the federal agency decided to declare the species endangered in 2012 after receiving a petition from an environmental group, the Natural Resources Defense Council While sturgeon populations have diminished, according to NOAA, the agency acknowledges the major cause is not overfishing. Rather the sturgeon’s upriver spawning areas have become polluted by a reduction in dissolved oxygen. More simply put - too much phosphorus, a common element of agricultural fertilizers, manure, and organic wastes, being dumped into the inland streams. Also, they acknowledge that dams and channelization projects have impacted their populations. Fishermen have been prohibited from harvesting sturgeon in North Carolina for over 25 years.

But while Earl Ward can’t do anything about the pollution pouring into the state’s waterways and dams that were built many years ago, he is paying the price.

Albemarle fisherman Mike Blanton makes a full time effort to make a living on the water and was doing just that for the first 13 days of December.

Fishermen were catching large blue catfish and striped bass as bycatch, but once observers determined the quota of sturgeon had been caught,

“If we’re working, people are eating - at least that’s how it should be but right now we’re facing with restrictions that don’t even allow us feed ourselves.” -Terry Pratt

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the fishery was shut down. With 75 days left in the quarterly sturgeon count, fishermen are now reduced to small mesh nets and extremely meager catches.

“We are caught in the middle,” says Blanton. “We got to fish large mesh nets for only 13 days. How can we feed our families after a summer shutdown because of turtles and now a winter shutdown because of sturgeon?”

North Carolina is one of only two states that applied for what is called an Incidental Take Permit from NOAA to ensure that the state’s fisheries did not jeopardize the “continued existence of the sturgeon population.” The restrictions that fishermen such as these fishermen face are part of that permit. Georgia is the other state that asked and received a Sturgeon ITP for its fisheries.

Other areas such as the NE Atlantic states received a ruling from NOAA that seven of their major fisheries would not have to face additional restrictions because they did not jeopardize the sturgeon population.

According to NOAA, there are believed to be only five of 7-10 historical spawning populations remaining in the Carolina distinct population segment. Less spawning, less fish, greater restrictions on fishermen who must severely limit the gear in water to prevent accidentally catching sturgeon.

But fishermen say the shut down only 13 days into the quarter says it all.

“If we caught too many sturgeon in less than 2 weeks, doesn’t that say something about the number of sturgeon out there,” says Blanton.

“It’s dismal to say the least,” says Ward who is struggling to feed his family of five while complying with restrictions that yield little in his nets. “We’ve been shut down more than open and that doesn’t translate to making a living.”

Ward says he’s never caught a turtle in his nets - a situation that, in part, is the result of being part of a management area that stretches all the way to Ocracoke.

Longtime fisherman and activist Terry Pratt knows all too well the on-going challenges of working the Albemarle Sound.

“We’re the go-between,” says Terry. “If we’re working, people are eating - at least that’s how it should be but right now we’re facing with restrictions that don’t even allow us feed ourselves.”

Then there’s blue catfish. A native of the Mississippi River basin, blue catfish were introduced into the Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s as a recreational fish, said Bill Goldsborough, fisheries director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

They grow fast and grow big – and they taste good. But this greedy invader could become an ecosystem nightmare affecting all fisheries in North Carolina if not controlled.

The voracious predator has made its way down the Chesapeake Bay into the Chowan River and Lake Gaston, where three of the fish caught in the last six months each exceeded 100 pounds. Both fishermen and scientists have reported seeing increasing numbers of bycatch of the blue catfish in crab pots and nets.

Fisheries biologists with the state Division of Marine Fisheries agree the population levels have exploded in recent years, notably in the western Albemarle Sound and its tributaries.

Charlton Godwin, biologist with NCDMF says the number of blue catfish, one of the largest of the eight or so native catfish species in the U.S. pretty much eat whatever they want.

“I’ve seen striped bass up to 22 inches in the stomach of a blue catfish,” he said.

Fortunately, blue catfish make delicious eating, and a healthy commercial fishery could keep the invasive species from wiping out populations of native fish, such as river herring, blue crab, largemouth bass and striped bass, as well as providing a living for area fishermen.

Good news for struggling Albemarle fishermen except for not being able to use the nets needed to catch these large predators.

“We could make a living catching big blue catfish and at the same time, help preserve our native species for all fishermen,” says

Blanton. “Instead we’re left to do nothing to help the situation or to make a living. It makes no sense.”

Reaching the sturgeon quota took large mesh nets out of the water leaving fishermen to only catch the juveniles. The result is a drastic drop in profits and an increasingly large population of blue catfish feasting on the area’s native species.

Adding to the dilemma a rule inserted in May in the federal Farm Bill could put processors of the species out of business potentially killing the commercial market, and in turn leave long-living blue catfish free to proliferate, unfettered, in the state’s sounds and rivers.

The rule will make it much more difficult for domestic processors to stay in business without making major and expensive changes to their operations - changes that very well could shut down the fishery in North Carolina.

“There’s no sense in catching something we can’t sell,” Pratt says. “And to make the situation even worse, this species will eventually wipe out our native species.”

According to Pratt, fisheries managers should be paying more attention to fishermen.

“We’re out there every day,” says Pratt. “If we don’t get it right, we destroy our ability to make a living and yet, no one listens to us.”

“We know what’s out there and what’s not,” says Pratt.

Blanton hopes fisheries managers will heed Pratt’s advice.

“The science doesn’t always support the reality of making a living,” says Blanton. “Management shouldn’t just be about taking gear out of the water. It’s time to spend more time on innovative gear selection instead of simply shutting us down.”

Caught in the middle are the area’s commercial fishermen. This community is bearing the brunt of federal bureaucracy, for pollution and habitat alterations of inland waters that threaten the sturgeon population, as well as a possible radical cutback in the market for blue catfish - a result that could be the decimation of Albemarle’s native species, with fishermen at the top of the list. north carolina fisheries association 27

Registration Now Open for NC Catch Annual Summit

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Re g By iste 3/ r O 6/ n 20 lin 17 e

wan Quarter, NC – North Carolina Catch will hold its sixth annual summit in Nags Head in March. The non-profit organization, formed in 2012, works with the state’s local catch groups to strengthen North Carolina’s seafood economy through consumer education and advocacy that results in increased value for seafood producers.

This year’s event will include three pre-conference field trips on Monday, March 13. Each are limited to twenty participants. NC Catch board member Dewey Hemilright will host a dockside tour in Wanchese including a visit to a fish house. Outer Banks Restaurant Association president and co-owner of Coastal Provisions Oyster Bar and Wine Café in Southern Shores will host an oyster tour. Weeping Radish Brewery, Butchery and Pub will host a smoked fish demonstration. Preregistration is required.

The pre-summit dinner and reception, hosted by Outer Banks Catch, will be held at Basnight’s Lone Cedar on the Nags Head causeway.

Hatteras Island humorist Danny Couch will talk about Dare County’s commercial fishing history. He will be followed by a special presentation debunking the myth that fishermen and women live their lives in oil skins. Learn more about their personal contributions to community and family beyond the docks.

The summit will start at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14 in the oceanfront ballroom of Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head. Kicking off the event will be the “Mark It to Market” session with special guest Mike Cashion of the Mississippi Restaurant and Hospitality Association which developed the Mississippi Seafood Trail, ranked by USA Today reader’s

as one of America’s Top 10 Food Trails. Among the day’s other learning sessions are “Sea to Table to the Bank” focusing on successful seafood strategies for restaurateurs and “A Fish by Any Other Name: Putting Spiny Dogfish to the Test” featuring chefs who have recently worked with this underutilized species. There will also be specialized sessions for commercial fishermen and a panel discussion about emerging technologies and food trends. NC Catch will unveil its new co-branding program for retailers interested in using the organization’s logo on approved products. Lunch will be provided and is sponsored by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.

Given recent fisheries events, summit organizers will also set aside time to discuss the NC Wildlife Federation’s petition to place new restrictions on commercial and recreational fishing.

While there is no cost to attend summit activities, pre-registration is required no later than March 6. A link to online registration can be found by visiting www.nccatch.org. The official hotel of the summit is Ramada Plaza Nags Head Oceanfront. Reservations can be made by phoning 252-441-2151. Book by February 11 to receive special summit rates.

Summit sponsorships are also necessary to ensure the event remains free to attendees. Interested sponsors should call summit planning committee co-chair Heidi Smith at 252-945-7891.

6th Annual

NC Catch Summit March 13-14, 2017 @ Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head Three Pre-Summit Field Trips to Choose From New & Improved Networking Opportunities

now open.indd 1 28 registration

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You’ll Leave With:

New Skills Written Action Plans New Contacts

Sessions Include: A Fish By Any Other Name: Putting Spiny Dogfish to the Test Sea to Table to the Bank: Seafood Economics for Chefs Every Fish Has a Tale: The Value of Storytelling Strength Through Numbers: The True Economic Contribution of Commercial Fishermen Co-Branding with NC Catch NCWF Petition Recap

1/22/2017 4:08:57 PM

M U R R AY

L.

N O X I N ERY FISH

INC.

1141 Nixon Fishery Road Edenton, North Carolina 27932 HACCP CERTIFIED www.nixonfishery.com 1-800-672-4756 â&#x20AC;¢ Fax: 252-221-4118 Phone: 252-221-4115

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“My Experience as a Greenhorn…Being part of the Pamlico Trawl Fleet”

By: Megan Spencer

I

was raised by a commercial fishing community and family that taught me to pray and give thanks for the bounty we received. I never quite understood how fresh shrimp on our tables came with the caveat of prayer and principal - until I got on a trawl boat myself.

After this experience, I cannot call myself a fisherman. But as a coastal lady who loves the lifestyle, it has been a dream of mine to go out on a trawl boat. I have always wanted to sleep in the bunk and watch the crew work, while seeing amazing sunsets and capturing the trawl life.

My Captain, Bruce Hodges, and I have been friends all our lives and he’s known about my dream and understood my respect for the industry.

Actually, in my life as a latenight bartender, we both found it comforting to have a friend in the wee hours of the morning.

I’d ride to the beach or the south docks of Ocracoke after my latenight shift and see the trawlers. I couldn’t be more proud.

When you keep odd hours, it’s good to have a friend to talk to.

Especially a friend you’ve known since the bible school days.

Last summer, Bruce offered me a job on his trawler. He got permission from my dad, with the promise to keep me safe. I was so happy, I could have turned back flips.

My job would be to cook, clean, cull and keep my Cap company. I was advised not to mess with the wenches or ropes and to keep out of the way. No problem.

There is no shower on board, he reminded me. And no head (but a bucket). I would be provided with running water and I thought that commodity would be enough for me.

My pillow, my toothbrush, a good pen and a journal, my camera and a big jar of coconut oil, as well as a few jars of my homemade fig preserves were the top priorities in my suitcase. Of course, I was also equipped with my trusty pair of boots, and plenty of clean clothes.

When we boarded the vessel “Terry Jane,” - a small recreational yacht that was turned into a trawler (thanks to the late and great shrimper Buddy Williams) - I understood just how close the quarters would be. The mate and I would share the bunks down 30

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below. And Cap would sleep in the wheelhouse.

Last time I had seen the mate, we had words. I was doing my job as a bartender and he had been on the water for a few weeks. But, my respect for Brian Byrd would soon go through the roof. When I saw him work, I understood his plight and knew why he had to blow off steam that night I got after him. We also had to share a bunk and it was important for us to be friends.

When we iced up at Williams Seafood in Engelhard, the sky loomed a very dark cloud over the Pamlico Sound. The mate passed me the box of groceries, (with a fresh bunch of bananas right on top) and informed me that the water pump burned up the last trip because the reservoir ran dry. But, he assured, it was okay because he had at least 5 gallons of fresh water.

I definitely didn’t tell my captain and mate, but, as I looked at the sky and put away the bananas, I was scared. Good Lord, I was scared!

As we steamed out of Far Creek, the crew lowered the outriggers. The starboard side jolted and I jumped, but it prepared me for the port side clank. With both outriggers, down, we set out (Continued on page 32)

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Pamlico Trawl Fleet (Continued from page 30)

in the Pamlico for the 5 o’clock Sunday tow. That salty Carolina breeze in my hair and face, coupled with the stormy sunset, was the very reason I wanted to be on that boat.

We made that first tow, and I culled with Brian. I absolutely loved the solace of the work, as well as wearing the saltiness of it. The storm was getting closer, but I thought it might miss us. The mate asked why I would ever want to do this kind of work. I replied that after years of talking to people for a living, it was comforting not to have to. He just smiled, so we culled in silence.

Then, I went down below to make us some dinner. My sea legs kicked in as I was frying ‘taters and realized things could get dangerous. After I ladled out the hot grease that might slosh, I walked up to the wheelhouse just in time to see the starboard outrigger dip into the Pamlico, just like a soup spoon. I looked at my Cap, trying to be tough about it. He just nodded, driving that little spinning top (that’s what the fleet called her). “Yep,” he said. “One thing’s for sure, it’ll be over. Eventually” My mama told me the storm woke her up that night. She tried to call, but I didn’t have phone service off Long Shoal. She prayed hard for us. And I was glad she did. When we made it back in, I told her that it was a “take me to church” kind of storm.

Despite the storm, we ate well that night. I fixed us some of the fish we’d caught, along with salt pork, fried potatoes, home grown tomatoes and canned figs on toast for dessert. With a full belly and the way, the boat rocked, I curled up to my pillow and slept like a baby. I woke just after sunrise to my crew laughing about how well I was sleeping. They’d already hauled back once, but I missed it.

Safety, for me, meant that there were always at least two or three trawl boats nearby. Besides the taters, maters and figs, I think that’s why I slept so good that first night.

Thanks to reading a book called “Women Sailors and Sailors Women.” I understood that dressing like a boy would make it much more comfortable. For all of us. My crew knew I was a female, but to make things easier in close quarters, I hid my femininity under a very sturdy bathing suit top, covered by a sports bra, and cotton panties covered by boxer shorts. I would soon learn the importance of changing clothes for comfort, as well as hygiene.

I kept my undergarments on, but changed clothes several times a day. I also rinsed my hands and arms in bleach after each tow to keep me from the iodine poisoning that almost killed my Sadler cousin some years ago.

The next day’s early morning tow, I learned what it meant to be “hot” in the Pamlico.

With the way sound carries over the water, the whoops and hollers from crews aboard neighboring vessels were audible. And that big full net was visible. We were optimistic, to say the least.

When the crew pulled up the nets and dropped them on the decks, the red jellyfish were ankle deep on the stern (no culling table on the Terry Jane). It was like soup. My Cap advised me to wear my long sleeve shirt under my Grundens and to probably put something on my head and face. Mind you, this was during that heat wave last summer and the temperature was pushing 100 degrees. I am pretty sure that Buddy Williams was laughing in the sky at me, because every time I picked a shrimp out of this jelly soup, the pulleys pinged at me. But I did it. And I didn’t get stung.

That is, until I pulled off the Grundens and the long sleeve shirt, and the boy apparel I wore underneath- it was hot as blazes!! When I was in my bikini and very happy to be getting cooled off, I wiped my forehead, and sat my butt on the stern. Ouch! There were whelps 32

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on my backside that could have damaged my credibility as an honest woman. I was glad I brought the coconut oil.

We all laughed because we knew the boat builder was laughing too (in heaven). Bruce told me, “I think Buddy got you right then.”

Then I heard the other Captains say over the radio that it “was hot” right over there. Oh, boy. I certainly understood their salty terms about jellyfish.

We had some kind of engine trouble or wheel trouble. Something I couldn’t help with or understand. So, we came in late Tuesday afternoon.

I was soaked with sweat, had shrimp residue in my hair and fingernails and hadn’t showered for three days. In an industry where you get real dirty, I realized that I had lived through a nasty Pamlico Sound squall, culled through a stern full of jellies (with the marks on my hinny to prove it) and watched my crew do dare-devil acts to keep us afloat.

I stepped off that little spinning top of a trawler onto the Williams Seafood docks. I used a working toilet and was appreciative of it.

It had been so rough out there, I had to hold on to the walls on dry land.

Come Friday, when it was time to get paid, my Cap gave me $84.

In the same breath, he told me I was pretty and that I deserved something for my efforts. I got fighting mad about it and I threatened to throw him overboard. Luckily, he’s known me all my life and understands I’m a pistol.

Then, my Cap - who’s been a trawl boater most of his life explained it to me. The boat owner gets a share, then you figure in ice, fuel and groceries, coupled with the ever-changing market price of shrimp. I looked at the numbers and it hurt my feelings. I felt like I should have given that money back to him, and I offered to. He didn’t make much more than I did. Not only does he captain the boat, but he is also a certified diver and welder to fix whatever might be wrong. In addition, he mends nets and fills out mounds of paperwork to comply with the rules that govern his profession.

Remembering the days of our youth in the Presbyterian Church in Swan Quarter, I knew my Cap had a much higher power on his side. I don’t think I have ever got on my knees or dropped my head to pray and give thanks like I did on that trawl boat. From looking at the boys shimmy out to the end of the outriggers to repair the equipment to praying the storm would be easy on us, the trawling profession is most certainly faith-based. So, when I say my prayers at night, I give thanks for this hearty bunch, while I beg our Father for their safe keeping. I also ask Him that the families of the souls that left us in the peril of the seas, can rest easy knowing their loved ones gave their lives to a very honest and hardworking profession.

Because that’s what Jesus did. I couldn’t be more proud.

This one DIDN’T get away…

January 3, 2017 Capt. Herb Sheades of the Fishbucket and his mate, Greg McCoy, hosted Capt. Dan Zawisza, “Diggin It”, of Connecticut, and co-owner of Skurge of the Sea, along with his first mate Chuck Fontenault, of New England, to do some New Year’s giant Bluefin tuna fishing out of Morehead City, NC. This tuna fell prey to the Skurge of the Sea.com commercial 8-foot 2-piece Harpoon rigged with a Penetrator Dart and was landed with Jay Jigs, E-glass, 4 in. Penetrator gaff.

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The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Article excerpted from https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected/ whaletrp/docs/Outreach%20Guides%20Updated%20May%202015/mid_atlantic_ gillnet_2015.pdf and https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected/ whaletrp/docs/Outreach%20Guides%20Updated%20May%202015/mid_atlantic_ trap_pot_may_2015.pdf accessed: 1/24/17 (Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan)

The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan works to reduce impacts to large whales caused by commercial fishing gear. It is required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and has been developed by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

Its focus is on the following species of endangered whales: right, humpback, and fin whales, as well as the non-endangered minke whales.

It applies to the following fisheries and areas: Gillnets: Northeast sink gillnet; Northeast anchored float gillnet; Northeast drift gillnet; Mid-Atlantic gillnet; Southeastern US Atlantic shark gillnet; and Southeast Atlantic gillnet.

Trap/Pots: Northeast/Mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot; Atlantic blue crab trap/pot; Atlantic mixed species trap/pot which includes, but is not limited to: crab (red, Jonah, and rock), hagfish, finfish (black sea bass, scup, tautog, cod, haddock, pollock, redfish (ocean perch), and white hake), conch/whelk, and shrimp.

The plan was developed by the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, which is made up of fishing industry representatives, environmentalists, state and federal officials, and other interested parties; this plan has identified how fishing practices might be modified to reduce the risk of entanglement. It includes restrictions on where and how gear can be set, including closures and gear modifications such as use of sinking groundline and weak links, trap minimums, and gear markings. Requirements are in place from September 1st to May 31st.

Gear Marking Surface Buoy Marking: Markings on trap/pot surface buoys need to identify the associated vessel or fishery with one of the following: The owner’s motorboat registration number and/or U.S. vessel documentation number; The federal commercial fishing permit number; or Whatever positive identification marking is required by the vessel’s home-port state. When marking is not already required by state or federal regulations, the letters and numbers to mark gear must be at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) in height, block letters or Arabic numbers, in a color that contrasts with the color of the buoy.

Buoy Line Marking: Buoy lines are to be marked with three 12 inch (30.48 cm), colored marks: one at the top of the buoy line, one midway along the buoy line, and one at the bottom of the buoy line. Each color code must be permanently affixed on or along the line and each color code must be clearly visible when the gear is hauled or removed from the water. If the color of the rope is the same as or similar to a color code listed below, a white mark may be substituted for that color code. Buoy lines of gillnets off North Carolina should be marked with blue marks. Buoy lines of trap/pots off North Carolina should be marked with orange marks if fishing in nearshore management areas; black if fishing in offshore management areas.

Gillnet Panel Marking: Each gillnet panel must be marked along both the floatline and the leadline at least once every 100 yards, unless otherwise required.

The following is a list of requirements for areas off North Carolina: Universal Requirements • No buoy line floating at the surface.

• No wet storage of gear (all gear must be hauled out of the water 34

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at least once every 30 days) • Fishermen are encouraged, but not required, to maintain knotfree buoy lines.

• All groundlines must be made of sinking line.

• Trawls with less than or equal to 5 traps may only possess 1 buoy line.

Weak Link Requirements • All buoys, floatation devices and/or weights must be attached to the buoy line with a weak link having a certain breaking strength as defined for each management area.

• Weak links for trap/pots in nearshore areas should be less than 600 lbs in breaking strength.

• Weak links for trap/pots in offshore areas should be less than 1,500 lbs breaking strength and less than 2,000 lbs breaking strength for the red crab fishery.

• For nets that do not return to port with the vessel: weak links must be incorporated into net panels following one of the two configurations shown on page 9 and have a breaking strength as defined for each management area(no more than 1,100 lbs).

• For nets that return to port each day with the vessel: net panels are required to have a weak link at the center or each floatline or at least every 25 fathoms along the floatline of a panel longer that 50 fathoms.

• Individual weak links are not required in locations where rope of appropriate breaking strength is used. Additionally, if no up and down line is present, then weak links are not required at that location.

• Gillnet panel weak links must be chosen from the list of NMFS approved gear, which includes: off the shelf weak links, rope of appropriate breaking strength, hog rings, and other materials or devices approved in writing. The weak link placement must meet one of the two configuration options The same configuration will be required for all gillnet panels in a string.

Anchored Gillnet Anchoring Requirements • All gillnets that do not return to port with vessel, regardless of number of net panels, will be required to be anchored with the holding power of at least a 22-lb Danforth-style anchor at each end of the net string (must be a burying anchor; no dead weights).

• Fishing with drift gillnet gear at night (i.e., anytime between one-half hour before sunset and one-half hour after sunrise) is prohibited unless the gear is tended (i.e., attached to the vessel).

• All drift gillnet gear must be removed from the water and stowed on board before a vessel returns to port.

SEE MANAGEMENT AREA GRAPHICS BELOW

Trap/Pot Management Areas

Gillnet Management Areas

For more information concerning these and other protected species managed by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office’s Protected Resources Division, visit: www.greateratlantic. fisheries.noaa.gov/whaletrp or call (727) 824-5301.

Beaufort, North Carolina History

New England whaling vessels are known to have visited the area as early as 1726. Local shore-based whaling crews eventually supplanted the Yankee whalers and by 1880, six crews of eighteen men each were working off Diamond City’s beaches. Whaling was seasonal and limited almost entirely to the months of February, March, and April.

To the people of Diamond City and Shackleford Banks, matters of the spirit could be just as real as the more tangible aspects of life. Indicative of such is a story told of William (Billie) Hancock by his grandson and of how a vivid dream on a late spring evening helped to save Diamond City from a summer of privation.

According to the story, the spring whaling season of one year in the 1870’s had passed without the sighting of a single whale.

Finally, in mid-June, a whale was spotted far off the Beaufort Inlet and Billie Hancock’s crew set out to bring it in.

They floated the boat out until they put a lance into the whale.

They started shooting it, but the whale was so big that shooting it didn’t do any good. The moon was shining bright, so they hung with the whale until after the night had fallen. Then the whale headed out toward Cape Shoals. The line on the whale finally broke and they lost it. Everybody was so worn out that they rowed back to shore very discouraged.

They were so tired when they got home that my grandfather went right to sleep and had a dream. His dream was so real that he got out of bed and went and called two more men from the crew and told them what he had dreamed. He had dreamed that the whale had died and had grounded at Cape Point. After telling the others, he began to run to the Point (approximately six miles) to

Histories and Images from the Past Compiled by Beaufort artist, researcher, historian and author Mary Warshaw

A Whale of a Story

During the 1700s and 1800s, Beaufort was important in the whaling industry. Shackleford Banks was the center of whaling activities in North Carolina. Here is a little history and a whale story from By the Water’s Edge, by Joel G. Hancock, reprinted from Strengthened by the Storm, in chapter one… “... The largest and most distinctive of the (pre-1900) downeast communities was Diamond City. It was situated near the east end of Shackleford Banks at “the mouth of the Ditch.” By 1895, it may have had a population of as many as five hundred. Like most of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, it was first settled in the early part of the eighteenth century. The community had its most rapid growth in the 1850’s, spurred by a boom in the local whaling industry.

see for himself if the whale had, in fact, washed ashore. The other crewmen must have accepted what their Captain had told them for they soon followed him to the Point.

Grandfather ran straight along down the beach because there were so many trees back then. He said that when he got to Cape Point the tide was so low and the moon was shining so bright that he could see something out on the reef. He said to himself, “That’s got to be that whale! We need it so bad!” So he waded off and soon saw that it was the whale.

(Continued on page36)

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A Whale of a Story (Continued from page 35)

The Price of Fish The price of fish is very dear Many Fishermen are lost each year.

Many Men in a watery grave.

That was the price, the price they gave.

Now came the big problem. On high tide the water would get so high that the whale would float off the Point and they would lose it.

He thought that if only he had enough rope to run off and tie it to the whale they then would be able to hold onto it even after the tide came in. Fortunately, his crew had followed him and together they were able to save the whale from drifting off . . . I don’t remember what they got for the bones, but they got forty barrels of oil and they made $40.00 a share. I was told that after it was all over they came back to Diamond City and had a big square dance.”

Diamond City was just off the coast of Beaufort until the late 1800’s when a coastal storm swept away it’s large dune and caused residents to build make-shift barges and relocate their houses to Harkers Island, Morehead City and Salter Path. I hope to write more later on this interesting history. http://beaufortartist.blogspot.com/2007/02/whale-of-story.html

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In the Land of the Midnight Sun, Where the endless fight is never done.

Tired and Weary, Drenched and Cold, They strived to fill the iced-up hold.

And many a man gone over the rail, Lost in the teeth of a mighty gale.

I only hope my point is clear The Price of Fish is Very Dear!

Arthur Unknown

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WE ARE FISHING Shop the Collection: grundens.com north carolina fisheries association

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