Releases – September 13, 2012
NOAA Fisheries announces the opening of the 2012 commercial and recreational red snapper fishing season in South Atlantic federal waters.
Based on a recommendation by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council), the commercial red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on September 17, 2012, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on September 24, 2012. During the open commercial season, the daily trip limit is 50 pounds gutted weight and there is no minimum size limit for red snapper.
The recreational fishing season will open for two consecutive weekends made up of Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The recreational red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on September 14, 2012, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on September 17, 2012; the season then reopens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on September 21, 2012, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on September 24, 2012. During the open recreational season, the bag limit is one fish per person per day and there is no minimum size limit for red snapper.
The intent of this action is to provide fishermen the opportunity to harvest the red snapper 2012 annual catch limit and enhance the social and economic benefits to the fishery. The commercial and recreational annual catch limits for 2012 are 20,818 pounds gutted weight and 9,399 fish, respectively.
The sector annual catch limits are based upon allocations previously decided by the South Atlantic Council. NOAA Fisheries may change the commercial and recreational season dates if severe weather conditions exist. If severe weather conditions exist, NOAA Fisheries will announce via NOAA Weather Radio and a Fishery Bulletin any change in the red snapper fishing seasons. Additionally, NOAA Fisheries will monitor the commercial landings and may re-open the commercial fishing season in 2012 if landings are less than the annual catch limits.
After the conclusion of the commercial September 17-24, 2012, red snapper fishing season, red snapper may not be harvested or possessed in federal waters of the South Atlantic. After the conclusion of the recreational September 14-17, 2012, and September 21-24, 2012 fishing seasons, red snapper may not be harvested or possessed in federal waters of the South Atlantic. Harvest and possession prohibitions also apply to state waters for vessels holding federal snapper-grouper permits.
This bulletin provides only a summary of the information regarding this rulemaking. Any discrepancies between this bulletin and the regulations published in the Federal Register will be resolved in favor of the Federal Register. This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
More information, including Frequently Asked Questions for the 2012 red snapper fishing seasons, can be found online at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/SASnapperGrouperHomepage.htm.
North Carolina Sea Grant-funded researchers recently updated an analysis of fish houses in the state. This report, completed five years after the initial study, was co-authored by cultural anthropologist Barbara Garrity-Blake and Barry Nash, Sea Grant seafood technology and marketing specialist.
“This inventory shows North Carolina lost 36 percent of its fish houses since 2000. Among processors still in business, 67 percent of those surveyed reported the demand for local seafood had increased,” Nash says. “What remains unknown is if a one-third reduction in the state’s seafood packing capacity represents a stabilization of the industry or a loss of critical production at a time when the demand for local seafood is growing stronger. Research is now underway to address this question.”
Garrity-Blake and Nash defined a fish house as a facility that packs North Carolina wild-caught finfish and shellfish mainly for wholesale distribution. As of late 2011, they found 83 such businesses in operation.
Their report states that the state lost nine fish houses between 2006 and 2011. However, the current loss is at a slower rate compared to what they found between 2001 and 2006.
Imported seafood, stricter fisheries regulations and insufficient labor were common reasons listed for fish house closures. Current owners cited a stronger demand for local seafood, local seafood educational initiatives—Brunswick Catch, Carteret Catch, Ocracoke Fresh and Outer Banks Catch—and property tax breaks for waterfront fish houses as elements that improved their businesses’ financial health during the past five years.
According to Garrity-Blake, the slowdown in closures should be understood in the context of the economy and real estate market. The first inventory occurred at the height of the property boom in coastal North Carolina when coastal parcels were selling at a premium.
“This follow-up inventory took place after the housing ‘crash’ that resulted in lower property values and a flat real estate market,” Garrity-Blake adds. “We predict that a rise in housing values will likely be accompanied by a rise in waterfront fish house closures, sales and conversions to residential property.”
The original study was included in deliberations of the N.C. Waterfront Access Study Committee, or WASC, that examined the loss of working waterfront and public access points along the coast. WASC was established by the N.C. General Assembly and administered by Sea Grant.
Legislators responded to several of the panel’s recommendations, including creating a $20- million Waterfront Access and Marine Industry fund and establishing provisions for “present-use” value for property tax assessments for waterfront fishing-related businesses.
The updated inventory will inform research at East Carolina University—funded by the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center—that is examining ways to distribute more local seafood within the state.
Data on market strategies and pressures affecting the industry should be of interest to state and federal agencies, as well as to industry members, local foods organizations and coastal community development initiatives, Garrity-Blake notes.
For the full report, visit www.ncseagrant.org/s/fhouse-2012.
For examples of local seafood educational initiatives, see www.brunswickcatch.com and www.outerbankscatch.com.
An inshore fishing tournament will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2012, in Surf City, NC, to benefit the family of Kimberly Batchelor, a local 12-year-old girl battling a rare form of brain cancer. The tournament will be a catch-and-release tournament for flounder, speckled trout, and red drum, with cash payouts for the top three teams.
The entry fee for the tournament is $250 per boat, with all proceeds going to the family. The Captain’s Meeting will be held Friday, October 12, at East Coast Sports in Surf City, where each team will receive a measuring device and a token to be used the day of the tournament.
Points will be awarded for legal-sized flounder, speckled trout, and red drum that are caught, photographed against the measuring device with token in the picture, and released. Each legal fish will be documented, specifying whether it was caught on live bait (worth 50 points), artificial (worth 75 points), or fly (worth 100 points). The point totals will determine the final results.
Kimberly’s story can be found at http://fighting4kimberly.blogspot.com.
Updates on Kimberly can be found on the Fighting for Kimberly Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/373677079331840/461080340591513/?notif_t=group_activity
Entry Form, Rules, and Tournament information can be found at
http://www.facebook.com/events/404127289647362/407971639262927/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity
Recreational anglers who catch red snapper during the upcoming mini-season can help manage this fishery and get a reward by donating their filleted carcasses to biologists.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has set up freezers at eight locations along the coast where fishermen can take their carcasses. In return, the angler will receive a limited edition fishing towel and a citation (certificate) from the N.C. Saltwater Fishing Tournament.
The freezers are located at: Hurricane Fleet, 9975 Nance St., Calabash; Ocean Isle Fishing Center, 65 Causeway Beach, Ocean Isle Beach; Carolina Beach Fishing Center, 313 Canal Drive, Carolina Beach; Tex’s Tackle, 215 Old Eastwood Road, Wilmington; Dudley’s Marina, 106 Cedar Point Blvd., Swansboro; Capt. Stacy Fishing Center, 415 Atlantic Beach Causeway, Atlantic Beach; Carolina Princess Fishing Center, 604 Evans St., Morehead City; Oden’s Dock, 57878 N.C. 12, Hatteras.
For a map of these locations, go to http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/snapper/freezer-locations.
Fishermen should leave the head and tail intact on the fish carcass. Instructions on how to deposit the carcasses are posted on each freezer. Anglers will be asked to give information related to how and when the fish was caught. Fishermen also will be asked for their names and addresses in order to receive their reward and citation.
