Releases – September 26, 2019
Operation North State (ONS) and its numerous and generous supporters and volunteers are calling on North Carolina’s people, places, products, and pride (especially in the Oak Island/Southport community) to help support the upcoming 6th Annual Peer Fishin’ Festival. The festival will be held Friday, October 4 (rain or shine), on Ocean Crest Pier in Oak Island.
Operation North State and the Oak Island/Southport community will host 350 folks (wounded warriors, DVets, their respective guests, sponsors, pier mates, and volunteers) to a great day of fishing and fellowship.
According to Operation North State’s Founder/Volunteer Terry Snyder, “The event is being held at the request of the wounded warriors/DVets that have fished in ONS’s Top Shelf Fishin’ Festivals throughout the state the past seven years. The Peer Fishin’ Festival is one of eight such Fishin’ Festivals hosted throughout North Carolina each year by ONS. There is nothing else like our Fishin’ Festivals’ schedule in the country. The wounded warriors/DVets are so excited to have the opportunity to return to Ocean Crest Pier this year and include their families and friends in the festival as well. Likewise, our sponsors and volunteers are honored to be part of the festival and the opportunity to give back.”
The 6th Annual Peer Fishin’ Festival is free to wounded warriors/DVets and their respective guests. “Operation North State is grateful to the pier mates for providing their time, expertise, and equipment,” Snyder added.
For wounded warriors/DVets to participate, send an email to mailbox@operationnorthstate.com or call (336) 764-5967. Provide your name, email address, telephone number, and what North Carolina town you call home.
ONS is requesting assistance and participation in the festival as follows: (1) Spots are still available for wounded warriors/DVets to attend; (2) Serve as a Pier-Mate and assist a group of wounded warriors/DVets on the pier; (3) Donate product, services, and/or cash for the dinner, snacks, beverages, and prizes; (4) Provide a covered dish for the breakfast or lunch (the covered dishes are so popular); and (5) Come spend some time on the pier on Friday, October 4, and cheer on these special Americans.
For additional information and/or to show your support, contact Terry Snyder, ONS Founder/Volunteer, at mailbox@operationnorthstate.com or call (336) 764-5967.
Richard Neal, owner of Frying Pan Tower, is continuing the tradition of auctioning off flags from the tower that flew during hurricanes to raise money for the relief effort.
Many of you are probably familiar with the footage shown on the news of an American flag flapping in the wind as these storms near our coast. This footage comes from a livestream on the platform of Frying Pan Tower that is located 32 miles offshore, and the flag serves as a beacon of hope in the path of destruction.
This year’s Old Glory flag is known as “Steve” and served as that beacon during Hurricane Dorian.
Please help Richard Neal spread the word about the auction to as many people as possible to help raise money for the Ocracoke victims.
Go to www.ebay.com/itm/362755709877 to view and participate in the Ebay auction, or help out by sharing the post with others. For this auction, 100% of your bid for Old Glory “Steve” will go to help the Ocracoke victims of Hurricane Dorian.
Recreational fishermen are demanding that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission intervene after industrial harvesting giant Omega Protein failed to comply with the Commission’s menhaden catch limits in the Chesapeake Bay.
Omega previously made a commitment to comply with the 51,000 MT catch limit, but just last week the foreign-owned corporation said it would exceed the cap in the Chesapeake Bay.
“While recreational fishermen face lower limits on striped bass, Omega is scooping up 70 percent of the coastwide catch of the striper’s primary food source,” said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Omega is willfully violating the Commission’s menhaden management plan, and this behavior is unacceptable. We urge the Commission and the Department of Commerce to bring this foreign fishing operation in line.”
Research suggests localized depletion of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay could be responsible for as much as a 30 percent decline in striped bass. A study determined the 2016 striped bass fishery generated $7.8 billion toward our nation’s gross domestic product.
“It’s frustrating and disappointing to see the menhaden Chesapeake Bay cap intentionally exceeded,” said Mike Leonard, vice president of government affairs for the American Sportfishing Association. “The Chesapeake Bay is a critical nursery for menhaden and many of its predators such as striped bass, which is why leaving sufficient menhaden in the Bay is so important. This action undermines not only the health of the marine environment, but also the science-based process the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission used to make their decision.”
“Just days after the Marine Stewardship Council christened the Atlantic menhaden fishery as a sustainable fishery, Omega Protein abruptly announced it will summarily disregard the harvest cap that was established through a legitimate management action of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission,” said Ted Venker, conservation director for the Coastal Conservation Association. “Our fears about the biased MSC process and Omega’s lack of commitment to consensus-based management and conservation have been shown to be well-founded. It is imperative that the ASMFC, and ultimately the Department of Commerce, find Omega out of compliance with the current Atlantic menhaden management plan and take the appropriate action.”
This press release courtesy of CCA NC and Joe Neely.
There will be a free trout surf fishing seminar with Dr. Bogus on Monday, October 7, 2019, from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Community Center, 203 Leisure Lane. Learn about surf fishing from one of the area’s most renowned experts.
Pre-registration is required, and registration is limited to 30 people.
To register for the seminar, call the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Department at (252) 354-6350 or email wsmith@emeraldisle-nc.org.
NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Science and Technology has reissued a policy directive on the process of transitioning to a new or improved recreational fishing data collection design.
As first issued, the directive recognized that making changes to NOAA Fisheries’ recreational fishing surveys can lead to changes in the agency’s recreational catch and effort estimates. The policy directive also stated that a Transition Plan must be developed to account for these changes. It must also account for the time and effort it takes to integrate new estimates into existing time series and incorporate calibrated statistics into fisheries science and management.
Now, the Policy Directive 04-114:
(1) Formally documents the Marine Recreational Information Program’s (MRIP’s) existing survey certification process as a key step in transitioning to a new or improved data collection design.
(2) Establishes that only those survey designs that have been certified or are on the path to certification are eligible to receive technical and/or financial support for implementation from MRIP.
Certified survey and estimation methods meet a shared set of standards, undergo independent peer review, and receive approval from the MRIP Executive Steering Committee. The certification process ensures new or improved survey designs are capable of producing statistics that meet the requirements of the Information Quality Act. They must also be accepted as Best Scientific Information Available under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Over the past eight years, NOAA Fisheries has certified six survey designs.
Procedural Directive 04-114-02 has been issued with this revised policy. It describes the process of reviewing and certifying survey designs and documenting and archiving survey design details.
