Did you know that North Carolina saltwater anglers annually harvest 38% of all dolphinfish along the east coast?
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A federally endangered fish thought to live only in two river basins in Virginia was recently discovered in North Carolina.

The Roanoke logperch, one of the largest darters in the Perch family, was thought to live only in portions of the Roanoke and Chowan River basins of Virginia. However, biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the Division of Water Quality and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences found two populations of the fish in the Mayo and Smith rivers earlier this summer — discoveries that have sent ripples of excitement through biologists who are more likely to see fish disappear, than re-appear, in a river basin.

“In a time when we’re seeing a major decline in aquatic critters, we get really excited when a rare fish is possibly expanding its range,” said Chris Wood, aquatic biologist with the Commission. “We think this fish once occurred in Continue Reading »

Final rule gives states more time to implement local data gathering
Just a few days after delaying a decision, NOAA’s Fisheries Service released its final rule today to create a national saltwater angler registry of all marine recreational fishermen to help the nation better protect our shared marine resources. A requirement to establish a registry was included in a statute approved by Congress in 2007. 
The final rule requires anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters to be included in the national saltwater angler registry by January 1, 2010.  NOAA had originally proposed that registration be required beginning in January 2009, but based on public input decided to give states another year to put in place their own data collection systems. 

NOAA received nearly 500 comments from anglers, state officials, and fishing and environmental organizations on its proposed national registry rule during the comment period from June 12 until Aug. 21. The registry is one component of the agency’s new Marine Recreational Information Program, an initiative to enhance data collection on recreational catch and effort.

To read the final registry rule and other information about the Marine Recreational Information Program, go to: http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov

 The angler registration Final Rule has not been published by the National Marine Fisheries Service, so Virginia’s saltwater anglers will not have to register on the NMFS web site on January 1 as originally expected.  NMFS has given no reason, just stated that the final rule is late.  Here is the actual text of the NMFS announcement:

“A rule to register the nation’s saltwater anglers to improve the management of fish is not yet finalized. Once it is, the final rule and information regarding the registration process and requirements will immediately be updated on NOAA’s Fisheries Service website http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov. Until a final rule is adopted, anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters, and for anadromous species, will not be required to register with NOAA Fisheries.”

The 52nd annual Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, which opens January 1, 2009 and runs throughout the year, will see no modifications in its popular Citation program.  “The Tournament Committee felt the current Citation standards were at appropriate levels, so they recommended no adjustments to the Program for the coming year,” stated Tournament Director Lewis Gillingham.

The Tournament Committee made major changes to the program in 2004, establishing release Citations for most species and increasing the qualifying minimums for more than a dozen species.   In recent years, the Committee has attempted to fine tune individual minimum qualifying weights and lengths to coincide with historical trophy-fish standards.

Other popular programs administered by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, such as the Continue Reading »

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR) is calling on boaters to help prevent the spread of harmful zebra mussels. The Maryland DNR recently confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in the lower Susquehanna River. The latest zebra mussels found in Maryland were recovered from a boat docked in Harford County. Biologists are calling for vigilance and assistance from boaters and anglers to prevent spread of harmful zebra mussels.

“Maryland’s freshwater reservoirs have a lot to lose if zebra mussels get in,” said Dr. Ron Klauda, a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “By taking a few simple precautionary steps now, boater and anglers can help prevent the devastating economic impact and ecological havoc caused by this invasive species.”

The zebra mussel, a small freshwater mollusk from the Caspian Sea, has already infested much of the Great Lakes region, causing economic and ecological damage. Free-swimming zebra mussel larvae will stick to any hard surface and begin to grow. As the mussels grow, they physically clog water systems, coat boat bottoms and any structures in water. Zebra mussels have encrusted boats, ruined power plant intakes, and changed the way municipal water systems must operate. Ecologically, zebra mussels are killing native mussels, including endangered species. Their presence been connected with widespread ecological impacts from increasing toxic microorganisms to declining duck populations.

Since inadvertent introduction into the Great Lakes in the mid-1980s, the zebra mussel has spread rapidly into freshwater habitats from Louisiana to New Hampshire. While the species free-swimming larvae move rapidly with natural currents, the main mechanism for its transport up rivers and Continue Reading »

A Norfolk Circuit Judge has rejected an appeal by watermen to lift the winter crab dredging ban. The ban affects 37 crabbers. The watermen argued that the VMRC had overstepped their jurisdiction in banning the winter dredging, and that only the General Assembly had that authority. VMRC imposed the dredging ban as part of a 34% harvest reduction designed to prevent the complete collapse of the Bay’s crab population. Further deterioration in the Bay’s crab population could bring additional harvest restrictions which would impact 200 to 600 crabbers.

We also reported a few weeks ago about the recent pound net applications in the Cape Henry – Lynnhaven area. Below is the recent ruling on those applicaitons.

In its Nov 25 meeting, VMRC rejected an application for two pound nets in the Cape Henry – Lynnhaven area. One was to be located 500 feet from shore, the other 1600 feet out. The primary opposition centered on the interference that the nets would pose to recreation and their threat to dolphin. There have been 40 dolphin deaths attributed to area nets in the last 10 years.

A proposal for a pound net 3,000 feet off Windmill Point was approved.