Commercial gillnet fishermen in North Carolina have been put on notice that regulations will take effect this week impacting times and places they are required to stay within 100 yards of and ready to work their small mesh gill nets.
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Director Louis Daniel issued a proclamation that implements attendance requirements passed by the Marine Fisheries Commission last week in conjunction with the adoption of an updated Red Drum Fishery Management Plan. The new attendance requirements become effective Thursday.
The new regulations will:
- Require year-round attendance in the lower Neuse River for nets smaller than 5-inches stretch mesh set within 200 yards of shore from the N.C. 17 bridge to the mouth of the river;
- Lengthen a small mesh gill net attendance season so that it runs from May 1 through Nov. 30 in all primary and permanent secondary nursery areas and modified no-trawl areas;
- Implement a May 1 through Nov. 30 attendance requirement for small mesh nets set within 200 yards of the shore in the Pamlico, Pungo, Neuse and Bay rivers and bays;
- Require May 1 through Nov. 30 attendance of small mesh gill nets set within 50 yards of shore in Pamlico and Core sounds and in waters south to the South Carolina state line, except for Core Sound and waters south during October and November;
- Modify the small mesh gill net attendance line in the area between Rodanthe and Gull Island to straighten a line and allow for non-attended nets in areas of deeper water;
- Modify the attendance line in the area of Oliver Reef near Cape Hatteras to allow for non-attended nets in deeper water.
Daniel had received more than 300 letters from the public asking him to immediately implement the small mesh gill net attendance requirements once the commission adopted the updated Red Drum Fishery Management Plan. The commission voted 6-1 to ask Daniel to issue such a proclamation.
Permanent rules implementing recommendations in the Red Drum Plan will not be finalized until at least February. Other permanent rules approved by the commission as recommended in the Red Drum Plan include:
- Establishing a 3,000–yard-per-vessel limit on large mesh gill net used in inshore waters;
- Requiring the use of circle hooks, short leaders and fixed weights when fishing at night with natural bait using large hooks (greater than 4/0) in the Pamlico Sound and its tributaries from July through September;
- Splitting the annual commercial red drum harvest limit into two periods: 150,000 pounds allotted for Sept. 1 – April 30 and 100,000 pounds allotted for May 1 – Aug. 31.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service will hold a public meeting at the Ocean Pines Library located at 11107 Cathell Road in Berlin, MD to discuss regulations for the 2009 summer flounder fishery on Monday, February 23rd at 5:30PM.
