Daily Bible Verse

August 28, 2015

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries asking NC Fishermen asked to track storm


to NCDENR.DENR.DM.JamieNCDENR.Denr.dmf
NCDENR logo.jpg

Pat McCrory, Governor                                             
Donald R. van der Vaart, Secretary



N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Release: Immediate                                                                                  Contact: Patricia Smith                          
Date: Aug. 28, 2015                                                                                Phone: 252-726-7021
 

Fishermen asked to track storm

MOREHEAD CITY – With Tropical Storm Erika brewing in the Atlantic, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is asking fishermen to track its forecast.

In the event the storm is predicted to impact coastal North Carolina, fishermen should to be prepared to remove fishing gear from the water well ahead of the storm’s arrival. Crab pots and gill nets, especially, are prone to damage and displacement during storms.

Additionally, vessel owners should check their safety equipment to ensure all is in working order and be prepared to remove their boats from the water or take them to safe harbor. Fishermen should monitor a NOAA Weather radio for storm updates and channel 16 on their marine radios for the latest U.S. Coast Guard emergency broadcasts.


Information about other hurricane preparations, as well as a free mobile app, can be found on the state Division of Emergency Management’s website at www.ReadyNC.org.


Patricia Smith
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, N.C. 28557
(252) 808-8025 (Office)
(252) 342-0642 (Mobile)

Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties unless the content is exempt by statute or other regulation.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny and 

Recipe for Today..... Jim’s Fish Taco Recipe

Another great recipe from our kitchen and our readers.


Jim’s Fish Taco Recipe

Fish Taco Recipe (mine):
Sorry there are no quantities, it is all to taste.

Lime
Napa Cabbage
Sirachi Chili Sauce (Chinese Chili Sauce)
Mayonnaise 
White Fish (I like grouper of course, but flounder or black bass are good, whatever is freshest) 
Panko (Chinese bread crumbs)
Corn Tortillas 
Black Beans (Canned)
Eggs beaten
Canola Oil


Simple recipe but pretty darn good.


Slice cabbage very thin.  Combine mayo, lime juice (about a half of lime) and sirachi to taste,.  I use the hot sirachi with garlic. Combine cabbage and mayo, don't over do it with the mayo/sirachi, a little goes a long ways.  

I fry my corn tortilla, I try to get the best shape I can to hold the ingredients.  Next dip fish into beaten egg  and roll in Panko crumbs. If you've never used Panko you should, It is an excellent alternative to other breaders. (try a boneless pork chop pan fried with panko- awesome!) 
Fry Fish, place on metal mesh to drain and salt, not paper towel.
Heat beans, use a stick blender to puree the beans. You can serve the beans as a side dish with a dollop of sour cream or use sparingly on the taco. 
Combine shell, beans, fish and top with cabbage and maybe a squeeze of fresh lime. 

Cerveza recommended

Enjoy!

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny and Donna
www.fishintopsail.com

Potential New Orleans City Park record largemouth caught and released

Hello from Surf City, North Carolina on beautiful Topsail Island.

This story is about more than a huge big mouth bass, it's also about overcoming a disability, for the love of fishing.  Mike Laviolette is a special person that loves to fish, and wasn't going to let a missing hand ruin his love for fishing.


Laviolette catches 9-pound, 3 ¾-ounce bass on 5-inch junebug sparkle Yum worm

Story by Patrick Bonin

Mike Laviolette shows off the 9-pound, 3 ¾-ounce bass he caught Monday morning in New Orleans City Park. It won't qualify as an official record because the bass wasn't weighed on certified scales, but Laviolette ultimately decided to release the fish.
Mike Laviolette shows off the 9-pound, 3 ¾-ounce bass he caught Monday morning in New Orleans City Park. It won't qualify as an official record because the bass wasn't weighed on certified scales, but Laviolette ultimately decided to release the fish.
Courtesy of Mike Laviolette
Most anglers with two good hands never catch a largemouth bass approaching anything close to 10 pounds, but Mike Laviolette accomplished the feat single-handedly Monday morning at a lagoon in New Orleans City Park. 
The 57-year-old New Orleans resident, who lost his left hand four years ago in an accident rebuilding a fishing camp in Shell Beach, reeled in a 9-pound, 3 ¾-ounce lunker that might have been a new City Park record — if had weighed it in on certified scales.
“I started to keep it, but I changed my mind,” said Laviolette, who was accompanied by his 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier, “Jockamo Roussell,” when he reeled in the big bass about 9:30. “After I contemplated it, I talked to my friend Ray Chagnard who owns Chag’s Sporting Goods, and he said, ‘Man, you’ve got the picture of the fish. You know what he is. Let him go.’
“Because if I got him certified, I kill the fish, and all I get is a piece of paper over at City Park — it’s not like I’m going to win a boat or something. So I decided to let the fish go so somebody else can catch him.”
Laviolette started fishing at daybreak Monday, but didn’t have a bite in two hours, so he decided to take a break.
“I went to get coffee and beignets,” he said. “The dog likes the beignets and I drink the coffee. After we finished that, I went back to a spot where I had caught a 6-pounder Friday afternoon.”
It was in that same spot that Laviolette believes he lost the monster fish he eventually caught on Monday morning after hooking up with it on Thursday afternoon before it escaped near the bank. 
“It’s hard for me to situate the pole because I don’t have two hands,” he said. “When I went to put my hand down there to lip him on Thursday, he came off as soon as I put a little slack in the line.”
But after his coffee break Monday, it didn’t take long for things to get interesting. 
“As soon as I went back, the first cast he picked it up and started running with it. I set the hook, and he just started screaming some drag,” Laviolette said. “I turned him and he was splashing all around. He made a deep dive, and as soon as he came up, I decided to flip him up on the bank instead of trying to lip him.
“As soon as he hit the bank, guess what? The hook came out again.”
But this time Laviolette was ready. He retrieved a 25-foot stringer from his car, and tied the big bass to a bush along the bank while he figured out a plan of action. The big bass had a hole in his lip which matched where he had hooked the fish last week.
“He’s pulling this bush over like a deer rubbing a tree — that’s what it looked like,” Laviolette said with a laugh. “Finally he got tired of doing that and he just calmed down. So I started calling some people I knew to see if they were in the area to bring a scale.”
One friend finally came by, and that scale pegged the fish at 9 pounds, 3 ¾ ounces. Someone else stopped by with a tape, and the bass measured 25 inches long with a 16-inch girth.
Laviolette estimates he’s caught more than 60 5-pounders in the lagoons. His previous best from City Park was a bass weighing 7-15, and he also has a 7-14, a 7-8 and a 7-6 to his credit there. With his lunker Monday, that makes five pretty impressive fish caught in the park over the last few years. 
“That five-fish stringer would be almost 40 pounds,” he said. “But every fish I’ve caught since then I’ve been throwing back in.”
Laviolette caught the hawg with a Texas-rigged junebug sparkle Yum 5-inch straight worm on 15-pound Fins WindTamer braid, with a Daiwa Lexa spinning reel.
An avid saltwater angler before his accident, he caught a 10-pound-plus speckled trout in 1981 from Lake Pontchartrain that is on display at Chag’s. 
“Now I have a little pipe connected to my prosthesis, and the pole fits in there like a rod holder,” he explained. “It’s like super-glueing your hand to a rod holder. I reel with my right, and set the hook with my left.
“But it’s hard for me to tie knots, so I don’t like to change baits. If I get excited, it’ll take me a long time to change a knot or retie. So if I use a worm, I never have to retie.”
The current City Park record bass was caught by Tim Zissis in 2013, and weighed in at 9.05 pounds. 

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

August 27, 2015

Fwd: NC Fisheries Management Continues to Amaze...





CALL TO ACTION
If we had not been present at last week's MFC meeting we would not have believed the turn of events that took place. On Thursday morning, DENR Secretary van der Vaart received a letter signed by 13 senators and representatives asking the Secretary "to rescind immediately the MFC's existing authority to supplement the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan." The Secretary deemed these 13 legislators as representative of "ample concern within both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly" to have one of the Department attorneys deliver his letter to the MFC meeting on Thursday asking the MFC to postpone the vote on adopting a supplement to the Southern flounder FMP presumably to give the newly appointed Commissioners "the necessary time to achieve an informed vote."

But in an even more bizarre turn of events, Representative Steinburg made an unscheduled appearance before the Commission to issue a thinly veiled threat that "you could be voting on an issue tomorrow as it relates to the banning of gill nets and so forth" and "if any decision that's made is interpreted as not being fair, you will likely be dealing with the legislature moving forward."

Rep. Steinburg from Edenton was one of the 13 legislators that signed the letter asking the Secretary to rescind the supplement authority. The others were Sen. Bill Cook, Sen. Brent Jackson, Sen. Bill Rabon, Sen. Norm Sanderson, Sen. Jerry Tillman, Rep. George Cleveland, Rep. Frank Iler, Rep. Pat McElraft, Rep. Chris Millis, Rep. Phil Shepard, Rep. Michael Speciale, and Rep. Paul Tine. All represent coastal counties with the exception of Sen. Jackson.

The supplement process has been publicly transparent, allowing ample public input, through both oral and written comments. During this comment period the Division received 986 email comments, 260 letters, and 3,976 petition signatures. Only 45 comments out of 5,222 opposed significantly reducing the Southern flounder catch. That is less that 1% of the comments that did not support strong protection of the resource.

CCA-NC fully supports the MFC's efforts to seek a supplement to the Southern flounder FMP to finally end overfishing and allow the stock to begin to recover. In all of the years that CCA NC has been working with the MFC on fisheries management issues, no one has ever seen this type of legislative move to influence a Commission of the executive branch. There was overwhelming public support in favor of efforts to reduce commercial harvest of Southern flounder by raising the minimum size limit to 15 inches, implementing a Total Allowable Catch limit for commercial harvest, the prohibition of large-mesh gill nets and no further reductions to the recreational limits.
 
The MFC was told by the Secretary of DENR and 13 state legislators that it is not a matter of whether the public agrees with the need to protect a depleted fishery from continued overfishing, it is more important to continue to allow a very small sector of the commercial fishing industry to profit from a shrinking public trust resource. The citizens of North Carolina that have spoken up in support of the supplement process should be very upset with their representatives, and they should let them know. The Governor's office should also be very upset with the legislators that are seeking to circumvent the executive power of the MFC commissioners that were appointed as fisheries managers by the Governor.

We are asking all concerned citizens to contact their legislators and express their concern. Please click on the following link to our Action Center for a sample message that we encourage you to edit in your own words and use to send a personal message to your representatives:


NC Fisheries Management Continues to Amaze...

Thank you for your support, and please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

David Sneed, Executive Director

 
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August 25, 2015

Marine Fisheries Commission delays vote on Southern Flounder proposals

Pat McCrory, Governor                                            
Donald R. van der Vaart, Secretary



N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources


Release: Immediate                                                                                         Contact: Patricia Smith
Date: Aug. 25, 2015                                                                                       Phone: 252-726-7021

Marine Fisheries Commission delays vote on Southern Flounder proposals

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission postponed action on proposals for Southern Flounder management that had been scheduled for last week’s meeting.

During last week’s meeting, the board received a letter from N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Donald van der Vaart. Van der Vaart’s letter referenced and enclosed a letter he received from multiple members of the N.C. General Assembly asking him to temporarily rescind the commission’s authority to adopt a supplement to the state’s Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. Van der Vaart stated in his letter that he shared some of the legislators’ concerns and reemphasized his sole focus of achieving responsible management of Southern Flounder while protecting the rights of all those who rely on the fishery. After reviewing both letters and noting the various concerns, Marine Fisheries Commission Chairman Sammy Corbett removed the issue from the agenda.

The commission was scheduled to select and approve management measures for Southern Flounder from six potential management proposals it had taken out for public comment. The six options range in impacts to different fisheries and gears. They can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/southern-flounder-current-topic.


Once these concerns are addressed, the commission plans to hold a meeting in September to address the Southern Flounder issue. Details of the meeting date, time and location will be announced later.

In other business, the commission:

·   Voted to post draft information updates for the Interjurisdictional and Kingfish fishery management plans on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ website for public review.
·   Approved a five-year fishery management plan schedule.

Prior to the meeting, van der Vaart administered the oath of office to new commission members Janet Rose and Keith Rhodes. Rose, of Moyock, fills a commercial fisherman seat and Rhodes, a Wilmington chef, fills an at-large seat. Photos of the swearing-in ceremony can be downloaded at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/08-2015-rhodes-rose.

###



Patricia Smith
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, N.C. 28557
(252) 808-8025 (Office)
(252) 342-0642 (Mobile)
Tricia.Smith@ncdenr.gov


August 19, 2015

Surf City Ocean Pier Aug 19 2015

Good morning from Surf City.
Pics from Surf City Ocean Pier for yesterday and today, Aug 12015








August 17, 2015

VOTE TO TORPEDO RECREATIONAL FISHING COMMUNITY

Recreational Fishing Alliance

For Immediate Release
August 17, 2015   
VOTE TO TORPEDO RECREATIONAL FISHING COMMUNITY
COUNCIL & COMMISSION TURN DEAF EAR TO FLOUNDERING INDUSTRY

New Gretna, NJ - After 3-1/2 hours of discussion and debate on August 12th, the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted in favor of a 29% reduction in the summer flounder quota for both the commercial and recreational sector starting in 2016.

Regrettably, a motion made by New Jersey Council representative Jeff Kaelin of Cape May that would've lessened the impact of the overall reduction was defeated when 12 members voted in opposition to a measure that would've led to a smaller, 20% overall reduction. Only five voting members supported the motion made by Kaelin, including all of the New Jersey representatives and one North Carolina representative.

"Kaelin's motion, which was consistent with RFA's position, to use the higher threshold Overfishing Limit (OFL) of 18.06 million pounds rather than the lower Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) number of 16.26 million pounds was a sound, solid compromise, but the system failed the community," said Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA). "The Council and Commission ignored the fishing community and cost anglers more than a million pounds of fluke next season and up to a month of fishing season."

Donofrio said New York anglers are going to be maddest of all to learn that all voting members from their state opposed the Kaelin amendment.   Full-time Norcross Wildlife Foundation grants administrator John McMurray, along with New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) staffer Jim Gilmore both voted against the less restrictive measure, while fellow New York Council members Tony DiLernia and Laurie Nolan each refrained from voting on the amendment.

"These members just torpedoed the struggling recreational fishing industry, the socioeconomic pain in 2016 is going to be significant," Donofrio said. "It's frustrating to me to see Council members like Mr. McMurray who takes part-time work in the sportfishing industry writing for On the Water magazine, while influencing Congress against the very same industry as a board member for the Marine Fish Conservation Network. For our local fishing community, it's disheartening."

Donofrio said he's been inundated with phone calls from New York anglers and business owners asking why the NYDEC would vote against the less restrictive measure. "We thought Governor Cuomo and his staff was in tune to what's happening in our New York fishing community," Donofrio said, adding "what's really troubling is why Capt. Dilernia didn't step up and vote for the measure. I'm sure if he had really wanted to help the community, he and Councilor Nolan could've improved our chances greatly of getting the lesser cut by helping lead the charge."

The secondary motion for deeper, 29% cutbacks in the 2016 through 2018 seasons was approved by a vote of 17 to 3. The New York City vote last week will reduce the recreational fishing quota to 5.42 million pounds of summer flounder in 2016, significantly down from the 2015 allowance of 7.38 million pounds in the recreational sector. With this 'phased' reduction the 2017 recreational harvest limit will be set at 5.82 million pounds, and is expected to drop again in 2018 to just 5.26 million pounds.

Donofrio said debate and discussion will get especially heated in the coming months as ASMFC representatives and Council members alike begin to learn what these cutbacks will really mean in terms of season, size and bag limits for 2016 and beyond. "We're looking at losing weeks, perhaps even a month of fluke fishing season next year, on a rebuilt fish stock, go figure."

About Recreational Fishing Alliance
The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national, grassroots political action organization representing recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our Nation's saltwater fisheries. For more information, call 888-JOIN-RFA or visit www.joinrfa.org.
 

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August 16, 2015

Photos from Surf City Ocean Pier Inc.'s post - Surf City Ocean Pier Inc.

August 16,2015

Pics from Surf City Ocean Pier

                             
Another fantastic sunrise from Surf City Ocean Pier! We are Blessed.


 
Nice Flounder at Surf City Ocean Pier today.
                                                               
Cooler of blue fish Surf City Ocean Pier. You can have the M&Ms.





         
More Blues


The water is getting a bit cooler and fish are starting to move back into the surf. Right now, fishing is better at night, both on the piers and in the surf. Good luck!

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

August 12, 2015

Gator Trout and Doormat Flounder

Thanks Ricky Kellum, the Speckled Specialist. Ricky told me he would but me on a "gator." And he did. Good job Ricky! Live shrimp fished under a sliding cork. Fished about 5 ft deep. I had never fished for specks with a cork. I am hooked now! This wasn't the only fish I landed, also two more keeper specks, a nice fat 17 inch flounder. My nephew landed some keeper fish also, and his fiance Laken landed the fish of the day, a doormat flounder. My Grandson Zachary caught keeper fish also.
Great day!


My best spotted sea trout to date!  And I never thought about weighing it.
Laken landed the fish of the day, a doormat flounder,

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Fishing Piers of Topsail Island, Past and Present

If you haven't gotten to Surf City Pier house to get your new "The Piers of Topsail Island" T-Shirts, they are selling out fast. Don't wait, it would be a shame to miss these great T-Shirts! I understand they still have some in stock.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Fishin' Joke August 12, 2015

Hope this makes you smile!


And another one.......


No one in this town could catch any fish except this one man. The game warden asked him how he did it. The man told the game warden that he would take him fishing the next day. Once they got to the middle of the lake the man took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it in the water. After the explosion fish started floating to the top of the water. The man took out a net and started picking up the fish. The game warden told him that this was illegal. The man took out another stick of dynamite and lit it. He then tossed it to the game warden and said " are you going to fish or talk".

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

August 8, 2015

Recipe of the Day - Baked Carolina Redfish

Baked Carolina Redfish


2 pounds redfish fillets
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons onion, finely chopped 
1/4 cup melted butter 
1 teaspoon salt 
dash pepper

Place fish in a lightly buttered shallow baking dish. In a cup combine remaining ingredients. Pour over redfish fillets and bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes. The baked redfish should flake easily with a fork when done. Serves 4 to 6.

This is yummy, and not fried. Enjoy!

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

August 7, 2015

Joke of the day ........ Enjoy


Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny


Marine Fisheries Commission meeting scheduled for Aug. 19-21 in Raleigh

Pat McCrory, Governor                                            
Donald R. van der Vaart, Secretary
  
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Release: Immediate                                                                                         Contact: Patricia Smith
Date: Aug. 6, 2015                                                                                         Phone: 252-726-7021

Marine Fisheries Commission meeting scheduled for Aug. 19-21 in Raleigh

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet Aug. 19-21 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Raleigh Brownstone University Hotel, 1707 Hillsborough St., Raleigh.

Public comment periods will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 19 and 9 a.m. Aug. 20. The chairman will allow each speaker to comment for three minutes. Due to time constraints, those making comments will be asked to speak only once, either at the Aug. 19 or Aug. 20 session, but not during both public comment periods.
  
The business meeting begins at 9 a.m. Aug. 20 and 8:30 a.m. Aug. 21.
  
The deadline for submitting written correspondence to the commission, email or otherwise, through the Marine Fisheries Commission Office is 5 p.m. Aug. 17. Those who wish to give handouts to the commission during the public comment periods should bring at least 12 copies of the handout.

 The commission will offer a live webcast of the meeting. Up to 200 participants may listen to audio and view presentations in real-time on a first-come, first-served basis. Directions for participating in the webcast, including information on system requirements and testing, can be found at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/listen-online.

At this meeting, the commission is scheduled to select and approve management measures for Supplement A to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1. The discussion is slated for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 21.

In May, the commission chose six potential management proposals to take out for public review. The six options range in impacts to different fisheries and gears. They can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/southern-flounder-current-topic.

Approved management measures could be implemented for this fall.

The commission is also scheduled to:
·   Receive a presentation on the the 2015 Stock Status Report;
·   Hear an update on adaptive management triggers for the blue crab fishery;
·   Vote to post draft information updates for the Interjurisdictional and Kingfish fishery management      plans on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries website for public review.
·   Approve a five-year fishery management plan schedule.

A meeting agenda and a full briefing book can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/mfc-meetings.

For more information, contact Marine Fisheries Commission Liaison Nancy Fish at 252-808-8021 or Nancy.Fish@ncdenr.gov.

Patricia Smith
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, N.C. 28557
(252) 808-8025 (Office)
(252) 342-0642 (Mobile)
Tricia.Smith@ncdenr.gov

http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Marine Fisheries Commission meeting scheduled for Aug. 19-21 in Raleigh

Pat McCrory, Governor                                            
Donald R. van der Vaart, Secretary



N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Release: Immediate                                                                                         Contact: Patricia Smith
Date: Aug. 6, 2015                                                                                         Phone: 252-726-7021

Marine Fisheries Commission meeting scheduled for Aug. 19-21 in Raleigh

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet Aug. 19-21 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Raleigh Brownstone University Hotel, 1707 Hillsborough St., Raleigh.

Public comment periods will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 19 and 9 a.m. Aug. 20. The chairman will allow each speaker to comment for three minutes. Due to time constraints, those making comments will be asked to speak only once, either at the Aug. 19 or Aug. 20 session, but not during both public comment periods.

The business meeting begins at 9 a.m. Aug. 20 and 8:30 a.m. Aug. 21.
  
The deadline for submitting written correspondence to the commission, email or otherwise, through the Marine Fisheries Commission Office is 5 p.m. Aug. 17. Those who wish to give handouts to the commission during the public comment periods should bring at least 12 copies of the handout.
  
The commission will offer a live webcast of the meeting. Up to 200 participants may listen to audio and view presentations in real-time on a first-come, first-served basis. Directions for participating in the webcast, including information on system requirements and testing, can be found at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/listen-online.
  
At this meeting, the commission is scheduled to select and approve management measures for Supplement A to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1. The discussion is slated for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 21.

In May, the commission chose six potential management proposals to take out for public review. The six options range in impacts to different fisheries and gears. They can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/southern-flounder-current-topic.

Approved management measures could be implemented for this fall.

The commission is also scheduled to:
·   Receive a presentation on the the 2015 Stock Status Report;
·   Hear an update on adaptive management triggers for the blue crab fishery;
·   Vote to post draft information updates for the Interjurisdictional and Kingfish fishery management plans on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries website for public review.
·   Approve a five-year fishery management plan schedule.

A meeting agenda and a full briefing book can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/mfc-meetings.

For more information, contact Marine Fisheries Commission Liaison Nancy Fish at 252-808-8021 or Nancy.Fish@ncdenr.gov.

###



Patricia Smith
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, N.C. 28557
(252) 808-8025 (Office)
(252) 342-0642 (Mobile)
Tricia.Smith@ncdenr.gov

http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/


Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Committee to hold planning meeting


Pat McCrory, Governor                                            
Donald R. van der Vaart, Secretary

N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Release: Immediate                                                                                  Contact: Patricia Smith                         
Date: Aug. 6, 2015                                                                                  Phone: 252-726-7021

Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Committee to hold planning meeting

MOREHEAD CITY – The Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Steering Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Aug. 12 at the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Washington Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington.
The committee will review the process for developing Coastal Habitat Protection Plan reports.
An agenda is attached. 

This meeting is in addition to a previously announced joint meeting of the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Steering Committee and the Marine Fisheries Commission Habitat and Water Quality Advisory Committee, scheduled for 1 p.m. at the same location.

At the 1 p.m. meeting, the committees will review sections of the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, including chapters on Priority Habitat Issues, Existing Protection, Restoration and Enhancement Efforts. The committees will also provide input on draft recommendations of the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.

For more information, contact Jimmy Johnson with the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership at 252-948-3952 or Jimmy.Johnson@ncdenr.gov.

Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Steering Committee
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Office
943 Washington Square Mall, Washington

Aug. 12, 2015     

10 a.m.            Call to Order and Welcome           
10:05 a.m.       Introductions
10:15 a.m.       Review of the Process for Report Development
 Noon               Adjourn

Patricia Smith
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, N.C. 28557
(252) 808-8025 (Office)
(252) 342-0642 (Mobile)
Tricia.Smith@ncdenr.gov
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny

August 5, 2015

Hammerhead Shark Attacks Kayak Fisherman!!!

This one is for the Kayak anglers .........



"A large hammerhead shark took I liking to my friends kayak while we were offshore fishing. The huge shark even bit the back and side of his kayak and had to be beaten off, sadly I did not get this on camera. The shark eventually had enough of getting smacked with a paddle and took off."







Not sure I like kayak fishing any longer..........

Hammerhead shark freed from fishing line in Florida

August 4, 2015

TIDE Lines for August 4, 2015 (‎8‎/‎4‎/‎2015)


This is an email I received from David Sneed of Coastal Conservation Association. email: david@ccanc.org  NC Anglers, this is good news!

North Carolina Fisheries Association Suit Dismissed
 
Federal Judge James C. Dever has dismissed a lawsuit by the N.C. Fisheries Association demanding that the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries either abandon all Incidental Take Permits regarding sea turtles or shut down recreational fishing until a similar plan can be applied to hook-and-line anglers.
 
In dismissing the complaint that was also brought by the N.C. Fisheries Association and the Carteret County Fisherman’s Association on behalf of all commercial fishermen in the state, Dever said the plaintiffs “lacked jurisdiction” to sue various state and federal agencies. This is legal wording that means neither of the two associations nor their members could offer an environmental or economic harm traceable to state and federal marine management policies.
 
Greg Hurt, chairman of the state’s Coastal Conservation Association, was pleased with the judge’s decision to dismiss the suit without going to trial. “While CCA was not a party to the lawsuit, we do represent thousands of recreational fishermen who could have been adversely affected had this specious suit gone forward. One of our primary goals is to protect the rights of the men, women and kids who recreationally fish.  This clearly unmerited claim would have severely impacted that goal.”
 
Hurt said, "Unfortunately, I don’t think a significant number of N.C. citizens realized what the NCFA was attempting to do. If successful they would have prevented families from enjoying one of our state's favorite pastimes.”  Businesses that provide goods and services to recreational fishermen would have been devastated if the suit had halted all hook-and-line angling, he added.
 
Dever, the chief judge for the U.S. Eastern District of North Carolina, in his 19-page order dismissing the suit July 22, wrote, “Plaintiffs allege merely that NCFA and CCFA and its members have suffered injury to their economic and environmental interests, which are uniquely entwined with endangered and threatened sea turtles. The federal defendants argue that plaintiffs have not adequately alleged any valid injury-in-fact.”
 
Plaintiffs, meaning the associations, have not plausibly alleged either an economic or environmental injury sufficient to establishing standing in their own right, Dever wrote. “Plaintiffs' conclusory allegation that they have suffered economic and environmental harm does not suffice.”
The associations also cannot establish representational standing, the judge continued. He did agree that the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that their members have suffered economic harms but not an environmental injury. “The court will consider whether the economic injuries suffered by plaintiffs' members are traceable to the challenged conduct and are likely to be redressed by a favorable decision by this court.”
 
Dever wrote that the plaintiffs have shown their members use the waters where sea turtles are allegedly being taken, but have not plausibly alleged that their members' use of the waters is being "lessened by the challenged activity. Moreover, any claimed environmental injury due to the sea-turtle takings is not plausible in light of plaintiffs' allegation that sea turtle populations are increasing and should be removed from the endangered species list. Thus, plaintiffs have not established traceability.”
 
As for plaintiffs' argument that a favorable decision in this case could redress their members' economic burdens, the judge called it “entirely speculative. The redressability prong requires that it be likely, and not merely speculative, that a favorable decision from the court will remedy the plaintiff's injury."
 
Dever noted nothing suggests that if sea turtle taking regulations were enforced on the recreational hook and line fishery, there would be a lessening of the commercial fishing industry's regulatory burdens and compliance costs. He concluded, “The plaintiffs have failed to plausibly allege that the federal defendants are causing sea-turtle takings to be committed. Thus, the court grants the motions (from both federal and state defendants) to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.

Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny