by CCA NC Cape Fear Chapter
NC Marine Fisheries Commission meets this Wednesday and Thursday at the Hilton Riverside in downtown Wilmington Feb 15 - 16, 2017.
The meeting will begin at 12 noon on Wednesday Feb 15 - 16. with the Chairman's and Director's Reports. Public Comment will be heard beginning at 3pm and running until 8:30 Wednesday night. The Thursday business session will resume at 8:30am with the presentation of the NC Wildlife Federation Petition for Rulemaking to designate all coastal fishing waters not already classified as nursery areas as special secondary nursery areas; establish clear criteria for the opening of shrimp season; and define the type of gear and how and when gear may be used in the special secondary nursery areas during shrimp season.
Many of you have received an email from NC CATCH or seen their posts on social media trying to alarm the public that these proposed regulations designed to reduce bycatch in our inshore waters will mean consumers will no longer be able to buy NC caught shrimp. It is disappointing that NC CATCH has chosen to pursue a public fear campaign with the sole purpose of promoting the corporate profits of the shrimp industry over the value of our coastal public trust resources. Telling the public that this Petition will make it impossible for them to purchase NC wild-caught shrimp is a complete lie. In fact, every other state on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that prohibits shrimp harvest in their inshore waters still maintains a healthy shrimp industry. The NC shrimp industry harvest is 3% of the total harvest of the eight states from NC thru TX and is ranked number 6 among these states in shrimp landings. Second, the Petition does not seek to close our inshore waters, it seeks limits on trawl times and gear size in an effort to reduce bycatch waste and protect our coastal habitat. The entire Pamlico ecosystem has been damaged by industrial shrimp trawling. What about the fishermen that would benefit from a reduction in the killing of hundreds of millions of juvenile fish every year? Does the profit of a few industrial shrimp trawl owners trump the rest of our NC fishing economy that would benefit from these changes? Not to mention the other 10 million citizens of NC that own our coastal public trust resources?
The CCA NC Cape Fear Chapter will host a meeting room at the Hilton during the MFC meeting on Wednesday for all current and prospective members. All CCA members attending the MFC meeting and stopping by the hospitality room on Wednesday will be eligible to win a full-day guided inshore fishing trip provided by Native Son Guide Service. You must be a current member to win! Please stop by for more information on the fisheries issues facing our state and to connect with other coastal recreational anglers.
Click on the above links to check it out.
Till next time....
Tight lines!
Johnny
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