Groups want protection of speckled trout, red drum
Sportsmen’s groups are pushing to have a bill re-introduced into the legislature to reclassify red drum and spotted seatrout as gamefish.
The bottom line for such a bill would make reds and specks catchable only by hook-and-line. Netting, which always has been allowed, would be prohibited.
“It shouldn’t make that much difference to commercial fishermen,” said Dick Hamilton, executive director of the N.C. Camouflage Coalition, an arm of the N.C. Wildlife Federation. “Specks and reds make up less than half of one percent of the total commercial catch in North Carolina. It’s mostly a winter fishery that tides over a handful of people, but they net when specks are most vulnerable, in shallow ends of creeks.”
Speckled trout in particular have fallen on hard times recently. Classified as overfished with depressed stocks, specks suffered cold-stun kills during January, forcing a total fishing closure.
Conservation groups, including CCA-North Carolina, have asked for fishing to remain closed until current fish have a chance to spawn at least once.
A bill to give gamefish status to specks and reds — H 918 — died in committee last year. However, with a Republican majority in the N.C. General Assembly in 2011, sportsmen’s groups believe a resurrected gamefish bill will have a better outcome, and its supporters are enthusiastic.
“We’ve gotten a favorable response so far in the legislature,” Hamilton said. “The new bill should be introduced (soon)
“(In 2010) we ran into a brick wall with Senator (Marc) Basnight (D-Dare).”
In January, after the election of Republican majorities in the state house and senate, Basnight resigned his position as leader of the senate after 18 years as the state’s most powerful politician He cited poor health as his reason.
The Coastal Reform Fishing Group also is pushing for a gamefish bill.
“Speckled trout are the No. 1 saltwater gamefish in North Carolina and need protection,” Hamilton said. “We were lulled into complacency the last 18 years as to the health of speckled trout, but the stock has been, according to DMF’s own reports, depleted and overfished for years and now, they’ve had to close the fishery to everyone.
“The closure just adds to the argument that (specks) should be managed as a gamefish.”
Supporters of the gamefish-status bill remember that Dr. Louis Daniel, director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, testified last year in front of the House Aquaculture and Marine Resources Committee that he couldn’t support a gamefish status bill for reds and specks.
Hamilton expects the bill to be introduced sometime in February.
Gamefish cannot be netted or sold for profit. Today, both species are caught and sold by commercial netters, although reds must be incidental catches. Even though the red drum is North Carolina’s official state fish, the NCDMF recently upped the non-targeted daily quota per netter to 10 red drum per day.
Carolyn Justice (R-Hampstead) was the primary sponsor for last year’s ill-fated gamefish bill. She has different responsibilities in this legislative session, but they may help the bill at least get a fair hearing in front of both legislative bodies instead of being stillborn in an obscure committee.
“She has been appointed chairman of the budget committee, which will consider the natural resources budget,” Hamilton said. “Last time, she was frozen out by the Democrats.”
The committee where 2010’s H 918 languished has been eliminated by the Republicans.
“Now, all house marine resources bills will go to the Environment Committee, chaired by Pat McElraft (R-Emerald Isle),” Hamilton said. “She’s from eastern N.C. and has a lot of sportsfishermen in her district, and we think she’ll be sympathetic.’
The two chairs of the House Environmental Committee are Ruth Samuelson (R-Charlotte) and Roger West (R-Marble) of Cherokee County.
“They have no links to the Marine Fisheries Commission at all,” Hamilton said, “so I think (the bill) will get a fair hearing before them, too.”
On the Senate side, Don East (R-Pilot Mountain) and David Rouzer (R-Wayne) are likely to be co-chairs of the Environment Committee.
Commercial netters wouldn’t be shut out totally by gamefish status for reds and specks. The bill has a buyback clause that would use $1 million from the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission’s saltwater license trust fund to pay netters over a period of three years the income they lose from not being able to net reds or spotted sea trout.
“The average has been 350,000 pounds of sea trout legally caught, so the whole fishery is worth $750,000, on the books, (and) $1 million seems a fair amount to pay the netters,” Hamilton said. “Each netter would only have to show his receipts (trip tickets), and they’d have ‘walking around money’ until they could find something else to do.”
Legislator Contact Information
N.C. SENATE
• Sen. Don East: R-Pilot Mountain, 919-733-5743, Don.East@ncleg.net
• Sen. David Rouzer: R-Johnston/Wayne, 919-733-5748, David.Rouzer@ncleg.net
N.C. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
• Rep. Carolyn Justice: R-Hampstead, 919-715-9664, Carolyn.Justice@ncleg.net
• Rep. Pat McElraft: R-Emerald Isle, 919-733-6275, Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net
• Rep. Ruth Samuelson: R-Charlotte, 919-715-3009, Ruth.Samuelson@ncleg.net
• Rep. Roger West: R-Marble, 919-733-5859, Roger.West@ncleg.net.
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