The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission made another astoundingly bad decision Nov. 22, ignoring state law in favor of the wants of a handful of strike netters who target speckled trout.
We don’t expect the decision to stand, because it’s kind of like the budget deficit. The MFC is robbing Peter to pay Paul, but at some point, the bill will come due, as it is with debts on the national and state level.
Credit must go to Louis Daniel, executive director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, for trying to make netters and commercial representatives on the MFC understand they have to play a role in reducing the harvest of spotted seatrout, a.k.a. speckled trout, because there simply aren’t enough of these fish.
Daniel knew the Speckled Trout Fishery Management Plan requires overfishing to stop within two years, a return of the fishery to sustainability (ability to survive) after 10 years and a success probability of at least 50 percent.
So he held the commercials’ feet to the fire, and the MFC twice voted 6-3 to require a 28.5-percent reduction in annual speckled trout harvests until that goal is reached. Part of that ruling lowered the daily recreational catch limit from 10 to six fish and a 14-inch size minimum with only two longer than 24 inches allowed per day. Commercial reps had the choice of a trip limit of 50 pounds, weekend closures or a Dec. 15-Feb. 28 closure — they chose the latter.
But with Daniel about to issue a proclamation, four MFC members (three commercial representatives and one recreational) called for a special “emergency” meeting, which might negate the two previous 6-3 votes and tons of work.
Out of the special meeting came the same creel limits for recreational anglers, with netters getting a ban on fishing from 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning until 12:01 a.m. Monday morning, a.k.a., the weekend option. But that’s not really what the rule says; it says commercials can’t possess or sell specks on weekends, not that they can’t set nets.
What the vote for this monstrosity — it was 7-1 with one recreational member absent because of a death in his family — now means is netters still can set nets seven days a week, but they promise they won’t on weekends because specks are too perishable to remain in a net from, say, Saturday to Monday.
A number of anglers — including one on the DMF’s Speckled Trout Advisory Committee — have told us that they’re not happy campers.
“It’s a pure shame,” said a Carteret County guide. “The new rule is worse than the old rule. Now (recreational fishermen) are down to six fish, but it’s netting as usual. This (new rule) won’t change a thing.
“Okay, say (netters) don’t fish on weekends. Now, when they’re on a good bunch of fish, they’ll just go twice during the week. Not only that, but most of them don’t (net) on weekends anyway.
“The state told us what needed to happen — six fish for (recreational anglers) and a 50-pound (netters) trip limit. How that turned into six (specks) and them still getting to net seven days a week, I don’t know.”
The Speckled Trout FMP actually requires a 57-percent, across-the-board catch reduction to rebuild stocks — half of what was proposed. So the MFC’s Nov. 22 decision is technically illegal.
“I don’t understand how people in Raleigh won’t step in and say you’ve got to abide by the law,” said another guide.
We’re thinking the same thing.
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