A recent news release by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries indicates the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council is proposing a reduction of the total allowable catch (TAC) of mackerels (kings and Spanish) because of potential effects of new snapper-grouper regulations in Amendment 15. N.C. recreational saltwater anglers looking at that idea must think the SAFMC has lost its mind. And they’d be right — partially.
This proposal looks like robbing Peter to pay Paul, which is outrageous, even for a bunch of government bureaucrats/scientists.
Amendment 15 is part of a fishery management plan by the National Marine Fisheries Service that’s already drastically reduced catches of some bottom-fish species in North Carolina and other states. So the feds are worried commercial fishermen — who once targeted snowy and gag groupers but who also have king mackerel commercial licenses — now may catch more kings and Spanish since grouper catches are curtailed, which, as a result might put more pressure on mackerel populations coastwide.
Dr. Louis Daniel, a SAFMC rep from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, said the explanation isn’t that simple.
“(The SAMFC) just didn’t sell (the proposal) properly,” he said. “Other people are thinking the same thing you are.”
Daniel said about 6 years ago, kings and Spanish were so plentiful the NMFS decided to increase the TAC to 10 million pounds. Then came a lawsuit over the handling of southern flounder.
“(NMFS) was never challenged (with a suit) on kings,” he said. “They weren’t being overfished. But then they said Atlantic kings all (were spawned) from the Gulf (of Mexico), which is total BS.”
Daniel said N.C. and other southeastern marine biologists believe kings in the Atlantic are about a 50-50 mixture of Gulf and Atlantic-spawned fish. NMFS, which reduced the Gulf mackerel quota to 5 million pounds, decided to drop the Atlantic TAC from 10 to 7.2 million pounds.
“That’s the (proposed) reduction (SAFMC) is talking about,” Daniel said. “It shouldn’t affect recreational king mackerel and Spanish mackerel fishing.”
Daniel said commercial king fishermen could expect a “likely” closure of the season when the 7.2-million-pound quota is filled.
“Where the stuff will really hit the fan is that in North Carolina 20 to 30 percent of the kings landed are by guys with Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses,” he said. “But there’s also a proposal that only people with federal mackerel permits be allowed to sell kings. So guys (with no fed permits) no longer can do that.”
The NMFS doesn’t offer right-to-sell-king permits any longer.
“That (proposal) should bring a lot of people out of the woodwork (when public hearings occur),” Daniel said.
Tar Heel anglers, recreational and commercial, catch about 1.25 million pounds of kings each year, an even split.
Daniel’s suggestion for rec anglers, especially considering all the king tournaments in the state, is to practice catch-and-release of small fish that won’t be weighed for prize money.
“Why do you have to gaff every king?” he said. “Just look what (catch-and-release) has done for billfish tournaments.”
