Gamefish bill tabled but battle isn’t over

Legislative bill, H 353, that would have moved three saltwater finfish species — red drum, spotted seatrout and striped bass — into the gamefish category to prevent netting, sale or bartering ended with the 2012 General Assembly’s closure in July.

“H 353 in and of itself is gone now, because there’s no avenue to revive it,” said Rep. Darrell McCormick, a Republican from Yadkin County who was a co-sponsor of the bill.

However, McCormick said some version of H 353 likely will be introduced during the legislature’s “long” session in 2013.

“It’s not going away,” he said. “A lot of progress was made in making the public and General Assembly aware of what a travesty exists in management of the state’s saltwater resources.”

That McCormick called the state’s saltwater management a “travesty” might be puzzling, but he meant the political leadership of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission. Although the Commission approved some effective policies, big-ticket item votes — reducing destructive commercial gear and protecting at-risk species — it is dominated by pro-commercial interests.

The Commission is the state’s only appointed committee whose members can vote their own pocketbooks — a format that’s verboten 99.9 percent of the time. Moreover, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries biologists shouldn’t be lumped with the Commission, because those biologists perform outstanding work. But their findings often are ignored by the Commission.

In the legislature, McCormick saw a marine resources study committee he co-chaired hammer H 353 into almost unrecognizable shape, eliminating proposals that would have benefited saltwater fisheries and the state’s economy. With numbers overwhelmingly supporting his side, McCormick saw a bill to protect and rejuvenate resources delayed by legislators for a third time in the last three years. Yet he remains hopeful.

“I’m going to continue to work on this project,” he said. “We saw a lot of additional groups get involved who were interested in helping educate legislators about the impact of what we’re allowing to happen to saltwater resources. And some good did come out of the (marine resources study committee).”

McCormick noted proposals that would keep menhaden “factory” boats from scooping up these baitfish in state waters and create a “super majority” of six commissioners required to override biologists’ recommendations instead of only five votes.

Although McCormick didn’t mention it, the legislature also scrapped a proposal to have the 16-member Marine Resources Committee become an oversight committee with the power to approve or reject each NCDMF or N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission proposal.

“A lot of people in the legislature told me, before the committee held its first hearing, that it would never meet,” McCormick said. “You remember the old Batman television show and the ending where they said, ‘Stayed tuned next week?’

“Well, that’s what I’m saying now — stay tuned.”