Not enough degrees of separation at MFC

“Before you ’cuse me, better look at yo’ self.”— Bo Diddly

With the addition of new commissioners, it would appear the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission has changed its course — but in reality, it’s only by a few degrees.

The Commission’s ship, somewhat akin to the Titanic, is leaking badly after hitting small icebergs for years. But its captains stubbornly hold course to hit bigger icebergs and aim for a disaster that threatens to sink the passengers and crew — recreational anglers, commercial fishermen and important fish species — and maybe even its professional agency arm, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

One difference between the Commission and the Titanic is that the Commission is directing North Carolina’s saltwater resources agency toward more icebergs, although it appears to be setting a course slightly away from status-quo management.Even though the newest regulations appear to be a departure, a closer look reveals they’ll likely strike a glancing-blow that may become the coup de grace for spotted seatrout and striped bass).

Explanation by analogy: The majority of the Commission’s captains (commissioners) have invited a few passengers to the captains’ table, where everyone parties like it’s 1999. Sometimes captains are also passengers, because they’re in the same business (for-profit fishing), failing to take advice from the radar room (NCDMF staff) as they steam toward more trouble. Moreover, these captains have ordered the ship’s crew (NCDMF staff) to tell out-of-favor passengers (recreational anglers) to relax and not worry as they camouflage the real meanings of decisions inside techno terminology and esoteric proclamations.

But below decks, where the majority of the third- and fourth-class passengers are held captive, they can see the water rising, are locked on a sinking ship and can’t reach the bridge where they might steer away from danger. I realize it’s a complicated comparison, but let me explain with two examples:

This past September, the Commission passed a rule to protect spotted seatrout from overharvest or waste. However, examination reveals a rule designed to appear effective but still sailing the agency and resource in harm’s way. Netters may now legally keep 75 fish per net set — but they may catch 200 fish (or more) in one set. This rule lets them cull for the largest 75 and toss dead, smaller fish overboard — exactly what happened with trawled-up stripers last winter. Moreover, the latest ocean-run striped-bass rule (100 fish per vessel) permits transfer of excess fish to other boats, but nothing limits the number of transfer boats. So the season quota could be met in one day and exceeded several times. The DMF then basically will guess at the “net” take and declare the “quota has been met.”

Hopefully, the saltwater review study committee will end some of this craziness this spring.