Banning Flounder Fishing

[Bitburger]

We all take from the same resource. Not trying to start an argument but recreational release has a pretty high survival rate. Not so for gill net or trawlers. Gill nets do have a certain mesh size. But any fish caught is gonna die. Trawlers have an almost zero survival rate for anything that is caught. If forage fish or game fish are taken out of the system in quantity at a small size, recreational size limits and restrictions are a moot point. I know several commercial fishermen and have no beef with it. As long as the rules are applied equally for all and show real improvement in the stocks, I'm ok with it. But I have never seen how just one species of flounder became over fished. Do they always overlap or are the ones of concern hit really hard in just part of their range. If so, then that's where the restrictions should be applied.

[Shoaldonkey]

They sure did. Alligator River NWR is right up the road from me. The wolves also got Pocosin Lakes NWR which is literally right out my back door; giving them about 300k acres total- so maybe 450+ square miles just wasn't enough...so they fled the NWR's in search for more fruitful game opportunities on private land. Both of those refuges are a great place to check out a bear or a snow goose, but they are veritable wastelands for game. Mostly pocosin and bay; with the exception of the Pungo Unit, there isn't much in the way of game for a red wolf.
And a viable species??... They don't run off coyotes, they interbreed with them. There isn't a red wolf in the wild that doesn't have coyote genes coursing through its DNA. Great idea at the time, but a failed effort... There was nothing more cool than hearing them howling every evening, but the idea of Red Wolf introduction is dead. I'd suggest you do some more research, maybe pick up Dan Flores book; Coyote America. The 135 you speak of was because of intensive reintroduction and before the colossal coyote boom and interbreeding we have now.

[bmac]

That's not quite true.

Thanks for the clarification Cervsus. I was told it was all MFC and that DMF was pretty strongly against it. Good to know that there's people in the Division who are keeping their eyes on the ball

[Dr. Oc]

Thank you Shoal Donkey. You are spot on and saved me the trouble of a detailed explanation. 2 good friends of mine own the large farm that is ground zero of the wolf controversy...purebreds to mutts in a decade

[jerry condrey]

They sure did. Alligator River NWR is right up the road from me. The wolves also got Pocosin Lakes NWR which is literally right out my back door; giving them about 300k acres total- so maybe 450+ square miles just wasn't enough...so they fled the NWR's in search for more fruitful game opportunities on private land. Both of those refuges are a great place to check out a bear or a snow goose, but they are veritable wastelands for game. Mostly pocosin and bay; with the exception of the Pungo Unit, there isn't much in the way of game for a red wolf.
And a viable species??... They don't run off coyotes, they interbreed with them. There isn't a red wolf in the wild that doesn't have coyote genes coursing through its DNA. Great idea at the time, but a failed effort... There was nothing more cool than hearing them howling every evening, but the idea of Red Wolf introduction is dead. I'd suggest you do some more research, maybe pick up Dan Flores book; Coyote America. The 135 you speak of was because of intensive reintroduction and before the colossal coyote boom and interbreeding we have now.

https://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/we...=1565399748384
I did research it..http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2019/...or-protection/

[jerry condrey]

There's no doubt coyotes and red wolves interbreed, but only in circumstances of one lone wolf being unable to find a mate. There have been several cases of red wolves killing coyotes, and coyotes evacuate areas where red wolf packs roam.
Here is a picture of some coyotes in Louisiana showing red wolf characteristics. This is from the area where the stem animals for the restoration came from. If the red wolf was not a species unto itself, it would not have survived living beside coyotes for hundreds of years. Even the gray wolf has some coyote genomes in its DNA.
https://wildlandsnetwork.org/campaig...ths-and-facts/

[Old Hunter]

Any recent updates/changes on the new Flounder regulations? OH

[JFH270]

OH
Understand the meeting on 8-21 to 23 will be announced after same


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[Bowman66]

I try to avoid the he said she said politics when it comes to our natural resources. But I find it hard to believe that flounder stocks are down in the Pamlico. I’ve caught more flounder the last three years with several 50+ days. Not all keepers but plenty of fish. It seems to me that these juvenile fish just are not surviving to maturity. I do not think this is a hook and line issue. All it will take is another bad winter to knock down the trout numbers and a lot of recreational dollars will stop being spent on on N.C. inshore fishing. NCDMF and the NCWRC have failed the recreational angler time and time again and I imagine this will be no different they will close the season to recs. And find a loophole to allow commercials to keep a bycatch quota of some sort. It’s happened way to often. If flounder stocks are down for souther flounder only then closed the season for that species only. It will only take a ticket or two and anglers will learn the difference quickly but that would make enforcement work a little harder. (Just my Opinion)

[Feetup1]

I know I have to be fishing the wrong parts of the Pamlico, using the wrong bait, just simply don’t know what I’m doing, or just maybe should give up fishing, but my experience is far from yours. The fish that I catch are too small or I don’t catch many at all. The too small I interpret to indicate that there are few reaching the size limit. That can be improved by reducing the take and letting the fish get larger before capture. Really there is no enforcement of fishing regs. That pleases both the recs and commercials. You’re on your own to follow the law.
So fishing will be no different for me: catch and release.

[Old Hunter]

OH
Understand the meeting on 8-21 to 23 will be announced after same


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Thank you.

[Shoaldonkey]

Only guessing, but I'm guessing, the only red wolf you've ever seen was in Asheboro.. The redwolf didn't survive beside the coyote. There were no coyotes east of the Mississippi when red wolf populations were thriving. Grey wolves didn't survive alongside coyotes, the US grey wolves moved back in from Canada where coyotes weren't and when they were, they were on the menu.

And Dr. Oc- I had a farm on the North side of Mattamuskeet for years during ground zero of the introduction period... I thought it was one of the coolest things ever when they'd be out there gathering and howling in the evenings for about two years... then they departed the refuge and took up residence on deer leases and farms, and as you said, they were circling the drain thereafter.

Sorry to high-jack a fishing thread with this, but couldn't let it slide... seems everybody in the center of the state always knows what's good for us on the coast. On a parting note, I'd be all about a reintroduction effort in Thomasville.

Tight lines boys.

[cervus]

Sorry to high-jack a fishing thread with this, but couldn't let it slide... seems everybody in the center of the state always knows what's good for us on the coast.

Didn't know the North Carolina border stopped at Hyde County. I kinda suspected though.

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[todobien]

Hey shoaldonkey the recommendations of what is needed are not coming from the center of the state. They are coming from the South/Southeast of Roper - Carteret County (actually the HQ is there but they have staff in Eliz City, Washington, Morehead and Wilmington).

[Fishin Technician]

A Year- your dreaming- How many years has the Red drum limit been 1 per day? We ALL could live with shutting it down for a year but we ALL know better as well.