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[h=2]MOREHEAD CITY – Beginning Friday, fishermen who set large-mesh gill nets in the Albemarle and Currituck sounds and tributaries will be limited to overnight soaks.[/h]
“This action is being taken to avoid altogether closing the waters in these areas to anchored large-mesh gill nets,” said Louis Daniel, director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. The regulations will also apply to Croatan and Roanoke sounds and tributaries when they reopen to anchored large-mesh gill nets.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries received a warning letter from the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources after failing to meet the 7 percent minimum observer coverage for these waters in the spring fishing season, as required by the Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit. The letter stated that failure to comply with the permit conditions could result in enforcement action, and it strongly encouraged the division to meet the permit requirements for the summer season.
Currently, fishermen in these waters are required to fish their large mesh gill nets at least once by noon each day, but there are no other regulations that require them to fish their nets at a specified time.
The lack of undesignated fishing times, insufficient staff resources, funding issues, weather conditions and stiff resistance from fishermen, has made it difficult for division staff to observe the number of fishing trips necessary to satisfy the conditions of the Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit.
“Unfortunately, observers have noticed fishermen purposely avoiding fishing their nets when division staff is around and, in some cases, fishermen have pointedly refused to take observers on board,” Daniel said.
To remedy this problem, fishermen will be required to remove anchored large-mesh gill nets from these waters between one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset each day, as is already required in many other water bodies of the state.
“We believe the implementation of soak times, combined with an upcoming gill net permit to be required Sept. 1, will resolve this issue,” said Daniel. “But it is critical that fishermen comply with these regulations, including taking observers, if the anchored large-mesh gill net fishery is to continue in these waters.”
The National Marine Fisheries Service has agreed to this approach.
For specific regulations, see Proclamation M-22-2014 at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/proclamations.
For more information, contact Jacob Boyd with the Observer Program at 252-808-8088 or [email protected].
“This action is being taken to avoid altogether closing the waters in these areas to anchored large-mesh gill nets,” said Louis Daniel, director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. The regulations will also apply to Croatan and Roanoke sounds and tributaries when they reopen to anchored large-mesh gill nets.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries received a warning letter from the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources after failing to meet the 7 percent minimum observer coverage for these waters in the spring fishing season, as required by the Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit. The letter stated that failure to comply with the permit conditions could result in enforcement action, and it strongly encouraged the division to meet the permit requirements for the summer season.
Currently, fishermen in these waters are required to fish their large mesh gill nets at least once by noon each day, but there are no other regulations that require them to fish their nets at a specified time.
The lack of undesignated fishing times, insufficient staff resources, funding issues, weather conditions and stiff resistance from fishermen, has made it difficult for division staff to observe the number of fishing trips necessary to satisfy the conditions of the Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit.
“Unfortunately, observers have noticed fishermen purposely avoiding fishing their nets when division staff is around and, in some cases, fishermen have pointedly refused to take observers on board,” Daniel said.
To remedy this problem, fishermen will be required to remove anchored large-mesh gill nets from these waters between one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset each day, as is already required in many other water bodies of the state.
“We believe the implementation of soak times, combined with an upcoming gill net permit to be required Sept. 1, will resolve this issue,” said Daniel. “But it is critical that fishermen comply with these regulations, including taking observers, if the anchored large-mesh gill net fishery is to continue in these waters.”
The National Marine Fisheries Service has agreed to this approach.
For specific regulations, see Proclamation M-22-2014 at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/proclamations.
For more information, contact Jacob Boyd with the Observer Program at 252-808-8088 or [email protected].