NC new Trout REGS...

[gottaflylee]

The new rules for Speckle Trout in NC shouls go into effect this week.
After a 4 and a 1/2 hour meeting that I attended, you will not only posess 6 Speckle Trout, 14" minum with only 2 over 24".

Also at this meeting, there will be no purse saining for bunker with in 3 miles of shore which is as it stands now. There was a smaller 140' boat that was trying to get it reopened. The proposal failed, 3 (for it) to 4 vote oposed.

[jeffreyweeks]

New speckled trout regs for NC recs and comms

[gottaflylee]

Thanks Jeff, you beat me to it...

MOREHEAD CITY – New regulations for spotted seatrout will go into effect Nov. 30 for recreational and commercial fishermen in North Carolina coastal waters.

The recreational bag limit for spotted seatrout will decrease from 10 fish to six fish per person per day. No more than two of the six fish may be greater than 24 inches in length. The current 14-inch minimum size limit will remain in effect.

Commercial harvest of spotted seatrout (possession and sale) will be prohibited year-round from midnight on Friday to midnight on Sunday each week. The current 14-inch minimum size limit will remain in effect.

The coastal regulations are required to meet harvest reductions needed for the recovery of an overfished spotted seatrout stock.

In inland waters, under the jurisdiction of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the minimum size limit will remain at 12-inches and the bag limit at 10 fish per person per day for the 2010-2011 fishing season. The minimum size limit for spotted seatrout will increase to 14 inches in inland fishing waters for the 2011-2012 fishing season, which begins Aug. 1, 2011. The daily creel limit will remain at 10 fish per day.

The new recreational limits were adopted Nov. 4 in separate meetings of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

The weekend closure for commercial harvest of spotted seatrout was adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission Monday. The weekend closure replaces a previous vote to close the commercial spotted seatrout season from Dec. 15 through Feb. 28.

Also at the meeting Monday, the Marine Fisheries Commission decided not to open waters south of Cape Lookout to the commercial harvest of menhaden with purse seines.

[Speckulator]

Sounds like another example of corrupt NC fisheries politics at work once again. I support the new recreational regs 100%...they make good sense...6 fish per person is plenty, and we soundn't be killing trout over 24in. anyway. But to keep these new regs. in place an then repeal the gill net closure that allows thousands upon thousands of trout to be netted up during the winter in complete hogwash. I am certainly not in favor of taking away someones job and their ability to feed their family, but it isnt hard to find evidence of how good the fisheries could be if these fish were not being netted, or at least not being netted at this time of year when it is possible to wipe out an entire school in a single set.

[blackbeard]

Sounds like another example of corrupt NC fisheries politics at work once again. I support the new recreational regs 100%...they make good sense...6 fish per person is plenty, and we soundn't be killing trout over 24in. anyway. But to keep these new regs. in place an then repeal the gill net closure that allows thousands upon thousands of trout to be netted up during the winter in complete hogwash. I am certainly not in favor of taking away someones job and their ability to feed their family, but it isnt hard to find evidence of how good the fisheries could be if these fish were not being netted, or at least not being netted at this time of year when it is possible to wipe out an entire school in a single set.

I couldn't have said it any better, nor anyone else for that matter. Good ole NC and our netting "heritage. "

[gottaflylee]

Sounds like another example of corrupt NC fisheries politics at work once again. I support the new recreational regs 100%...they make good sense...6 fish per person is plenty, and we soundn't be killing trout over 24in. anyway. But to keep these new regs. in place an then repeal the gill net closure that allows thousands upon thousands of trout to be netted up during the winter in complete hogwash. I am certainly not in favor of taking away someones job and their ability to feed their family, but it isnt hard to find evidence of how good the fisheries could be if these fish were not being netted, or at least not being netted at this time of year when it is possible to wipe out an entire school in a single set.

I couldn't have said it any better, nor anyone else for that matter. Good ole NC and our netting "heritage. "

Please remember that you can voice your opinions about the fisheries on line when you can't make the meetings to voice concerns there. The committee members don't put much weight on form letters but do put more weight into consideration of what individual people want. Also, ( and don't jump on me when I state this) our NC law states that the fisheries are for ALL user groups, not just 1 group. If that does not please you, then it is time for you to work on changing the law. I wish you could have been there to see how this works and went down.


Commercial fishermen are on a very limited time with their life in the waters. Rec. fishermen out weight them 400 to 1, maybe 4000 to 1 in NC. They like each one of us are trying to feed their families and fishing is the only way many of them know to do that. What about a buy out of the 8 to 10,000 commercial fishermen? Then what are the people of this and other states going to do for seafood that are not as lucky as you or I that can catch fish when we want seafood?

If you stand by and do nothing, "Catch Shares" will take out about 60% of the commercial fishermen in NC when it goes into full effect an there will be no more data to support the fisheries. Just look at this thread...
catch shares at work / fishermen out of work


My guess is that it will do the same for the charter fleet a couple of years later. Then, you better hold on as you as rec. fishermen will have to possess shares to keep fish. If you don't believe this, then you better start going after Washington and everyone there. Originations like P.E.W; W.I.L.D. and P.E.T.A to name a few, are pushing this hard. Wall Mart has 7.5 Mil. dollars to go toward getting "Catch Shares" implemented, know why...Wall Mart will bid on the shares and then sell they to you for double what they paid. This is big, way to big to sit back and think this won't happen.

[Speckulator]

Please remember that you can voice your opinions about the fisheries on line when you can't make the meetings to voice concerns there. The committee members don't put much weight on form letters but do put more weight into consideration of what individual people want. Also, ( and don't jump on me when I state this) our NC law states that the fisheries are for ALL user groups, not just 1 group. If that does not please you, then it is time for you to work on changing the law. I wish you could have been there to see how this works and went down.

First off, not jumping on you here. I respect and agree with everything you stated. Honestly, I was not at this particular meeting, but I had many friends that were, and I have been to them before, and from my point of view, the commercial sector pretty much rules the roost. Please correct me if I'm wrong,but at the latest meeting, didn't the commission completely disregard scientific data that support the netting closure, stating that they didnt feel the data was accurate, or at least something to that effect?

Just as I said before, putting people out of a job is not the answer, but NC could sure be smarter about how our fisheries are managed. Speaking for for my area, down here in Brunswick county, the bulk of the winter net fishing is done by those of just go net because they can, not because they have to. They kill them simply because they are there. However, I do realize that this is far from the truth in other parts of the state.

100% of my income comes from inshore fishing in North Carolina (charter fishing), which many of the gill netters probably can't say and back up. When someone wipes out a school of trout or drum, or sets a net across a creek directly in front of where I'm fishing with a charter, it not only takes fish that me or my clients will not be able to catch, but it really turns the stomachs of many people to know that NC still allows such, which my prevent them from returning. Essentially, I feel that in these instances, the gill netters are taking money out of MY pocket, and I guess thats why I'm fired up just like they are. Alright, I'm done with my venting on this issue, we'll just have to deal with it for now just as we always have.