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Upcoming NC Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting
The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) is holding their quarterly business meeting next week in Emerald Isle. As usual there is a packed agenda, which includes southern flounder, speckled trout oysters, hard clams, and blue crabs. There will be time for in person public comment on the evening of Wednesday, November 20th and the morning of Thursday, November 21st.
If you cannot attend the meeting in person and would like to give written comment, your comments need to be received by 4pm Monday, November 18th.
Southern Flounder
The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) Director will be giving an update on the MFC request to reopen the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan (FMP). There are no online materials that I could find on this agenda item.
Spotted Seatrout
The MFC will be voting on final preferred management options. DMF has held their ground and are still asking for draconian management on a healthy population of speckled trout. Abundance is at an all time high, spawning stock biomass is healthy, and current management measures are plenty conservative, yet they are asking for a 40% harvest reduction with a 2 month harvest closure for both recreational and commercial, 3 day a week closure for commercial, and reduced bag limits and a slot limit for recreational fishing.
If you are against this comments need to be made now! This is the final vote in the Speckled Trout FMP process!
Eastern Oyster
DMF will be giving a presentation on management options for the Eastern Oyster FMP update. If approved, this will then be sent out to the standing advisory committees (ACs) and for public comment. The biggest takeaways for eastern oysters is the proposal of two large deep water closure areas for mechanical harvesting and addressing the trigger point sampling program for mechanical harvest. These proposed closure areas can be seen on page 223 of Fishery Management Plans.
Hard Clam
The biggest concern I see that needs attention in the hard clam FMP is how the DMF is wanting to phase out mechanical clam harvest over the next few years unless landings and number of participants in the fishery increase. If mechanical harvesting of clams is important to you, you need to speak up now!
Blue Crab
There is no information provided online for the blue crab presentation but it is on the agenda to give an update on Blue Crab FMP Amendment 3 Adaptive Management. The last blue crab stock assessment did not pass peer review, but DMF is still looking to reduce harvest.
More information available here:
Fishery Management Plans
There are a lot of big issues going on. Scroll through the document above and as always reach out if you have any questions big or small.
Thomas Newman
Fisheries Liaison
Thomasnewman@ncfish.org
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