News - SouthCarolina-Offshore.Com http://southcarolina-offshore.com/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:18:41 -0500 FeedCreator 1.8.0-nukeFEED (http://nukeSEO.com) Fishermen’s fear: Public's 'right to fish' shifting under Obama? http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article97.html Fishermen’s fear: Public's 'right to fish' shifting under Obama?


Atlanta – The Obama administration has proposed using United Nations-guided principles to expand a type of zoning to coastal and even some inland waters. That’s raising concerns among fishermen that their favorite fishing holes may soon be off-limits for bait-casting. In the battle of incremental change that epitomizes the American conservation movement, many weekend anglers fear that the Obama administration’s promise to “fundamentally change” water management in the US will erode what they call the public’s “right to fish,” in turn creating economic losses for the $82 billion recreational fishing industry and a further deterioration of the American outdoorsman’s legacy. Proponents say the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force established by President Obama last June will ultimately benefit the fishing public by managing ecosystems in their entirety rather than by individual uses such as fishing, shipping, or oil exploration. “It’s not an environmentalist manifesto,” says Larry Crowder, a marine biologist at Duke University in North Carolina. “It’s multiple-use planning for the environment, and making sure various uses … are sustainable.” (Amateur outdoorsmen have been fighting for their rights for years, as the Monitor reports here.)

New way to manage marine resourcesFaced with the prospect of further industrialization along America's coasts and the Great Lakes (wind turbines and natural-gas exploration, for example), the task force is charged with putting in place a new ecosystem management process called marine spatial planning. Marine spatial planning (MSP), according to the United Nations, is “a public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic, and social objectives that usually have been specified through a political process." That kind of government-speak scares Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs at the reel-and-rod maker Shimano. Mr. Morlock points to references by the ocean task force to “one global sea” as evidence that what’s really being proposed are broad changes to America's user-funded conservation strategy, potentially affecting even inland waters. “I suggest that the task force recommend our model to the United Nations rather than us adopting the United Nations model,” he says in a phone interview. “The American model is the best in the world, so our question is: Why seek the lowest common denominator?”

Protections for recreational fishermenMr. Obama has said he will not override protections put in place by Presidents Clinton and Bush that established recreational fishermen as a special class.

But critics still worry about the Obama administration’s ties to environmental groups that espouse “anti-use” policies that put some habitats out of reach even for rod and reel fishermen, who take only 3 percent of America’s landed catch every year. “Angling advocates point out that senior policy officials on the task force seem inclined to ally themselves with preservationists and environmental extremists who want to create ‘no fishing’ preserves, with no scientific justification,” writes ESPN.com’s Robert Montgomery. On the other hand, nonpartisan experts say the task force has already made strides in better recognizing various stakeholder groups, including recreational fishermen, and that it doesn’t intend to undermine the ability of states to manage their natural resources, as many fishermen fear. “There’s been huge progress by the task force in terms of being more inclusive in thinking about economic, ecological, social, and political concerns,” says Mr. Crowder at Duke. “The paranoia – and there is paranoia on all sides – is that the process will be captured. My hope is that mutual concern gets people to the table.” The final report of the task force is expected in late March. Congress will decide its fate, unless Obama issues an executive order establishing MSP as the law of the water.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100309/ts_csm/286232

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article97.html Commercial Fishery for Vermilion Snapper Closing to Vessels Fishing in the South http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article96.html Commercial Fishery for Vermilion Snapper Closing to Vessels Fishing in the South Atlantic Federal Waters on March 19, 2010

The commercial fishery for vermilion snapper in the South Atlantic federal waters is closed, effective 12:01a.m. (local time) March 19, 2010, through June 30, 2010. NOAA Fisheries Service has determined the 2010 January through June commercial quota of 315,523 pounds of vermilion snapper will be reached by this date.

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article96.html Council Modifies Preferred Alternative for Area Closure http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article95.html Council Modifies Preferred Alternative for Area Closure
Measures to end overfishing and set Annual Catch limits for red snapper further reviewed in March



After reviewing management alternatives for red snapper during their meeting this past week in Jekyll Island, Georgia, members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council chose a new preferred alternative for an area closure under consideration to end overfishing and rebuild red snapper stocks. The Council is considering an area closure in Amendment 17A to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan that would prohibit the harvest of all snapper grouper species, targeting areas where red snapper landings have traditionally been highest to reduce the bycatch mortality associated with the red snapper fishery. The latest preferred alternative includes an area off the coasts of Georgia and Northern Florida extending slightly south of Melbourne, Florida in waters from 98 feet to 240 feet deep. Alternative 3C, chosen by the Council last week, is smaller in size than an initial preferred management alternative chosen by the Council during its December 2009 meeting.

The Council kept a preferred management alternative to allow spearfishing within the closed area, excluding red snapper, because there is no bycatch associated with the use of the gear. A preferred alternative to allow fishing with black sea bass pots was removed due to the change in configuration of the area closure. The Council also chose to use generalized boundaries with smaller number of waypoints in defining all of the alternatives for the area closures based on recommendations from its Law Enforcement Advisory Panel and Committee. A map of the preferred alternative is available on the homepage of the Council’s Web site.

"I respect the process the council used to change the preferred alternative from 4D to 3C which excludes a closure off South Carolina,” said Council Chairman Duane Harris. “I voted against this change as I do not believe it will result in enough reduction in red snapper mortality. However, I hope alternative 3C will work and we can move forward in June with approving Snapper Grouper Amendment 17A.”

The amendment, currently under development, includes management measures to meet the requirements of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act to end overfishing of red snapper, set Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures, and rebuild the red snapper stock. Alternatives for a red snapper monitoring program and the use of circle hooks for the snapper grouper fishery north of 28 degrees N. latitude are also included.

The red snapper fishery closed in federal waters in the South Atlantic for both commercial and recreational fishermen on January 4, 2010. The Council requested the interim rule be used to close the fishery until more long-term measures are implemented through Amendment 17A. The interim rule is currently scheduled to expire on June 2, 2010 but can be extended for an additional 186 days. The decision regarding the extension of the closure will be made by NOAA Fisheries Service. If approved, Amendment 17A would extend the closure for a longer period of time. NOAA Fisheries Service is soliciting public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 17A until April 19, 2010. Additional information regarding the DEIS is available online at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov or on the Council’s Web site at www.safmc.net.

Closing the red snapper fishery is not enough to end overfishing and rebuild the stock because of the high bycatch mortality associated with the fishery. It is estimated that 40% of the red snapper captured and released by recreational fishermen die. Although primarily a recreationally harvested species, the bycatch mortality climbs to 90% for the commercial fishery because of fishing practices and deeper waters that are fished. Based on a 2008 stock assessment for red snapper, it is necessary to reduce the mortality (both harvest

and bycatch) by 83% in order to meet the requirements of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act to end overfishing by 2010 and begin rebuilding the stock. If approved, Amendment 17A will implement long-term measures to meet those requirements, including an area closure. The Council is expected to take final action during its June meeting in Orlando, Florida regarding Amendment 17A.

A new stock assessment is being conducted for red snapper this year and the results will be available to the Council during its December 2010 meeting. The Council is mandated to take action in June to approve Amendment 17A for submission to the Secretary of Commerce. However, Council member and Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, Dr. Roy Crabtree, explained during an informal question and answer session at last week’s meeting that there are options for the Council in December to request additional measures that could modify the area closure based on the outcome of the new stock assessment. While fishermen are hopeful that the new assessment will reflect the increased number of red snapper they’ve seen in recent years, Dr. Crabtree cautioned that a new assessment may or may not reflect an improvement in the stock.

The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for June 7-11, 2010 in Orlando, Florida. For additional information regarding Council meetings, including briefing book materials and summary motions, visit www.safmc.net or contact the Council office.



The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional councils, conserves and manages fish stocks from three to 200 miles offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and east Florida.

 

Link to forum area: http://southcarolina-offshore.com/ftopict-941.html

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article95.html Marine recreational fisheries on-line survey needs public http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article94.html Marine recreational fisheries on-line survey needs public input

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is working to produce an educational tool to help everyone better understand the state's marine fishery resources, and to help that along, the public is being asked to take an on-line survey.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) envisions a concise simple format combining information from anglers, scientific literature, and work conducted by DNR. For this effort to be a success, the DNR needs help in defining products that best serve the public's needs and interests.


Please take a few minutes on the survey to tell the DNR a little about how you interact with natural resources and your specific interests related to inshore marine recreational fisheries, which are the focus of the first phase of the effort. Information collected in the survey will be used to help direct the DNR's efforts toward the species and topics most important to the public.

Link to Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KZQ85R5

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article94.html Catch Share Drafted policy for Public review and comment http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article93.html NOAA has drafted a catch share policy for public review and comment

The public comment period will end on April 10, 2010.

NOAA Proposes Draft Catch Share Policy

NOAA is developing a national catch share policy to promote future consideration and adoption of catch share programs as a management strategy in U.S. fisheries where appropriate. In June 2009, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco appointed members from NOAA and each of the Regional Fishery Management Councils to a Catch Share Task Force to support this priority. NOAA has drafted a catch share policy for public review and comment, and is seeking broad input on its draft policy through this website.

Background
In fisheries managed with catch shares, individuals or groups of fishermen are allotted a share of the total allowable catch of a fish stock. These fishermen then decide how to catch their allotment when weather, markets and individual business conditions are most favorable, and they must ensure that they do not exceed their catch limits. Catch shares have been used in some U.S. fisheries since 1990. Experience here and in other countries has shown they can effectively achieve annual catch limits, eliminate overfishing, reduce the negative biological and economic impacts of the race for fish, and result in safer and more profitable fisheries while also addressing other social objectives. While catch shares are not appropriate for all fisheries, NOAA believes it is in the public interest to encourage and support the evaluation of catch share programs in the context of the challenges facing U.S. fishery managers.

Purpose
NOAA's goals are to: help reduce any administrative or organizational impediments to the consideration of catch shares; inform and educate stakeholders of the different options and capabilities of catch share programs; and help organize collaborative efforts with interested Councils, states, communities, fishermen and other stakeholders on the design and implementation of catch share programs.

Draft Policy
The Draft NOAA Catch Share Policy.

Submit A Comment
NOAA has drafted a catch share policy for public review and comment, and is seeking broad input on its draft policy from interested commercial and recreational fishermen, communities, state and local governments, tribes, businesses, associations, non-governmental organizations and the general public. The public comment period will end on April 10, 2010. Use the form below to submit your comment.

Alternately, comments may be submitted via the following methods. Email: catchshares@noaa.gov; Fax: (301) 713-1940, Attn: Catch Shares; Mail: Office of Policy, NOAA Fisheries Service, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

*Because Americans of all ages use our website, we ask all those who elect to submit a public comment to conduct themselves in a civil manner -- to refrain from posting threats, obscenity, other materials that would violate the law if published here, abusive language, and sexually explicit material.

*In accordance with our Online Privacy Policy , we treat your name, city, state, and any comments you provide as public information. We may not publish comments that constitute spamming, are off-topic, threats, obscenities, or material that would violate the law if published.

Link to NOAA has drafted a catch share policy for public review and comment:


Link to Submit A Comment: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/domes_fish/catchshare/comments/

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article93.html South Atlantic Red Snapper (Amendment 17A) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article92.html South Atlantic Red Snapper (Amendment 17A)

Frequently Asked Questions

March 2010


GENERAL QUESTIONS:
What is the issue with the South Atlantic red snapper population?
• The most recent stock assessment (2008) indicates the South Atlantic population of red snapper is overfished and is undergoing overfishing.
How do fishery managers determine whether fish populations are undergoing overfishing and/or overfished?
• A fish population is considered to be undergoing overfishing if fish are removed from a population at a faster rate than would produce the maximum amount of fish over time.
• A fish population is considered to be overfished if it declines below a predetermined level called the minimum stock size threshold. These levels are defined differently for each fish population based on life history characteristics and other factors.

What does the law require for fish stocks that are overfished and undergoing overfishing?
• Laws governing federal fisheries of the United States appear in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), which was reauthorized in 2007.
• For species undergoing overfishing, the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires the Council end overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks.
What are the Council and NOAA Fisheries Service doing to address this issue in the short-term?
• The Council requested NOAA Fisheries Service develop an interim rule that will temporarily prohibit all harvest and possession of red snapper in federal waters of the South Atlantic. The interim rule is effective from January 4, 2010, through June 2, 2010, and may be extended for an additional 186 days.
• Frequently asked questions regarding the interim rule for red snapper are available online at: https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
What is the Council doing to address this issue in the long-term?
• The Council is considering permanent measures to end overfishing of red snapper in Amendment 17A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. Currently, Amendment 17A includes:
o A rebuilding schedule, or a timeframe within which the stock is expected
to be rebuilt;
o A rebuilding strategy;
o Annual catch limits as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act;
o Management measures intended to end overfishing and rebuild the stock within the designated timeframe;
o A monitoring plan to assess the health of the stock and effectiveness
of management measures throughout the rebuilding timeframe; and
o A requirement for the use of circle hooks to reduce red snapper bycatch mortality.

What are long-term red snapper regulations likely to include?
• Amendment 17A contains management alternatives for large time and area closures that would prohibit fishing for all species in the snapper-grouper management complex (there are 73) in areas where red snapper are most abundant.

Why are large area closures being considered?
• Large multispecies closures are being considered to because bycatch mortality of red snapper is very high and they are often caught and discarded while fishing for other snapper-grouper species. Prohibiting harvest of red snapper alone will not be enough to end overfishing of the species.
When will Amendment 17A go into effect?
• Amendment 17A was approved for public hearings at the Council’s September 2009 meeting, and the public hearings were held in November 2009.
• The Council is tentatively scheduled to approve Amendment 17A for Secretarial review in June 2010.
How long would a prohibition on red snapper and/or an area closure for all snapper-grouper fishing last?
• It is the Councils intent to re-open the fishery as soon as the science and the law indicate it is possible.
• Over the course of the rebuilding plan, the acceptable total removals - meaning total fish killed - should increase each year as the stock recovers. At some point the total acceptable removals will be sufficient to decrease the size of or eliminate an area closure or to re-open the fishery under an alternative management program.

What area will Amendment 17A affect?
• If implemented by NOAA Fisheries Service, the current closure in Amendment 17A would apply to federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the east coast of Florida (ranging from 3 to 200 miles offshore of each state).

Who will be affected by red snapper regulations in Amendment 17A?
• Regulations for Amendment 17A would apply to fishermen holding a South Atlantic Unlimited Snapper-Grouper Permit, a South Atlantic 225 lb Trip Limit Snapper-Grouper Permit, a South Atlantic Charter/Headboat Permit for Snapper-Grouper, and private anglers.

SCIENCE/ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS:

How was the most recent assessment conducted for red snapper?
• The 2008 Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) (SEDAR 15) for red snapper, involved three separate workshops and an outside independent review. The assessment concluded the stock is overfished and undergoing overfishing. The assessment estimated that red snapper reach a maximum age of 54 years, not 25 years as previously estimated. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee approved the assessment and its conclusions.
• The 2008 stock assessment is available online at: http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/.
Where did the data used in the SEDAR stock assessment come from?
• Data used for the assessment consist of commercial landings collected since the 1940’s, headboat fishery catch records from the Southeast Headboat Survey since 1972, and recreational catch records from the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) since 1981. Also included are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recreational fisheries surveys of the 1960s and 1970s. Data through 2006 were included in the assessment.
• Information on size and age is provided by sampling programs that support the catch statistics programs. Information on biological characteristics, such as age, growth, and reproduction, is provided by various research studies.
• Scientists use assessment models that can test the impacts of using different years of data and evaluate assumptions about data reliability and precision. As described in the stock assessment report, they evaluate many different alternatives before deciding on the final configuration.
Why do scientists say red snapper are overfished when I have been seeing many more red snapper in recent years?
• A spike in 2007 and 2008 recreational landings indicates that fishermen are seeing more fish now than in previous years. This spike in landings is likely due to a strong year class that occurred in 2005 or 2006.
• The 2008 stock assessment reflects an increase in abundance since 1995; in fact, abundance estimated for the start of 2007 is nearly twice that estimated for 1995. Strong year classes that occurred in 1998 and 1999 and moved through the fishery over the last several years are also partially responsible for the perception that the stock has improved recently.
• Despite these increases in overall abundance, the age structure of the population remains truncated (there are not enough older fish). Red snapper live to 54 years of age, but the assessment indicates that most red snapper are less than 10 years of age.
• It is also apparent that the mortality in the directed fishery has recently fallen about 50 percent. However, discard mortality increased following implementation of the minimum size limit in 1992.
• NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) evaluated several concerns raised by fishermen regarding several analyses conducted after the 2008 assessment was completed. The SEFSC concluded that altering model assumptions based on fishermen’s concerns would impact the magnitude of required harvest reductions but would not change the assessment conclusions regarding the status of red snapper.
• Although the stock is improving, overfishing is still occurring and must be addressed within the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

We’re also seeing more of the larger fish than we have in the past few years. Aren’t these larger fish a sign that the population is healthy?
• For red snapper, larger fish don’t always represent older fish. There is a great deal of variability in the age of red snapper at larger sizes. For example, the average size of a 10 year old red snapper is around 32 inches, but 10 year old fish range in size from 27 to 40 inches.
• Age samples from the fishery reveal that most of the fish caught in recent years are younger than age 10.
• Fish are being caught before they become old enough to reach their peak reproductive levels. Although the 20 inch size limit allows some fish to spawn before they become vulnerable to harvest, these younger, mostly first-time spawners are less productive than the older and heavier fish. A 10-year old red snapper may have reached 90–95 percent of its maximum length but only 80 percent of its potential maximum weight.
• Increasing the abundance of older, mature fish is important to long-term sustainability. Increasing the number of mature age classes in the population would allow it to take greater advantage of favorable conditions to produce large number of recruits (fish that are born within a given year) while also ensuring a buffer to sustain the population during periods of less than optimal conditions for spawning

When will the next stock assessment be completed?
• A new benchmark stock assessment for red snapper will be completed in 2010.

Why is a new benchmark assessment being conducted for red snapper?
• Fishermen reports and landings reflect a spike in landed and discarded fish during 2007 and 2008.
• The SEDAR Steering Committee, which creates the benchmark assessment and assessment update schedule, felt the 2007-2008 increase in landings and discards should be incorporated into a new benchmark assessment for the species.
Will the 2010 assessment mean a delay for Amendment 17A implementation?
• Unfortunately, NOAA Fisheries Service cannot wait to implement measures to end overfishing of red snapper. Failure to end overfishing would be a violation of the law. Postponing development of Amendment 17A until after the assessment is completed would substantially delay implementation of measures to end overfishing and rebuild the stock.

What happens if the assessment shows different harvest reductions are needed than indicated by the current assessment?
• NOAA Fisheries Service is committed to work with the Council to respond to the new assessment findings with any needed management adjustments as quickly as possible.

ADMINISTRATIVE/PROCESS QUESTIONS:
When can I comment on issues regarding South Atlantic red snapper?
• Comments can be submitted during several comment periods including:
- 45-day formal comment period for the notice of availability of the draft environmental impact statement. Comments can be submitted to NOAA Fisheries Service from March 5, 2010, to April 19, 2010 via http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html
- 60-day formal comment period for the notice of availability of Amendment 17A (date to be determined). Comments to be submitted to NOAA Fisheries Service.
- 45-day formal comment period for the proposed rule (date to be determined). Comments to be submitted to NOAA Fisheries Service.
- Any scheduled Council meeting (four are held every year). Comments to be submitted to the Council.
• Fishery bulletins will be sent out to permit holders and other fishery-related entities, and posted on the NOAA Fisheries Service and Council Web sites. The bulletins will inform constituents of when comment periods are open and how comments may be submitted.

Will my comments be considered by the Council and/or NOAA Fisheries Service?
• All written comments submitted to NOAA Fisheries Service during a formal comment period are considered and responded to by NOAA Fisheries Service, either in the final environmental impact statement or in the final rule. Comments on the same subject are grouped together and addressed with one response; however, each comment is counted individually.

• Comments submitted to the Council are reviewed at their scheduled meetings.
Where can I get more information on red snapper and the most recent version of Amendment 17A?
• More information on red snapper and Amendment 17A may be obtained via the Web at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov or http://www.safmc.net.
• Hard copies of the most recent version of Amendment 17A and environmental impact statement may be requested from:
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201 North Charleston, SC 29405
Phone (843) 571-4366 toll free (866) SAFMC-10 Fax (843) 769-4520

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article92.html Coastal Saltwater Anglers 2nd Annual Seminar http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article91.html
Coastal Saltwater Anglers
2nd Annual Seminar
 
March 6th, 2010
Time: 12:00pm
Coastal Science Center
Coastal Carolina University
1270 Atlantic Avenue
Conway, SC29526
 
 OPEN TO ALL
 
 Ticket cost: $10.00
LRFC, SAA members $5.00
 
- Sponsors include -
 
  SouthCarolina-Offshore.com
 
  West Marine in Murrells inlet
 
  Perry’s bait and tackle
 
  Pluff Mudd Outdoors Murrells inlet
 
  Sea Striker tackle
 
  CW Crab
 
  South Chatham Tackle
 
  Blue Water Candy Lures
 
  Fishizzle Tackle
 
  Pawleys Island Outdoors
 
  TowBoat US, donated by Coggeshall Marine
 
   Barefoot Fishing
 
 


- Speakers include-

 
   Capt Joe Winslow- King Fishing
 
   Capt. Zach Faulkner- Wahoo and Bluefin tuna
 
  Capt. Englis tee2sea fishing- Inshore reefs for sheepshead and Spadefish
 
  Capt. J. Baisch- Fish-full thinking- Flounder fishing
 
   Capt. Keith Logan-SouthCarolina-Offshore.com Reefcast, Bluewater Super Map
 
  Fishizzle Tackle - owners talking about how to use their lures.
 
 
Over $2,000.00 in Door Prizes!
 
 
- Vendors include -
  Fishizzle
 
 
Drawing for a Super Spooler from South Chatham Tackle. This is for Active Members of SouthCarolina-Offshore.com
 
 
 
 
For more information visit www.southcarolina-offshore.com
 
 
These are the directions provided by the school in order to get to the Coastal Science Center

From CCU's main campus: Take University Boulevard towards HWY 501 to the intersection of University Boulevard and HWY 501. Take a left at the light and after traveling approximately 0.1 mile, turn right into the Atlantic Center (Atlantic Avenue). Take a left into the Coastal Science Center Building's parking lot after traveling approximately 0.3 mile. The building's entrance is directly in front of the parking lot.


From the north: Travel I-95 South into South Carolina. Follow I-95 to Exit 181. Turn left onto SC Hwy. 38. Follow Hwy. 38 to the intersection of US Hwy. 501. Turn right onto Hwy. 501 and proceed to Conway/Myrtle Beach. Continue on Hwy. 501 through Conway and then turn left into the Atlantic Center (Atlantic Avenue). Take a left into the Coastal Science Center Building's parking lot after traveling approximately 0.3 mile. The building's entrance is directly in front of the parking lot.


From the south: Travel I-95 North. Take Exit 170. Follow SC Hwy. 327 to the intersection with SC Hwy. 576. Turn left onto Hwy. 576 and follow toward Conway/Myrtle Beach. Hwy. 576 will merge with Hwy. 501. Follow Hwy. 501 through Conway and then turn left into the Atlantic Center (Atlantic Avenue). Take a left into the Coastal Science Center Building's parking lot after traveling approximately 0.3 mile. The building's entrance is directly in front of the parking lot.
 
 

 
]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article91.html SAFMC to rehash closed fishing area off South Carolina coast http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article90.html Gregg Holshouser, outdoors columnist: SAFMC to rehash closed fishing area off South Carolina coast

Fishermen in the Southeast will be keenly watching the proceedings at Jekyll Island, Ga., next week when the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) has a meeting Monday through Friday. The huge issue on the council's agenda is Amendment 17A, which potentially has far-reaching impacts in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Amendment 17A's intent is to end overfishing of red snapper and the council is considering closing massive areas of the Atlantic Ocean to all bottom fishing in order to protect the species from by-catch and subsequent release mortality when anglers are fishing for other reef species.

Specifically, at a meeting in Atlantic Beach, N.C., in December, the council in a split vote selected Alternative 4D as the preferred closed area. The alternative includes a 9,678-square mile strip of bottom that stretches from off Melbourne, Fla., to due east of Cape Romain near McClellanville in depths of 98 to 300 feet.

Approximately 3,500 square miles in the proposed closed area are off the South Carolina coast and include prime snapper-grouper habitat - hard-bottom areas and ledges - fished by recreational and commercial anglers from all S.C. ports.

The 13 voting members of the SAFMC, including three from South Carolina, struggled to decide on a preferred alternative. Council member Tom Swatzel of Murrells Inlet makes clear his stance.

"I don't know of any bigger threat for the coastal economy of South Carolina than the proposed 3,500 square-mile closed area associated with Amendment 17A," said Swatzel. "It's serious - a lot of fishermen and tourism-related businesses could go under with the imposition of that closed area. I am going to oppose any fishing closed areas off South Carolina that would be included within 17A."

A resolution opposing any closed area to bottom fishing off the state's coast was adopted by the South Carolina Senate on Feb. 11 and a House version of a similar resolution is in the works.

Swatzel brings up several points in opposing the current preferred closed area:

A small percentage of red snapper landings in the Southeast, 11 percent, occur off South Carolina.

The red snapper fishery is already closed through June 2 because of an interim rule requested by the SAFMC and could be extended another 186 days.

A new stock assessment of red snapper will be available in 2010. The most recent stock assessment was completed in 2008.

"The real problem is that No. 1, only about 11 percent of red snapper landings in the South Atlantic region are landed off South Carolina. It's just a by-catch," said Swatzel. "No. 2, the fishery is already closed so there is no real justification to close any area off South Carolina to bottom fishing. If the majority of the council thinks that closed areas to fishing are a way to manage red snapper, then they need to consider putting the closed areas where red snapper are most abundant, not where they are a by-catch.

"I would like to see the closed areas revisited. I would like to see any closed areas off South Carolina being off the table."

South Carolina's representatives on the council include Swatzel, David M. Cupka and Robert H. Boyles. Cupka is the council's vice-chairman and Boyles is the South Carolina DNR's Marine Resources Division representative. After two other alternatives failed to receive a majority vote at the Atlantic Beach meeting, Cupka made the motion that Alternative 4D be the preferred alternative and it was subsequently approved.

Swatzel wants to wait for the up-to-date stock assessment of red snapper in the South Atlantic region, which is expected to be available in December, before moving on the issue. The council could take final action on Amendment 17A at a June 6-11 meeting in Orlando, Fla., and send it to the Secretary of Commerce for approval.

"Logically, the council shouldn't be making any final decision on 17A until we have the results of that stock assessment," said Swatzel. "I'm hoping the fishery council will not adopt any version of 17A until we have the best available information including that new stock assessment. The earliest that could be would be December."

The issue within the issue is that the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act mandates that a plan to stop overfishing must be in place within a year after overfishing of a species is determined to be occurring, which forces the council to act quickly. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the most recent stock assessment - completed in 2008 - indicated that the South Atlantic population of red snapper is overfished and is undergoing overfishing.

Between 3,000 to 5,000 fishermen, both recreational and commercial, rallied at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to protest the direction of fisheries management, including stipulations of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

With the council's meeting fast approaching, time is short for concerned fishermen and business owners to contact members of the SAFMC.

"Write letters, e-mail or call members of the fishery council, particularly those from South Carolina that have a say in any closed areas that might occur off this state," said Swatzel. "I think communication is vital. I would encourage those kinds of contacts - they are effective."

All council members' contact information is available at www.safmc.net. The meeting can also be watched live via video stream on the Web site.

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article90.html HR1584/S1255 – ADDING “FLEXIBILITY” TO OUR FEDERAL FISHERIES LAW http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article89.html HR1584/S1255 – ADDING “FLEXIBILITY” TO OUR FEDERAL FISHERIES LAW


Introduced in the 111th Congress, the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009
(Senate Bill 1255 and House Bill 1584) would amend the federal fisheries law (Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act or MSA for short) to extend the allowable
time period for rebuilding certain “overfished” fisheries. As written, S1255 and HR1584 would
allow the time period for rebuilding these stocks to be extended in cases where the biology of
the stock of fish, other environmental conditions, or management measures under an
international agreement in which the United States participates would dictate otherwise.
Additionally, S1255 and HR1584 would allow the Secretary of Commerce to have reasonable
flexibility to make important fisheries management decisions in extending the 10-year rebuilding
timeframe if it is determined that:
• The cause of the fishery decline is outside the jurisdiction of the Council or the
rebuilding program cannot be effective only by limiting fishing activities
• The 10-year period should be extended to provide for the sustained participation of
fishing communities or to minimize the economic impacts on such communities,
provided that there is evidence that the stock of fish is on a positive rebuilding trend
• Such 10-year period should be extended for one or more stocks of fish of a multispecies
fishery, provided that there is evidence that those stocks are on a positive
rebuilding trend
• There has been a substantial change to the biomass rebuilding target for the stock of
fish concerned after the rebuilding plan has taken effect
• The biomass rebuilding target exceeds the highest abundance of the stock of fish
during the 25-year period preceding the date the rebuilding plan has taken effect and
there is evidence that the stock is on a positive rebuilding trend.
In evaluating the progress to end overfishing and to rebuild overfished fish stocks, the Flexibility
in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009 gives the Secretary of Commerce the authority to
review factors other than recreational or commercial harvest in order to determine if these other
factors are contributing to the overfished status of a stock of fish. Such factors include
commercial, residential, and industrial development of coastal areas or other agricultural
activities in coastal areas, and the impact of such development or activity on the marine
environment; predator and prey relationships of target and related species; and other
environmental and ecological changes to the marine conditions.
S1255 and HR1584 also adds that if the Secretary of Commerce determines that extended
rebuilding time is warranted under any of these clauses, then the maximum time allowed for
rebuilding the stock of fish concerned may not exceed the sum of the initial 10-year rebuilding
period, the expected time to rebuild such stock absent any fishing mortality and under prevailing
environmental conditions, and the mean generation time of such stock.
S1255 and HR1584 also define the term “positive rebuilding trend” as being applied to fisheries
where the biomass of the stock of fish has shown a substantial increase in abundance since the
implementation of the rebuilding plan.

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article89.html SC GENERAL ASSEMBLY SAYS “NO” TO FISHING CLOSURES http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article88.html SC GENERAL ASSEMBLY SAYS “NO” TO FISHING CLOSURES

In a concurrent resolution, the South Carolina General Assembly is working to oppose any
fishing area closures off the coast of South Carolina associated with the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council’s (SAFMC) proposed amendment 17A to the fishery management plan for
the grouper/snapper fishery. Two bills currently in the Assembly are H 4497 and S 1095 and
call upon the SAFMC to not adopt any version of Amendment 17A that includes the closure of
areas off the coast of South Carolina to be closed to fishing activities.
South Carolina members of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) lobbied the general
assembly extensively to garner support of this very important issue, and the response from the
General Assembly is applauded by RFA and its South Carolina Members. “We need these
passed immediately,” said RFA-SC member Cantey Smith of Charleston. “These bills advocate
protection of our economy, jobs, our ability to do what we love and the state of our offshore
fishery. Smith stressed that fellow South Carolina anglers should contact their local legislator
asking for support of the resolutions, adding “South Carolina values are at stake here.”
In the resolution sponsored by Rep. Thad Viers of Myrtle Beach, Sen. Ray Cleary of
Georgetown, Horry and Charleston Counties and Sen. Ronnie Cromer of Lexington, Newberry
and Saluda Counties, South Carolina Assembly members made it very clear that the proposal
under consideration for closures by the SAFMC were “unjustifiable and would create severe
economic hardship to the state and its coastal counties, including significant job loss at a time
when job creation is badly needed and is a priority.”
“Between NOAA restrictions on snapper and grouper, and the proposal to shut down the entire
coast to bottomfishing, I’m not sure how much our coastal sector can bend,” said Charleston
charter captain, Mark Brown. “Our local fishing industry is close to broke as it is now.”
The concurrent resolution reads that “any closed area to fishing off the coast of South Carolina
will result in excessive fishing pressure on the remaining open areas, causing localized
depletion of fish species, further, seriously impacting fishermen, employment, and the local
economy.” Furthermore, the Assembly “strongly urged representatives of South Carolina on the
SAMFC to cast votes in opposition to any amendment that will result in any area of the state’s
coast being closed to fishing of any kind.”
Ideally, RFA would like to see other coastal states within the SAFMC domain follow suit before
the council reconvenes in March to vote on the area closures. “RFA is thankful to Congressman
Henry Brown for contacting members of the General Assembly in South Carolina to get this
done,” said Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the RFA. “Mr. Brown is primary co-sponsor of
HR 1584, the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act, and a champion for sciencebased
and sustainable fisheries management. We would like to see more of our coastal
legislators step up on behalf of its constituents the way these South Carolina representatives
have,” Donofrio said.

]]> no_email@example.com (Capt_Keith) http://southcarolina-offshore.com/article88.html