via Burlington Times News
Someone from Iran has been fishing along the North Carolina coast. Someone from Israel has, too.
Someone from both nations bought a coastal recreational fishing license in the first year of its existence. They were among nearly 460,000 coastal recreational fishing licenses sold this year, the Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture learned on Thursday.
According to the report on the coastal fishing license, the licenses have been issued to people in every county in North Carolina, in 62 U.S. states and territories and in countries throughout the world. The license has brought in $5.7 million in fees.
“Lots of people are coming from other countries,” said Louis Daniel, director of the Division of Marine Fisheries.
While the overwhelming number – 458,103 – came from the United States, 493 came from Canada, 97 from the United Kingdom, 43 from Germany and 40 from Mexico.
More than half — 306,901 — were residents of North Carolina. The most out-of-state coastal anglers came from states up the East Coast: Virginia 55,537, Pennsylvania, 20,916 and Maryland 12,386.
Wake County was the No. 1 county of residence with 23,115 such residents getting the license. Alamance County folks bought 4,181 of the coastal fishing permits to rank 23rd statewide. Caswell County ranked 82nd with only 554 licenses.
Commission member Sean McKeon, president of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a trade group representing commercial fishermen, asked Daniel if there is any way to tell how many people acquiring recreational fishing licenses had commercial fishing ties.
“Yes sir,” Daniel responded, noting that he could match the names up with people who possessed commercial fishing licenses.
Daniel said he didn’t have a way to determine how many recreational license holders were family members or friends of a commercial fisherman.
McKeon said he had a concern that eventually, fisheries would be allocated to recreational anglers at the expense of commercial fishermen.
The law requiring saltwater recreational anglers to get a license took effect Jan. 1.
On efforts to improve waterfront access, Daniel said that staff members and committees are already working to identify and gather information on proposed projects. He said he hopes to announce the projects chosen for funding by February 2008.
“These projects are outstanding projects, the ones that we’ve see thus far,” Daniel said.
Daniel said that statutes and funding mechanisms require that projects receiving the money be owned by the state.
He said that people using piers operated by the state would likely be charged an access fee so that the state doesn’t undercut privately operated piers. However, he said there would likely be no fee for people to launch a boat from a state facility.
Monday, December 3, 2007
State Works Fishing Angle
via Courant
It's been more than 50 years, but Richard Roy can still remember the thrill of pulling his first fish from the ocean, a good-sized bluefish that as a 9-year-old he caught while fishing a deep cove off a West Haven dike early one long-ago Saturday morning.
"It used to be that it was hard not to catch a bluefish," Roy said. "But times change, and now we have to be careful and manage our fisheries if we want future generations to know what it's like to reel in a snapper blue. That means licensing and careful monitoring."
That young fisherman, now a state representative from Milford who is a chairman of the legislative committee that handles environmental issues, plans to revive an effort to install a saltwater fishing license program in Connecticut.
Connecticut requires those who fish its fresh waters to buy a $20 license each season, but it doesn't license the estimated 330,000 anglers who fish its salt waters. It's one of only eight coastal states that doesn't issue marine licenses, but, like it or not, that will soon change.
A new federal law will create a national saltwater fishing registry in 2009 to collect data that will be used to help the government manage the national fisheries. Anglers living in states without marine licensing must join the federal registry and, in 2011, start paying a registration fee.
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection asked Roy's committee to create a state licensing program so the state, and not the federal government, could set the license fee and keep the revenue in Connecticut for local conservation efforts.
The DEP wants to charge residents $15 for a marine fishing license or $25 for a license that would cover both fresh and saltwater. The money would go directly into its conservation fund and be used exclusively for fishery management, conservation and education.
As the number of freshwater fishing licenses declines, the DEP needs that marine licensing money to maintain its current level of service, said Rick Jacobson, the assistant director of the inland fisheries division. Inland fishing licenses declined from 129,000 in 1996 to 112,200 in 2006.
Inside the fishing community, the marine license debate includes a lot of talk about equality. The DEP spends about $2 million a year on marine fisheries, most of which comes from fees paid by inland fishermen through license fees, Jacobson said.
After years of fishing for free, saltwater fishermen aren't thrilled about the idea, but nobody is organizing against it. The Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, a group that has fought against past attempts, has even come around, said lobbyist Bob Crook.
Many saltwater anglers would prefer to pay a state license fee that would be used to protect Long Island Sound and its fish than a federal registration fee, which might be substantially more than Connecticut's fee and be spent anywhere in the country, Crook said.
But some saltwater fishermen are worried that Connecticut's neighbors are not considering similar legislation. Some Connecticut fishermen wonder if the money they spend on the saltwater license will end up benefiting unlicensed New Yorkers who fish Connecticut waters.
"To me, any conservation is a good thing, because it protects the fish, the thing we all love, but I wonder about the fairness," said Eric Johnson, who owns Westport Outfitters, a tackle and bait shop in Norwalk. "Why should we get a license if they don't have to?"
On a typical Saturday, half the boats in the waters off Johnson's shop are registered in New York, Johnson said. He doesn't think the DEP has enough enforcement officers to enforce marine license violations of state or federal regulations throughout Long Island Sound.
But fishermen acknowledge that the health of Long Island Sound is improving, and fishermen like Chuck DiGiovanna, who founded the Southport Striper Club, said it's worth a try to prevent a repeat of past fishing disasters, like the striped bass collapse of the 1980s.
The first attempt to create a saltwater license in Connecticut died a quiet death over the summer, when the legislature ran out of time to consider Roy's bill and others, but Roy plans to try again in the next legislative session.
It's been more than 50 years, but Richard Roy can still remember the thrill of pulling his first fish from the ocean, a good-sized bluefish that as a 9-year-old he caught while fishing a deep cove off a West Haven dike early one long-ago Saturday morning.
"It used to be that it was hard not to catch a bluefish," Roy said. "But times change, and now we have to be careful and manage our fisheries if we want future generations to know what it's like to reel in a snapper blue. That means licensing and careful monitoring."
That young fisherman, now a state representative from Milford who is a chairman of the legislative committee that handles environmental issues, plans to revive an effort to install a saltwater fishing license program in Connecticut.
Connecticut requires those who fish its fresh waters to buy a $20 license each season, but it doesn't license the estimated 330,000 anglers who fish its salt waters. It's one of only eight coastal states that doesn't issue marine licenses, but, like it or not, that will soon change.
A new federal law will create a national saltwater fishing registry in 2009 to collect data that will be used to help the government manage the national fisheries. Anglers living in states without marine licensing must join the federal registry and, in 2011, start paying a registration fee.
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection asked Roy's committee to create a state licensing program so the state, and not the federal government, could set the license fee and keep the revenue in Connecticut for local conservation efforts.
The DEP wants to charge residents $15 for a marine fishing license or $25 for a license that would cover both fresh and saltwater. The money would go directly into its conservation fund and be used exclusively for fishery management, conservation and education.
As the number of freshwater fishing licenses declines, the DEP needs that marine licensing money to maintain its current level of service, said Rick Jacobson, the assistant director of the inland fisheries division. Inland fishing licenses declined from 129,000 in 1996 to 112,200 in 2006.
Inside the fishing community, the marine license debate includes a lot of talk about equality. The DEP spends about $2 million a year on marine fisheries, most of which comes from fees paid by inland fishermen through license fees, Jacobson said.
After years of fishing for free, saltwater fishermen aren't thrilled about the idea, but nobody is organizing against it. The Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, a group that has fought against past attempts, has even come around, said lobbyist Bob Crook.
Many saltwater anglers would prefer to pay a state license fee that would be used to protect Long Island Sound and its fish than a federal registration fee, which might be substantially more than Connecticut's fee and be spent anywhere in the country, Crook said.
But some saltwater fishermen are worried that Connecticut's neighbors are not considering similar legislation. Some Connecticut fishermen wonder if the money they spend on the saltwater license will end up benefiting unlicensed New Yorkers who fish Connecticut waters.
"To me, any conservation is a good thing, because it protects the fish, the thing we all love, but I wonder about the fairness," said Eric Johnson, who owns Westport Outfitters, a tackle and bait shop in Norwalk. "Why should we get a license if they don't have to?"
On a typical Saturday, half the boats in the waters off Johnson's shop are registered in New York, Johnson said. He doesn't think the DEP has enough enforcement officers to enforce marine license violations of state or federal regulations throughout Long Island Sound.
But fishermen acknowledge that the health of Long Island Sound is improving, and fishermen like Chuck DiGiovanna, who founded the Southport Striper Club, said it's worth a try to prevent a repeat of past fishing disasters, like the striped bass collapse of the 1980s.
The first attempt to create a saltwater license in Connecticut died a quiet death over the summer, when the legislature ran out of time to consider Roy's bill and others, but Roy plans to try again in the next legislative session.
Golden tilefish record broken in Va. Beach
via WAVY
According to the Virginia Marine Resources Commision, a 53-pound, 8-ounce golden tilefish, caught on September 22nd by Charles Maresh of Norfolk, has been certified as the new Virginia state record for the species by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The record-setting tilefish measured 46 inches (TL) and sported a 33-inch girth.
Maresh was fishing off the Virginia Beach coast at the Norfolk Canyon with Captain Joe DelCampo aboard the charter vessel Keyed Up.
The trip was arranged by long-time friend and fishing buddy Byron Waller in lieu of a bachelor party, as Maresh was scheduled to be married the weekend following the trip.
The pair even tied the deep-drop rigs they would use the night before the trip, using 100-pound mono and 8/0 Gamigatsu hooks.
The record tilefish was caught on a Penn Mariner Stand-up rod and a 4/0 High-speed Senator reel packed with 80-pound PowerPro braided line. Squid was used for bait.
Golden tilefish was added to the list of eligible species for state record consideration in November 2006 with an initial qualifying weight of 40 pounds.
Jeffery Dail was the initial and current record holder, with a 44-pound golden tilefish caught on April 29, 2007, although a 48-pound golden tilefish was caught August 5, 2007, but is still pending final verification.
According to the Virginia Marine Resources Commision, a 53-pound, 8-ounce golden tilefish, caught on September 22nd by Charles Maresh of Norfolk, has been certified as the new Virginia state record for the species by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The record-setting tilefish measured 46 inches (TL) and sported a 33-inch girth.
Maresh was fishing off the Virginia Beach coast at the Norfolk Canyon with Captain Joe DelCampo aboard the charter vessel Keyed Up.
The trip was arranged by long-time friend and fishing buddy Byron Waller in lieu of a bachelor party, as Maresh was scheduled to be married the weekend following the trip.
The pair even tied the deep-drop rigs they would use the night before the trip, using 100-pound mono and 8/0 Gamigatsu hooks.
The record tilefish was caught on a Penn Mariner Stand-up rod and a 4/0 High-speed Senator reel packed with 80-pound PowerPro braided line. Squid was used for bait.
Golden tilefish was added to the list of eligible species for state record consideration in November 2006 with an initial qualifying weight of 40 pounds.
Jeffery Dail was the initial and current record holder, with a 44-pound golden tilefish caught on April 29, 2007, although a 48-pound golden tilefish was caught August 5, 2007, but is still pending final verification.
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