Speakers: Sales License
OK If It Helps Fishing Industry
BY DORI COSGROVF, GURGANUS
a majority of speakers at a public
hearing Monday night told a state
legislative study commission they
would support licensing of all
seafood harvesters who sell their
catch if it would benefit the industry.
'This is your night," State Rep.
David Rcdwine of Brunswick
County told those gathered at
Bolivia at the first of several public
hearings scheduled over the next
few months along the coast by the
Joint House and Senate Seafood and
Aquaculturc Commission.
The hearings are intended to an
swer questions about the need for li
censes to sell seafood by the people
who harvest it, as well as the useful
ness of the N.C. Marine Fisheries
Commission, Rcdwine said.
Along with State Sen. Marc
Basnight of the Outer Banks,
Rcdwine co-chairs the Joint
Commission. The panel visited
Brunswick County this week to hear
from fishing community representa
tives and lobbyists. In addition to
the hearing Monday night, the com
mission held a business meeting
Tuesday morning at the Jones/Byrd
Conference Center at Sea Trail.
About 40 people filled the Public
Assembly meeting hall at the
Brunswick County Government
Center Monday night to have their
say before the 12-person panel,
which is made up of state congres
sional members as well as represen
tatives of recreational and commer
cial fishing groups.
Approximately 15 of the group
spoke during the hearing and also
answered questions from panel
members.
Opinions varied, but many speak
ers agreed that some form of regula
iuiy license is needed foi marine
fishermen.
The major point of the public
hearing Monday as well as a meet
ing of the joint commission Tuesday
morning was "license to sell."
The issue of the Marine Fisheries
Commission was dropped by the
joint commission Tuesday morning
due to lack of time for considera
tion.
The licensure proposal was intro
duced to the 1991 session of the
N.C. General Assembly as House
Bill 1105 last April, but was not ap
proved, Redwine said.
The state Division of Marine
Fisheries, part of the Department of
Environment, Hcaiiii and Natural
V.- -. . ? ? w?'' X* . 4 *>. V r.-*" * -*
This Week's
Tide Table
FEBRUARY
HIGH LOW
Day Data A.M. P.M. AJrf. P.M.
Thursday 20 *25 9:56 3:11 3:33
Friday 21 10:12 10.47 4:01 4:18
Saturday 22 11-^)0 11:37 4:50 5?
Sunday 23 11:50 5:42 S:S2
34 1M9 1141 6:36 6:46
Tue?J*y 25 104 1:36 7:32 7:43
Wedoeaday 26 2:24 2:34 832 W3
ADJUSTMENTS
SHALLOTTE INLET ? add 17 mm.
high tide, add 32 mm. low tide.
LOCKWCX.O IOLLY? ?jbtr?ct 22
min. high tide, subtract S min. low tide.
BALD HEAD ISLAND? aubtract 10
nan. high t>d?, aubuaa 7 min. low tide.
SOUTH K>RT ? add 7 mitt, high tide,
add IS min. low tide.
LITTLE RTVER ? add 7 min. high
tide, add 7 min. low tide.
State Restricts
Grouper Harvest
State rules limiting the harvest of
gag and black grouper have been re
vised to comply with federal restric
tions.
The N.C. Division of Marine
Fisheries issued a proclamation last
week outlawing the possession of
the two types of grouper if they are
less than 20 inches long.
The rules, which took effect Mon
day, apply to waters within three
miles of the bcach.
The proclamation also continued
existing limits on black sea bass and
cobia. It's still iilcgal to possess
black bass less than eight inches
long taken by hook-and-hne or pots
south of Cape Hatteras.
The state also prohibits the har
vest of more than two cobia per per
son per day or any cobia less than 33
inches fork length or 37 inches total
length.
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"Oi! Painting Classes" 3
Art Supplies
"THE UNUSUAL"
Winter Hours (Jan. & Feb.)
Tucs., Thurs., Sat. 10-5
Calabash Post Office Complex
Jtwy. 179 ? (919)579-'
omplc
99MU
STAJF PHOTO BY OOII C GUHGAMUS
BRIAN SHEPARD, member of the Southeastern N.C. Waterman's Association, hands information sheets out to State Rep. David
Redwine (hand outstretched) and other members of the Joint House and Senate Seafood and Aquaculture Commission during a public
hearing Monday night. Seated at the table are (left to right) C.B. "Cash" Caroon, Tom Caroon, State Sen. Marc Basnight, Redwine, State
Sen. Richard Conder, State Rep. Ronald Smith and State Rep. Pete Thompson.
Resources, has reported that it can't
keep accurate records on the state of
the fishing industry in North
Carolina because many seafood
dealers and harvesters don't keep
records, or don't cooperate with
Division icpicsciiiaiivcS.
Requiring a license for every fish
erman who then sells his catch to a
dealer may help trace the origin of
seafood back to the harvester and
help state officials keep better
records on stocks of certain species,
several speakers agreed.
Dick Brame, executive director of
the N.C. Atlantic Coast
Conservation Association, told the
panel that licensing is "something
we needed yesterday."
He agreed with other lobbyists
who said that having such a license
would enable ihe Division of Marine
Fisheries to record data on what is
caught, how much of each spccics is
caught, and who is doing the catch
ing.
"It will be enforced at the fish
house," Brame said.
Fentress "Red" Mundcn, deputy
director of the Division, said that
now dealers and harvesters voluntar
ily give data regarding amounts of
fish caught.
"We can by no means get every
thing that's caught," he said.
Munden said a license would be a
method of providing information to
the Division.
Jerry Schi'.l of New Bern, execu
tive director of the N.C. Fisheries
Association Inc., told the group that
his organization "firmly endorses"
the collection of data to help the
Division better manage coastal wa
ters.
A member of the Southeastern
N.C. Waterman's Association, Earl
House of Snced's Ferry, spoke
against licensing. "I've been li
censed to death," he said, but added
that he would accept the idea if "that
iiccr.sc will provide data helpful to
the industry."
"People who manage our re
sources know so little," House said.
A meeting at Sea Trail in Sunset
Beach Tuesday morning allowed the
commission to hear more comments
from scheduled speakers Schill,
Munden and Brame, who continued
in support ihc need for a license anil
data-gathering system.
"I think the fishermen will sup
port it if it puts restrictions on part
timers," Munden said Tuesday.
"And if it helps get some of the gear
out of the water."
"It must be such that a dealer will
lose his liccnse if he buys on the
black market," Brame told the panel.
According to Redwinc, his panel
has been "charged to monitor the
seafood industry and report hack to
the short session of the General
Assembly in May."
"We are to make some recom
mendation, if any, to the General
Assembly," he said.
The next set of hearings and
meetings of the joint commission is
scheduled March 26 and 27 in
Oriental, Morchcad City and
Snccd's Ferry.
Power Squadron
Installs Lambert
In a change of watch ceremony
Feb. 7, Charles "Buzz" Lambert of
Shallotlc was installed as comman
der of the Shal
lottc River Pow
er Squadron for ^
1992, announced
the outgoing co
mmander, Clete
Waldmiller of
Sunset Beach. or
Other officers
arc executive of
ficer, Ll Com- ? *+
mandcr Franklin LAMBERT
Forrest of Holdcn Beach; squadron
education officcr. Past Commander
Carr Parsons of Sunset Beach; ad
ministrative officer, Li. Commander
Gus Ulrich of Holden Beach; secr
etary, Lt. Commander Joseph Brust
of Ocean Isle Beach; and treasurer,
Lt. Commander Lucy Kccfer of Cal
abash.
The local squadron is part of the
national organization, which is dedi
cated to safe boating through educa
tion, said Waldmiller.
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