Red drum season closed for summer after commercial harvest exceeds annual quota – CCA-NC Very Concerned!

Commercial fishermen will go nearly a year without a red drum season following an unusually large harvest in the fall that has prompted a closure. The Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina “obviously very concerned about the significant amount that the commercial red drum quota was exceeded,” said CCA-NC Chairman Greg Hurt. jdnew.com Read more here 11:36

3 Responses to Red drum season closed for summer after commercial harvest exceeds annual quota – CCA-NC Very Concerned!

  1. Dick Grachek says:

    When are fisheries managers going to learn that fish populations have boom and bust “cycles”, always have, and always will? Fishing landings prohibitions by fishing regulators do not and cannot control these cycles. That is the delusion of the current day “population dynamicists” in fisheries “management”.

    Ill-advised and disproportionate regulations actually create the bycatch. Bycatch is a function of out of whack restrictions on landings of species that happen to be having a “bumper crop” year! In the New England fishermen spend more time trying to avoid the “forbidden species” than they do fishing. Currently and for the last few years we are inundated with black sea bass but most of the time are only “allowed” to land small amounts if at all. The ocean bottom is paved with them…so bycatch, bycatch, and more bycatch.

    These fishermen are not targeting red drum anymore than New England Fluke fishermen are targeting Sea Bass. Of course, that certain species swim together seems to be a concept beyond the understanding of some scientists and regulators. What they also seem to miss is the “mixed stock exemption” as outlined in the regulations.

    Seems to me it’s the CCA-NC that is “clearly targeting” some commercial fishermen.

  2. mack mcarthur says:

    estimated rec landings of red drum last year surpass 1 million pounds commercial fishermen just over 250000lbs.a well know guide said the recs don’t eat red drum so what did they do with them

  3. mack mcarthur says:

    nc landings

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