Tag Archives: Department of Natural Resources
Crisfield watermen up in arms over DNR’s peeler crab regulations
It’s another winter day that Crisfield watermen are forced to stay off their boats, but the spring may be the start of even bigger problems. “We were hoping it wouldn’t come to this,” says Doug Hall, a waterman in Crisfield, Maryland. In Maryland, the current law requires that the minimum size of “peeler” or soft-shell crabs that watermen can harvest is 3.25 inches until July 14th, when that requirement jumps to 3.5 inches. However, this year the Department of Natural Resources is making that regulation go into effect three months earlier, on April 1st. Read the rest here 15:41
Georgia waters opening to shrimping June 10
BRUNSWICK, GA. | Georgia will open its waters for the commercial and recreational netting of food shrimp at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, the state said. That means commercial trawlers can operate in Georgia’s territorial waters to the three-mile limit and individuals can use beach seines and cast nets to catch shrimp in waters where the shrimping gears are allowed. Read more here 13:55
Half of Hawaii’s Bottomfishing Restricted Areas Opening Up
A long-simmering dispute over the state’s Bottomfishing Restricted Areas (BRFA’s) between Hawaii’s fishing community and the state’s and fisheries scientists has resulted in a move by the state to open six BRFAs and keep six BRFAs closed. Read more here 17:45
Maryland Seafood labeling legislation could pose problems for restaurants
ANNAPOLIS — Marylanders — lawmakers included — take their crabs very seriously, which prompted a legislative proposal that would let residents know when their “Maryland style” crabcakes aren’t the real deal. Some members of the seafood and restaurant industries fear that legislation introduced in the state House of Delegates proposing tighter regulations on seafood labeling could be impractical and costly for Maryland restaurants. Read more here somdnews.com 13:31
Oyster lease bid plan unpopular with Louisiana’s oyster industry
A draft of proposed legislation to lift the moratorium on new oyster leases in Louisiana doesn’t even have a sponsor yet, but two provisions in it are raising the ire of the oyster industry. One provision would require bidding for new leases instead of the current process of leasing these state-owned water bottoms for $2 an acre per year for 15 years. The provision would apply only to new leases, not to renewals. Read [email protected] 17:59
Kent Md. Poacher convicted of overfishing striped bass
According to a news release from the office of Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, state Natural Resources Police began an investigation after receiving information that Pierce had been using fishing licenses that did not belong to him during the striped bass season in January and February of 2011. Striped bass regulations from 2011 allowed Pierce to catch the daily legal limit of 300 pounds per striped bass allocation. There also was a maximum permitted allotment for total catch per boat of 1,400 pounds per day. more@myeasternshore 14:39
Wisconsin DNR issues commercial fishing citations in Two Rivers
MANITOWOC — The Department of Natural Resources has issued 44 citations for commercial fishing violations against Susie Q Fish Co. of Two Rivers, its owners and employees. The ordinance violations occurred in 2007 through 2010, according to court records. Among the charges were fishing with an illegal net, failing to return game fish and failing to keep accurate records. Read more here
