Tag Archives: N.C. Fisheries Association
Blessing of the Fleet pays tribute to commercial fishing families
It was a picture-perfect day Sunday as the sun glistened on the rippling waters of Beaufort Inlet for the 27th annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, held at Radio Island between Morehead City and Beaufort. Twenty-five commercial fishing vessels slowly made their way by Radio Island as wreaths were thrown into the water. Each wreath represented a commercial fisherman or family member who had died. The solemn procession was a segment of the NC Seafood Festival that honors area commercial fishing families and those who have died while harvesting food from the sea. As well as about 200 people lining the shore to watch the procession, private boaters filled the waterway to pay tribute. 15 Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:46
State fisheries advisory committees to review issue paper on trawling closures to protect submerged aquatic vegetation
A controversial proposal that could lead to shrimp trawling area closures to protect submerged aquatic vegetation took a step toward future consideration by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission last week. The commission, policy-making arm of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, voted during its quarterly business meeting in New Bern to refer an issue paper pertaining to the concept to its northern, southern and shellfish/crustacean advisory committees to get input from the public. Glenn Skinner, executive director of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a Morehead City-based trade and lobbying group for commercial watermen, said he and his members are concerned, in part because the state has already permanently or seasonally closed more than 1.2 million acres of estuarine waters to shrimp trawling. more, >>click to read<< 10:18
Fisheries Association still contends tough new rules for mullet fishery are unnecessary
With three N.C. Marine Fisheries advisory committees set this week to make recommendations for changes in the striped mullet management plan, a trade and lobbying group for commercial fishermen is still saying tougher restrictions on the fishery are not needed. In an email Monday, Glenn Skinner, executive director of the Morehead City-based N.C. Fisheries Association said, “The most current DMF data and anecdotal reports from stakeholders seeing more mullet than have been seen in decades suggest that the striped mullet stock is rapidly expanding. “Yet,” Skinner added, “DMF has disregarded these obvious and undeniable signs of improvement and, once again, recommended draconian reductions that seem totally unnecessary when all relevant data is considered. more, >>click to read<< 13:35
EDITORIAL: Commercial fishing avoids being gaffed one more time
In August of 2020, almost three years before the date of the circuit court decision, a citizen’s lawsuit was filed against local shrimp trawl operators who regularly trawl for shrimp in Pamlico Sound. The plaintiffs argued that shrimp trawlers are violating the Clean Water Act by engaging in two type of unpermitted activity, “throwing bycatch (untargeted fish) overboard and disturbing sediment with their trawl net.” Named as defendants were local trawl owners who fortunately, with the help of outside support, were able to withstand the cost and time to defend themselves and by extension, the commercial fishing industry, during the three-year path of the lawsuit. >click to read< 08:15
U.S. Appeals Court’s unanimous decision supports shrimp trawling in state sounds
Commercial shrimpers in the state’s sounds received an overwhelming vote of confidence Monday, Aug. 7 with a unanimous decision by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals affirming a lower court ruling dismissing complaints against shrimp trawling under the Clean Water Act. The plaintiffs contend that shrimp trawlers in Pamlico Sound are violating the Clean Water Act by engaging in two types of unpermitted activity, “throwing bycatch overboard and disturbing sediment with their trawl net. Glenn Skinner, executive director of the N.C. Fisheries Association which represents the state’s commercial fishing industry, noted that this lawsuit had far-reaching impact and could have, if approved, closed the commercial industry. The North Carolina shrimp fishery is immensely important to the state’s commercial watermen but also to the state’s economy. Much of the fishery is in Pamlico Sound and its tributaries. >click to read< 12:55
Fisheries commission to decide controversial amendments for striped bass, striped mullet plans
With the N.C. Marine Fisheries set to decide on two hotly debated fisheries management plan amendments – striped bass and striped mullet – later this week, the N.C. Fisheries Association has been urging its members to show up for the Emerald Isle meeting and weigh in. The estuarine striped bass amendment is set to be voted on during a session Thursday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m., while the striped mullet vote is scheduled during a session that begins at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 18. Glenn Skinner, N.C. Fisheries Association urged the organization’s members to contact marine fisheries commissioners and attend the meeting to comment. >click to read< 15:08
Norh Carolina: Commercial fishermen are not yet alarmed by court ruling
Although the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the state can be sued for alleged failure to protect North Carolina’s fisheries, state officials and advocates for commercial fishermen are not yet alarmed. Glenn Skinner, executive director of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a trade and lobbying group for North Carolina commercial fishermen, said Tuesday it’s his understanding the appeals court verdict only rules that the CCA and its 86 individual plaintiffs have “standing,” which is the right to bring the suit. “This ruling was not based on factual evidence in the case, it just says it can move forward,” Skinner said. “We’re not shocked by this. >click to read< 13:36
NCFC votes down controversial shrimp FMP recommendations, hand-pick preferred measures
The amendment, particularly recommended closures, has faced considerable opposition, including from commercial shrimpers, consumers and government officials. The DMF recommended to the MFC a suite of management measures that included closing 315,206 acres of coastal waters to shrimp trawling to reduce bycatch. Combined with existing areas closed to trawling, the division recommendations would have closed 62.1% of the state’s estuarine waters to such activity. After lengthy deliberation, about 55 speakers during two public comment periods and a motion on the DMF recommendations failing 4-5, the commission selected it’s preferred management measures,,, >click to read< 21:49
You gotta read this! Congress considers extensive appropriations for environment, fisheries
A congressional committee recently proposed billions of dollars in environment, and fisheries related appropriations, which may help protect and restore the North Carolina coast and its fisheries. Not everyone supports the proposed appropriations, however. N.C. Fisheries Association director of government relations Jerry Schill said in a strongly-worded email Oct. 9 to the News-Times he has no plans on reading, studying or lobbying for or against the proposed budget. Mr. Schill said he was in Washington, D.C., Sept. 28 to work on labor issues that relate to commercial fishing.,, “It was a frustrating day because, well D.C. just plain sucks,” Mr. Schill said. “ >click to read< 14:59 (Billions $$$ to NOAA!)
“We’re in pretty bad shape,” Commercial fishermen, fishing industry decline over the past 20 years
North Carolina commercial fishermen have complained for decades that government regulations and a variety of other factors threaten their livelihood and have them headed the way of endangered species. Glenn Skinner of Newport, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association an advocacy group of commercial fishermen, said statistics back that up. “These declines are the result of many different factors. with regulations, the fear of future regulations or outright bans on commercial fishing gears being a significant factor,” Skinner said. He said public perception and political agendas drive the regulations. >click to read< 11:26
Political science drives net ban referendum – most people don’t even know what a gill net is
Cape Carteret town commissioners’ decision last week to endorse a statewide referendum on the use of gill nets in the state’s coastal waters indicates a willingness to relegate complex scientific issues to a political decision. This devalues the expertise of biologists and scientists in the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries who regularly make these decisions on behalf of all stakeholders, to help one special group – recreational fishermen. Commissioner Jeff Waters, in casting the only opposing vote, correctly noted that fewer gill nets are being used every year, But Mr. Waters offered a far more compelling reason not to support the bill and that is most people who would vote in the referendum, “don’t even know what a gill net is and wouldn’t know what they’re voting on and so would just vote against gill nets.” >click to read< 19:11
Cape Carteret commission endorses anti-gill net, net ban legislation
Cape Carteret commissioners Monday night endorsed state legislation that would set up a statewide referendum on whether to ban the use of gill nets and other “entangling” nets in coastal waters. The action to endorse House Bill 513 came during the panel’s regular meeting in town hall and virtually via GoToMeeting and was proposed by Commissioner Steve Martin. It passed by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Jeff Water opposed. N.C. Fisheries Association Executive Director and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner has voiced opposition to the proposed referendum and net restrictions. >click to read< 17:04
Proposed net ban, restriction referendum raises concern among commercial fishing advocates
A proposed referendum for net bans and restrictions missed the state legislature’s crossover deadline, but its very introduction has caused alarm among some commercial fishing officials. State Rep. Bill Richardson, D-Cumberland, introduced House Bill 513,,, the fact it was proposed was enough to spark concern with commercial fishing advocates and a local marine biologist. N.C. Fisheries Association Executive Director and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner and Crystal Coast Ecotours owner and operator Jess Hawkins have voiced their opposition. >click to read< 11:29
NC Fisheries Association seeks to intervene in civil suit against state
The N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the state seafood industry, filed Jan. 28 in Wake County Superior Court a motion to intervene in the civil complaint filed Nov. 10, 2020, by the Coastal Conservation Association’s North Carolina branch against the state. CCANC, a recreational fishing and conservation nonprofit, alleges state officials have mismanaged coastal fisheries resources. “Along with our motion to intervene, we have filed a proposed motion requesting the dismissal of the CCA lawsuit against the state,” the association said. >click to read< 07:02
North Carolina Fisheries Association sends aid to Louisiana fishermen, seafood dealers
The N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the state seafood industry, announced in a press release Tuesday it recently sent several pallets of seafood and bulk ice to Louisiana to assist in relief efforts from Hurricane Laura, which made landfall in that state in late August. In an email to the NCFA from Louisiana Fine Food Companies President and CEO Jim Gossen, Mr. Gossen thanked the association and its partners for their assistance. “Thanks for everything your fishermen have done to help us here,” Mr. Gossen said. “Make sure you let them know how much help they’ve been on the western side of the state (of Louisiana).” According to the NCFA release, Mr. Cross called NCFA Executive Director Glenn Skinner and suggested the organization get involved with the relief effort. >click to read< 08:17
Anti-Commercial Fishing Lawsuit demands NC coastal fishing reforms
The N.C. Coastal Fisheries Reform Group, a nonprofit organization, has said the degradation of marine fisheries is the most significant environmental issue facing the state, and it is going to court to seek change. Joe Albea, a spokesman for the organization, said that “vast schools of croaker and gray trout all over North Carolina in the sounds and along the beach” were present in the 1970s and ’80s. “Through the years we have lost those great schools of fish,” he said. Brent Fulcher, whose fishing vessel, the Micah Bell, is named as a defendant“,, Glenn Skinner, executive director of the trade group the N.C. Fisheries Association, believes the lawsuit is without merit. >click to read< 14:44
North Carolina: Proposal to regulate coastal fishing draws strong differences of opinion
A proposed coastal fishing regulation designed to protect species is drawing sharp differences of opinion from some of those affected. Some think the measure is necessary to prevent continued loss of important fish species. Others think the measure won’t work as intended and could prove catastrophic for coastal fishing industries. >click to read< 09:43
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries: southern flounder ‘overfished’; harvest cuts in works
State fisheries managers have released a new overview of commercially important fish stocks, and a commercial fishing advocacy group and the state branch of a recreational fishing conservation nonprofit seem supportive of its results.,, fisheries managers are working on Amendment 2 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. This amendment, if the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission adopts it at its meeting Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 21-23 in Raleigh, would implement measures to reduce both the commercial and recreational harvest by 62-72%. N.C. Fisheries Association President and commercial fisherman Glenn Skinner said,,, <click to read< 09:39
North Carolina: After public input, panel leans toward Southern flounder harvest reduction
State fisheries managers plan to reduce the harvest of southern flounder – commercial and recreational – by 62-72% to address problems with the spawning stock.,, met to select preferred management options for Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2,,, N.C. Fisheries Association Executive Director Glenn Skinner said he’s been talking with commercial fishermen,,, “Their concern is when it will happen this year,” he said. “We’d ask you to do it in December. We need (the flounder harvest) this year. A lot of people still have hurricane damage. We need to be able to reinvest in the industry. Reductions have been made before (to the flounder harvest). They may not have been enough.”>click to read<09:26
Lingering N.C. Fisheries Association issues persist into 2019
Captain George’s was the venue for the recent 2019 North Carolina Fisheries Association’s Annual Meeting, which addressed issues that included conflicts with special interest groups, shrimp trawl bans and aquaculture in the sounds. The NCFA is the primary organization promoting, providing education and, in recent years, defending North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry. NCFA board presided over an extensive agenda, discussing,,, >click to read<16:17
N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission panel in disarray ahead of quarterly meeting
Just as the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission convenes on Wednesday for its quarterly meeting in Raleigh, there has been a complete turnover of the panel’s commercial fishing members.
By statute, the nine-member board must include three members representing the commercial industry. Sammie Corbett and Alison Willis, both of whom have served since 2014, submitted their resignations Monday night.,,, Both the N.C. Fisheries Association and N.C. Watermen United sent letters Tuesday to state officials asking that no action be taken on any issues that affect the commercial industry until there is full representation. >click to read< 08:44
How cold was it in January? Bad enough to kill a lot of fish
The record-breaking freeze that hit eastern North Carolina the first week of January was so cold that it killed a massive number of fish in tidal creeks and estuaries along the coast. Hardest hit was the spotted seatrout, a fish especially popular with recreational anglers who, along with commercial fishermen, are now banned from fishing for them until the middle of June. The moratorium is meant to give surviving fish a chance to replenish by spawning this spring.,,, >click to read< 13:36
Maritime Angels to help fishing families
When Aundrea O’Neal, bookkeeper for the N.C. Fisheries Association, heard there were commercial fishing families who needed help for Christmas, she went into action. She approached the board of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit trade organization that represents the state’s commercial fishermen, with the idea of helping struggling families with Christmas gifts, especially for the children. She also suggested the idea to the Carteret County Fishermen’s Association, the county affiliate of the state organization. click here to read the story 11:46
North Carolina: New trawl Bycatch Reduction Devices show promise
A state-initiated fishing industry workgroup is getting promising results with prototype bycatch reduction devices in shrimp trawls, and plans more tests this year. An industry work group created by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission met Monday at the Riverfront Convention Center to discuss ongoing testing of prototype BRDs, devices and gear configurations designed to reduce the amount of finfish and other marine life caught incidentally when fishing for a certain species, in this case shrimp. The group discussed the results of tests conducted in 2016 with four different BRDs towed by volunteer commercial shrimp harvesters, as well as set priorities for additional testing for this year. Last year was the first of a three-year research project the work group is conducting. Jerry Schill, executive director of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the state’s fishing industry, said the results from last year’s tests were “very positive.” “Even the (the work group members) were surprised at some of the results,” Mr. Schill said. “Ever since I started (in the fishing industry) 30 years ago, we’ve been trying to reduce bycatch in shrimp trawls.” Read the story here 15:01
N.C. Wildlife Federation Rule Making Petition’s aim: Gear bans or resource protection?
A conservation organization’s request that the state adopt stricter rules for shrimping and recreational spot and croaker isn’t sitting well with a local seafood industry advocacy group. Jerry Schill, president of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the state fishing industry, says the association thinks the petition for rulemaking from the N.C. Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the state’s natural resources, will lead to gear bans that could put shrimping in North Carolina in jeopardy. However, David Knight, NCWF policy consultant, said the petition is meant to protect fish and their habitat and actually assist fishing communities by doing so. The Southern Environmental Law Center presented a petition for rulemaking, on behalf of the NCWF, to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Nov. 17 in Kitty Hawk at the commission’s regular meeting. Read the rest here 08:57
Inshore trawling reduction sought by N.C. Wildlife Federation – a petition for rule making?
The N.C. Wildlife Federation announced on Nov. 2 its plans to file a petition for rule making that would designate all inside coastal waters along North Carolina’s coast as nursery areas to reduce by-catch mortality due to trawling. The Federation’s petition seeks amendments to several parts of North Carolina’s administrative code “in order to promote and ensure the viability and sustainability of North Carolina’s valuable fisheries resources for all citizens.” In doing so, it seeks to designate “all coastal fishing waters not otherwise designated as nursery areas as special, secondary nursery areas, to establish clear criteria for the opening of shrimp season, and define the type of gear and how and when gear may be used in special secondary nursery areas during shrimp season.” Yes! of course! As expected, representatives of commercial fishing interests disagreed. Read the story here 14:57
Lawsuit in the works over Southern Flounder
Carteret County will join fisheries groups in fighting the state Marine Fisheries Commission’s southern flounder supplement changes to reduce catch, which local fishermen say will kill the flounder industry here and cause a ripple effect in other local economic sectors. “I fished for a living, I know what the implications would’ve meant for my family if you’d have taken half of my income from the fall,” Commissioner Jonathan Robinson told the county board. “It means somebody’s not going to have Christmas. It means somebody’s going to have to decide whether to be cold this winter or have something to eat.” On his recommendation, county commissioners unanimously agreed to a resolution supporting a potential lawsuit from state and regional fishermen’s associations, primarily the N.C. Fisheries Association, against the MFC during their Monday meeting in the administration building. Consideration of the complaint follows the November 2015 adoption of a supplement to southern flounder management regulations, a process which critics say circumvented standard amendment procedures after stopgap reassurances in the form of stock assessments failed to pass peer review. “It didn’t pass the smell test. The science was flawed. It couldn’t pass independent peer review – the chief criteria for the development of any new regulations,” Mr. Robinson said. Read the rest here 14:19
NC fishermen and their advocates say local festivals should sell local seafood
We post a lot of articles about local festivals, for the fishermen! If the fishermen are not being served, we will not promote those festivals. We do not promote imported shrimp or Tilapia. Period. – Dewey Hemilright has spent more than half his life in North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry, but he says he has never heard a bigger fish story than the claim by the Outer Banks Seafood Festival that it promotes the harvest he and his colleagues work so hard to haul in.“It’s a deception,” he said, after first using a colorful phrase that rolls more easily off the tongue of a career waterman. “They’re telling people – or at least implying to people – who come down here that they’re going to get local North Carolina seafood. They’re not. What they’re getting is imported. But put that on your sign and see how many people show up. It’s not right. You shouldn’t have to read the fine print.” Read the story here 17:59
North Carolina: House Bill 1122 – Limit Marine Net Fishing Bill
A bill has been introduced in the state House that, if passed, would put it to a popular vote whether to ban gill nets and other forms of nets from coastal fishing waters in North Carolina. On May 10, Rep. William Richardson, D-Cumberland, filed House Bill 1122, also known as the Limit Marine Net Fishing Bill. The bill is before the House committee on rules, calendar and operations. One commercial fishing advocacy group said while they’ve been assured by legislators that HB 1122 will most likely not pass the rules committee, much like a similar bill submitted in 1995, it comes at a very bad time. Jerry Schill, president of the N.C. Fisheries Association, a nonprofit advocacy group for the state’s seafood industry, said HB 1122 is “almost the same wording” as a 1995 bill also introduced by Rep. Richardson. Read the rest here 10:55
Waters still rough after new flounder limits
New restrictions on southern flounder stoke showdown between commercial, recreational fishing and conservationists. Neither side can agree on the science; dispute is over whether flounder is over-fished. Politicians keeping a close eye on the controversy. Lawsuits or legislation could follow. All that anyone agrees on in the politically charged controversy over southern flounder is that new regulations that go into effect Friday will reduce the number of fish that are caught. Read the article here 17:27
