Advisory Committees Vote to Reject Petition to Reclassify NC Inshore Waters The Joint Meeting of the Finfish, Habitat and Water Quality, Shellfish/Crustacean and Sea Turtle Advisory Committees was held yesterday in New Bern to discuss a petition for rulemaking that proposed reclassifying most internal coastal waters as secondary nursery areas; a move that would essentially close Pamlico Sound to shrimp trawling. In front of hundreds and hundreds of commercial fishermen and their families (estimates as high as 1200), and in range of the dozens of shrimp trawlers that anchored in the nearby Neuse River, all four committees voted to reject Tim Hergenrader’s terribly flawed petition. With only two abstentions and 1 no vote, the committee votes were virtually unanimous; with the Habitat and Water Quality adding teeth to their vote by denying the petition “with prejudice” hoping this would put an end to frivolous petitions like Hergenrader’s from finding their way to the MFC. Hergenrader was, if anything, a useful dupe for the people really behind the petition to halt shrimp trawling such as Ray Brown and the Coastal Fisheries Reform Group and the CCA (CCA’s Bill Mandulak spoke in glowing terms about the petition) . Brown had to answer most questions for Hergenrader about his own petition, since it was patently obvious he knew precious little about the subject or the details of his own proposal. The advisory committees have spoken clearly to the Marine Fisheries Commission telling them that the current FMP amendment being undertaken by the Division is sufficient at this time to deal with bycatch in the shrimp fishery. The Commission will vote itself at its next meeting at the DoubleTree Hilton in Raleigh August 28-30. The commercial industry was well represented by individuals from all aspects of the industry and the unity on this issue was wonderful to see. Hopefully, the energy will continue on this issue and the many other issues facing our industry here in NC and at the federal level. It was a proud day for our industry. The Division Director, Louis Daniel, (no s) did a thorough job presenting the Agency’s position and detailing the lack of scientific justification for the petition’s request to ban trawling through reclassification of internal waters.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:17:45 +0000
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