Still time to sign up for Kent Narrows tourney

The annual CCA MD-Kent Narrows Light Tackle-Fly Striper Tournament is set for this Saturday, and sign-ups are still available on the CCA MD website at http://www.ccamd.org/?page_id=54. The tourney will operate under a catch and release format this year with winners being determine by length as evidenced by a photo and CCA approved ruler. Tournament rules are also available on the website.

A captain’s meeting is set for 5 p.m. at Shore Tackle and Custom Rods, , 3100 Main St., Grasonville, 3100 Main St., Grasonville.  If you are unable to attend the captain’s meeting, please send an email to tony@ccamd.org and we will make sure you can still fish the tournament.

Fisheries Updates

In the first part of 2011 the CCA Maryland Government Relations Committee (“GRC”) has been quite busy representing our organization’s membership before the General Assembly and the Department of Natural Resources.  These are some of the most important fisheries issues in Maryland at this time.  We will continue to represent you in the legislature and DNR.

Illegal Gill Nets

The discovery of numerous illegal gill nets off Kent Island beginning on February 1st has led to some significant developments.  In summary:
1. CCA Maryland was able to use social media and the internet to quickly inform members and others throughout our area and the nation about the scope of the illegal netting;
2. We were engaged with the Department and Legislators immediately following the discovery of the first nets; culminating with the announcement of the gill net season’s closure on February 4th and the drafting of several bills targeting significant poaching activities;
3. We were the first private group to pledge funds to the Department’s reward fund;
4. On February 10th, we publicly requested Secretary Griffin keep the gill net season closed until the Department could demonstrate that illegal gill netting was under control, that the fishery could be effectively managed and that the catch could be fully accounted for;
5. While Secretary Griffin announced the re-opening of the gill net season on February 22nd, we believe our efforts were key factors in his privately and then publicly announcing that the Department would evaluate the gill net fishery and that if the commercial watermen could not reform their industry, that the State would consider whether or not there was a place for gill nets in the Bay;
6. On March 10th, CCA Maryland asked Secretary Griffin in a public letter whether or not it believes a gill net fishery that requires extreme levels of management and law enforcement is truly sustainable from both a financial and manpower standpoint. We continue to advocate and push this question;
7. In this same letter, we also requested that the Department extend its analysis of the gill net fishery to the pound net fishery and to make any management changes there as well; and
8. CCA Maryland has had repeated and regular contacts with Secretary Griffin and DNR staff to ensure the promises made on February 22nd to evaluate and assess the gill net fishery are completed in a timely manner.

2011 Legislative Wrap Up

During the 2011 Legislative session, your CCA Maryland:

1. Provided testimony on 19 different bills in Committees during the session, privately lobbying Senators and Delegates on 12 of the 19 bills outside of the committee hearings to educate them and their staff on the underlying issues and importance of the matters under consideration;
2. Of those 19 bills, CCA Maryland presented oral testimony on 18 of them and submitted written testimony 28 separate times (some bills were heard in both the Senate’s Education, Health and Environment Committee and the House’s Environmental Matters Committee);
3. Issued two ‘Action Alert for legislation pending before the General Assembly this session, resulting in more than 2200 emails being sent to 130 different elected officials; and
4. Was one of only three organizations publicly identified and thanked by Governor O’Malley for helping to support key legislation in this year’s session.

Other State Issues

Man O’ War Shoal- Your GRC has been and continues to be engaged with DNR to determine if and when they intend to move forward with their joint federal/State permit application to dredge Man O’ War shoal.

ASMFC Actions

Striped bass- The ASMFC’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board has initiated development of Draft Addendum III with the goals of reducing striped bass fishing mortality (F) up to 40 percent and further protecting spawning stock when it is concentrated and vulnerable. The addendum was initiated in order to allow managers to promptly respond to the results of the stock assessment update in the fall if necessary. Provisions of the addendum, if passed, could be implemented prior to the start of the 2012 fishing year. Draft Addendum III will propose a range of fishing management measures including, but not limited to, adjustments to commercial and recreational minimum size (for jurisdictions outside Chesapeake Bay), reductions in annual coastal commercial allocation, reductions in recreational bag limits, revisions to the target mortality rate for Chesapeake Bay and reductions on fishing for striped bass in Chesapeake Bay during the spawning season by at least 50 percent.

Menhaden- The ASFMC’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board initiated a draft addendum proposing an interim biological reference point of 15 percent maximum spawning potential (MSP) with the goal of increasing abundance, spawning stock biomass, and menhaden availability as a forage species. The current MSP level is nine percent. The draft addendum will also include a suite of management measures to achieve 15 percent MSP.

Blue Crab Management

This spring the Department issued the results of its annual winter dredge survey that showed despite nearly one-third of the population was lost due to extreme cold, the overall stock remained healthy.  This announcement clearly showed that science-based decision making and sensible harvest controls taken by Maryland and Virginia three years ago are paying now dividends.  The results of the winter dredge survey allowed the Department to slightly loosen the crab harvest controls, allowing more crabs to be caught while protecting the health of the overall population.  In evaluating options, the Department published a summary report presenting the results of the recent surveys and the role the commercial and recreational sectors have on the crab population.  The Department then sought public feedback on what specific ways the commercial harvest of crabs could be amended to allow that slightly increased catch.

CCA Maryland strongly supports science-based decision making and sensible fisheries management actions that allow a healthy and sustainable population.  The Department’s data, validated by many years of analysis, indicates it is safe and reasonable to expand the catch while maintaining the stock’s health.  Therefore, CCA Maryland supports the Department’s action that will increase the harvest within safe and reasonable limits.  However, CCA Maryland has voiced its real and sincere concern to the Department that the proposed changes to the harvest of blue crabs only affected the commercial sector.  While the recreational sector is a major and growing part of the overall harvest, the Department’s evaluation of options to amend the harvest discussed the recreational impact but didn’t consider what, if any, changes to the recreational harvest may be possible.  Given the size and scope of the recreational harvest it is difficult to clearly account for its overall harvest and because of this, difficult to safely ‘tweak’ the overall harvest by changing recreational regulations.  However, CCA Maryland has and will continue to press the Department to privately and publicly consider and evaluate all options when considering Maryland’s blue crab fishery.  After all, the resource belongs to all of our state’s citizens and not just the commercial watermen.

Catch Shares – The Department of Natural Resources has contracted with the Environmental Defense Fund to inform and discuss with commercial fishermen the possibility of applying catch shares to the state’s commercial blue crab fishery. The GRC has been engaged in ongoing discussions with both DNR and EDF on this issue closely because the implementation of catch shares has the potential to cause serious problems in mixed use fisheries common in the Bay.