October 13, 2017 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:
HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13th!!!
OCTOBER IS SEAFOOD MONTH!
Seafood month got a great kickoff in North Carolina with last Saturday’s Fisherman’s Village on the Morehead City waterfront, and on Sunday morning at the Blessing of the Fleet.
For a message from Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, or NMFS, click the link below.
Message from Chris Oliver about Seafood Month
FROM THE DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES:
Advisory committee meetings to focus on cobia management measures – Three advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet on separate dates in October to discuss issues related to the cobia fishery.
The advisory committees will be asked to provide input to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission on management measures contained in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia (Georgia to New York). The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board will meet Oct. 19 to vote on this plan.
The draft plan includes size, bag and vessel limits to complement federal measures. Most notably, the draft plan includes several proposed options for state-specific recreational harvest targets that will give individual states more flexibility in developing management measures to best suit their needs.
Currently, the recreational annual catch limit for Georgia to New York is managed on a coastwide basis. This has resulted in federal closures and significant overages, disrupting fishing opportunities and jeopardizing the health of the stock.
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will discuss North Carolina’s recreational cobia management measures at its Nov. 15-16 meeting at the Doubletree by Hilton Garden Inn Outer Banks in Kitty Hawk.
For more information, contact Steve Poland, cobia staff lead with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, at 252-808-8159 or Steve.Poland@ncdenr.gov.
CALENDAR
Oct 15 – 19; ASMFC Annual Meeting; Waterside Marriott; Norfolk, VA
Oct 24; 6:00pm MFC Northern Advisory Committee; Dare County Complex; Manteo, NC
Oct 25; 6:00pm MFC Southern Advisory Committee; Cardinal Drive; Wilmington, NC
Oct 26; 6:00pm MFC Finfish Advisory Committee; DMF District Office; Morehead City, NC
Nov 8; Noon; NCFA Board of Directors; Civic Center; Washington, NC
Nov 15-16; NC Marine Fisheries Commission; Kitty Hawk
Dec 4 – 8; South Atlantic Council; Doubletree; Atlantic Beach, NC
Dec 6; Noon; NCFA Board of Directors; Civic Center, Washington, NC
Dec 11 – 14; Mid Atlantic Council; Westin Annapolis; Annapolis, MD