January 17, 2017 — Watermen want to know what happened to commercial license fees that were collected to fund observers required by law for flounder fishing when sea turtles are spotted in area waters.
Few answers were provided at a meeting of the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Resource Funding Committee on Jan. 4.
Records show that $1.3 million was allocated for the observers in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, but only $608,065 was spent.
Dewey Hemilright, who attended the meeting, asked how so much could have been spent on the Section 10 permit program when the flounder fishery was closed much of the season.
“Expenses need more accountability,” said Hemilright, a long-line fisherman. “This doesn’t affect me, but I’m willing to pay the extra money if it allows others to fish. But if there’s more being paid in than is needed, then it should be returned to the fishermen.”
An additional license fee was imposed after a state appropriation to cover the cost of complying with the federal permit’s conditions was eliminated. One condition requires the observers, who monitor interactions with endangered sea turtles and sturgeon.
The fishery can be shut down if turtles and sturgeon are found in the management area.
Section 10 observers are a part of the DMF Observer Program, also called the Resource Protection unit, which has much broader responsibilities, The unit develops fishery management plans, assesses stocks and collects at-sea information about commercial and recreational catches.
After the loss of revenue to pay for the permit program, the North Carolina Fisheries Association brokered a deal in which fishermen agreed to pay substantially higher license fees to fund the Section 10 permit observers.
“It was the only way they could continue to fish,” said Jerry Schill, NCFA director.