More than 20 federal lawmakers joined several thousand fishermen from around the country in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 24, in a three-hour rally supporting national fisheries reform. The first reports from journalists on the scene tabbed attendance at between 3,000 and 5,000 with fishermen standing elbow-to-elbow next to the U.S. Capitol. The rally was […]
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State fisheries regulators rejected a proposed ban on large mesh gill nets used for flounder fishing but adopted other restrictions to reduce the incidental capture of sea turtles in fishing nets at a meeting Thursday, Feb. 18, that was attended by about 400 people, mostly commercial fishermen. Now the state and fishermen are holding their […]
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By SUSAN WEST By SUSAN WEST Eric Schwaab, the new chief at National Marine Fisheries Service, is stepping into the job at a time when frustration with federal fisheries policy is bubbling over in coastal towns from Maine to Alaska. Schwaab was sworn in as the assistant administrator for fisheries in the National Oceanic and […]
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Even if the day breaks plum perfect and the fish are running, don’t expect to find many Outer Banks fishermen heading out to sea on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Commercial and recreational fishermen from Dare County are planning to take part in a rally in Washington, D.C., that day calling for reform of the Magnuson Stevens […]
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News that the Pamlico Sound bay scallop fishery opens Monday, Feb. 1, spread around Hatteras Island like butter on a hot griddle. The state announced the opening Friday, Jan. 30, after analyzing results from sampling tests run in eastern Pamlico Sound late in January. The estimate of bay scallop abundance was the highest recorded in […]
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Fishermen would see large sections of coastal waters closed to larger mesh gill nets from May 15 through Dec. 15 under a proposal developed by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. The proposed restrictions were presented in a Jan. 11 letter from Louis Daniel, state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) chief, to Roy Crabtree, […]
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Hatteras seafood dealer Jeff Aiken reached the Mt. Kilimanjaro summit Friday afternoon, Jan 29. In an interview before he began the week long climb, Aiken said he wanted to use the opportunity to raise public awareness about the challenges facing commercial fishing families and to raise funds for Commercial Fishermen of America, a coalition of […]
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Commercial and recreational fishermen, two groups often at odds with each other when it comes to fisheries management, plan to march together on Feb. 24 in Washington, D.C. Organized under the slogan United We Fish, commercial and recreational fishermen, affiliated businesses, and coastal community leaders will gather on the steps of the Capitol from noon […]
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