NC Sea Turtles tow the line in fight against gill nets...

There has always been a lot of speculation over the future of North Carolina's fisheries. In large part this speculation has existed solely in the minds of the concerned recreational anglers, sportsmen and wildlife rehabilitation experts and conservation groups that have been entrenched in the battle to remove gill nets from North Carolina's coastal waters.

Interestingly enough gill nets are illegal in North Carolina's fresh waters or inland waters as they are referred to. In the last decade many angler conflicts have arisen between commercial and recreational fishermen as the competition for fish in coastal waters has increased. The long standing argument is that gill nets not only take the fish they are targeting they also reap a lot of bycatch including finfish, (red drum, striped bass, sea trout etc.), waterfowl (ducks, geese and shorebirds), and last and most importantly sea turtles, (kemp ridleys, hawksbill, green and loggerhead) and sturgeon, both of which are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Since the late 90's North Carolina's commercial gill netters in the Pamlico Sound have operated under the protection of Permit no. 1528 which grants these commercial fishermen the right to fish so long as they don't kill or interfere with more than 120 sea turtles in a three year period. Permit 1528 is basically a waiver on the ESA which comes up for review in Dec of 2010.

For the first time in the fisheries history the Pamlico Sound Gill Net fishery was officially closed for the season due to an exceptionally high number of Green Sea Turtle interactions with gill nets in the 4 week season.

See NCDMF Statement attached:

FLOUNDER SEASON CLOSES TO PROTECT SEA TURTLES

MOREHEAD CITY – Waters in Pamlico Sound will close Thursday to the use of large-mesh gill nets. The intent of the closure is to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles.

The estimated number of live green sea turtles caught in flounder nets this season will surpass the maximum number allowed by a special permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service.

North Carolina manages the large-mesh gill net fishery in Pamlico Sound under a federal permit authorized by Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act, which went into effect after numerous sea turtle strandings in Pamlico Sound in 1999 and 2000. Investigations identified the deep-water, large-mesh gill net fishery for southern flounder as the primary source for the sea turtle interactions and subsequent mortalities.

The permit authorizes a limited shallow water fishery along the Outer Banks and mainland side of Pamlico Sound and mandates observer coverage and weekly reporting. The permit also requires a season closure when the number of sea turtle take estimates reaches pre-set thresholds established by NMFS.

As of Friday, estimates of live green sea turtle interactions were at 111. The Section 10 Permit requires closure of the fishery when the estimated takes exceed 120 live green sea turtles.

Additionally, six more takes of green sea turtles were documented by Tuesday, which when extrapolated, will surpass the threshold for estimated green sea turtle takes.

The closure starts at 6 p.m. Thursday and will prohibit the use of gill nets with larger than 4 ¼-inch stretched mesh. It will remain in effect for the rest of the 2009 southern flounder season.

The closure does not prohibit the use of small mesh gill nets (smaller than or equal to 4 ¼-inch stretched mesh), and observations of the small mesh fishery will continue.

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The crew of Redfish Can't Jump are glad to see the closure and at the same time disappointed that it took this type of loss of marine life to achieve this seasonal closure. An intent to sue the NCDMF and the NCMFC was filed yesterday by the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital in Topsail, NC and we support their effort and courage they have put forth to protect these and many other important marine species here in North Carolina's coastal waters.

More to come...

Filming Continues as Gill Net season heats up in NC...

Luke, Josh and I have been diligently recording events as they unfold on the water here along the Cape Fear Coast. Since late August there have been thousands of yards of large mesh gill net set in the coastal waters of North Carolina. While I have seen a lot of dead red drum discards, once a commercial fishermen has his 7 fish for the day he has to discard the rest of his red drum catch dead or alive, it's a sobering experience... I haven't always had the luxury of Luke and his camera on board. Ironically it's not something we want to find but it is something we need on film as evidence of the wanton waste of this fishery.

While there have been plenty of lows involved in the recent increase in seasonal commercial gill nets in our home waters including dead waterfowl, redfish and sea turtle carcasses hidden in the marsh we are seeing progress towards a resolution to this situation from many conservation groups in our area. Some of the lows this month include my digital Nikon SLR being stolen from my car, which was vandalised, in my driveway while I was asleep. I made a police report the next morning on my way to Topsail with Luke to film the last Sea Turtle release of 2009 by the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital of Topsail, NC.

Luke captured some amazing footage and interviews during the release of some 9 rehabilitated sea turtles on the beach at Topsail. There were over 300 people in attendance and media from all over. Luke even made the front page of the paper the next day in a photograph of a loggerhead being released. I would like to personally thank Jean Beasley for her encouragement and her open invitation to access her staff and her hospital. There are some amazing things going on and they are constantly in need of support. If you would like to get involved to donate, volunteer or raise money please visit their website at www.seaturtlehospital.org/ for more information.

We are beginning to chip at the tip of the iceberg and are looking forward to sharing the finished product with everyone that has helped and encouraged us along the way. Please email us or call us if you would like to get involved or help in any way.

Regards,
RFCJ Crew

NCDMF Covering their Backs...

I have found it interesting that as conservation issues arise and or intensify between the public and the people that are responsible for making and enforcing regulations it is the standard practice of regulatory bodies to dodge conflict. I've been attending our local North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings and have been amazed at some of the antics I have witnessed. From commissioners voting on topics before the final scientific data is reviewed to making inflammatory statements about recreational fishermen I never cease to be surprised by the carnival like atmosphere that is present in our bureaucracies.

Recently I received a letter, pictured here, from the NCDENR Division of Marine Fisheries proclaiming that the Pamlico Sound Gill net restricted area will not open on Sept. 1 on schedule due to the concern over the probability of too many sea turtle interactions. Is it possible that Dr. Louis Daniel the Director of the NCDMF is warning commercial fishermen to be careful of their actions this year? Is it possible there will be more observers in the fishery documenting sea turtles interacting with gill netters and their gear? Why would the Director warn the commercial fishermen of a closure possibility unless they fear the sea turtle interactions in the Pamlico Sound Gill net restricted area will draw too much attention to what NC is doing with Permit 1528?

We are all watching with baited breath as this story unfolds...

North Carolina's State Fish: Red Drum

Welcome Anglers,
If we are going to enlist change for better fisheries management in North Carolina I should first tell you a little bit about our states' saltwater fish, Sciaenops ocellatus aka redfish, red drum, spottail bass, puppy drum & channel bass.

The North Carolina General Assembly designated red drum the state saltwater fish in 1971, a resident fish the state had long been famous for due to its ability to reach trophy proportions on the sprawling coast, many fish grow to over 40 pounds in these waters still! The current all tackle world record for the species was caught off of Hatteras Island in 1984, the behemoth weighed in at 94 pounds, 2 ounces and was fought on surf tackle. To date 10 of the 16 world records for red drum were produced by anglers in North Carolina waters.

Red Drum are unique fish well adapted to life in coastal estuaries and sounds. Some of the defining characteristics of the species are their coppery color, their ability to make a "drumming" noise by vibrating muscles in their swim bladder and the easily distinguishable black spot (ocellatus) or spots that are almost always found near the tail and on rare occasions freckling the body. It is commonly believed that the "spot" keeps predators from attacking the fish at the head by mistaking the spot at the tail for a false eye. Combine this adaptation with the fact that a drums tail can almost scissor closed to escape hungry jaws and you have one well engineered shallow water gamefish.

It is commonly known that red drum spend the first 4-5 years of their lives surviving in shallow salt marshes, sounds and protected estuaries before becoming sexually mature and venturing out into the ocean or nearby inlets to spawn and grow larger. It is in the primitive years that red drum become susceptible to numerous hazards including but not limited to dolphins, sharks, alligators, birds of prey and man.

Of all of these hazards it is certainly man that has caused the most damage due to habitat loss and poor fisheries management practices. One major problem occurring on the North Carolina Coast is a single gill net, attended or not by its angler(s), can literally wipe out an entire year or years class of juvenile red drum in minutes. Furthermore while the North Carolina Department of Marine Fisheries intends to manage the fishery under a "bycatch" system the problem persists that many red drum, sea turtles and pelagic birds are entangled in commercial gill netting and drown and or spoil in nets left unchecked. This is a terrible predicament for a resource of such magnitude to be facing and we need your help to right the wrongs.

Stay tuned for the latest rulings regarding Red Drum Fisheries Management and other North Carolina Dept. of Marine Fisheries information and legislation.

Check back for more on our film and stay tuned for our new trailer!

Till next tide,
Capt. Seth~