CCA and the Family Jewels

Bert, Im disappointed no one responded to this thread. I needed a blow day to do so.

Edited by WaterDog - 11 October 2012 at 12:40pm

Tom - Did you mean FED/BRDs vs TEDS.  

TEDs have been federally required in almost all shrimp trawls in the Atlantic and Gulf for 2 decades (personally think that's why we are seeing more nesting loggerheads). Think the skimmers may be exempt but last I heard they were being reigned in.  The FED/BRD issue was mainly over the gazillion juvie red snapper that were being killed in the Gulf by the shrimp trawlers.

Maybe if CCA-NC would run a STAR tournament like LA & Texas, you would see more recs on-board and more stickers around.

December 4, 1992 — NOAA Fisheries publishes a final rule (57 FR 57348) implementing the April proposal. The rule includes a phase-in period for inshore vessels with small nets until December 1, 1994. The rule requires all shrimp trawlers in inshore and offshore waters from North Carolina to Texas to have TEDs installed in all nets that are rigged for fishing.

Exempted from the TED requirements are (1) royal red shrimp trawlers (but not rock shrimp fishermen), (2) beam and roller trawls if vertical bars on 4-inch spacings are attached across the mouth of the trawl, and (3) a single try net, up to 20 feet in headrope length, per boat.

Exempted from the TED requirements, if fishermen follow tow-time limits of 55 minutes from April-October and 75 minutes from November-March, are (1) trawls that are entirely hand-hauled, (2) bait shrimpers if all shrimp are kept in a live-well with no more than 32 pounds of dead shrimp aboard, (3) pusher-head trawls (chopsticks rigs), skimmer trawls, and wing nets (butterfly nets), (4) in an area and at a time where the Assistant Administrator determines that special environmental conditions make TED use impracticable, and (5) if the Assistant Administrator determines that TEDs are ineffective.

Edited for typos.

Edited by BaitWaster - 11 October 2012 at 2:05pm

La and Texas use hatcheries to suppliment their stocks!!!! RIGHT OR WRONG???????

Hatcheries?

Edited by bakesta - 11 October 2012 at 2:47pm

Bakesta,why isn't the Albermarle Sound thriving with spot trout croakers,no trawling here for years!!!!!!!!

Flounder - maybe the Albemarle will be when a hurricane pops an inlet N of Oregon Inlet if the powers to be let it stay. I'd much rather have those species then white perch and carp. It'd also be a shorter run to get out there to catch winter rockfish....I mean birds. Heard y'all had quite a few salty creatures in the Albemarle and its tribs this year.

The Albemarle is usually pretty fresh.  Pamlico has a lot more salt.  

Edited by bakesta - 11 October 2012 at 4:21pm

Louisiana has a heluva lot more water fowl than does NC so what can NC do to change that? La is called the sportsman's paradise for a reason and that was even before the banning of some of the gill netting in that fine State. Granted that if commercials were outlawed in NC waters that recs might have a little less trouble trying to catch a fish but NC will never have the fishing or hunting that can be found in Louisiana, net ban or no net ban. There is a good reason why Louisiana catches 10x the shrimp that is caught in NC even though both States have nearly the same amount of water.

timraderart, I guess that the fact that La has roughly 10x the amount of shrimp landed as does NC must had escaped your attention. Reckon that could be that La has more shrimp along with much more effort which would translate into much more bycatch than NC? But La is still loaded to the brim with fish in spite of all those trawlers. Obviously I am not suggesting that trawler bycatch is not a problem and we need to reduce this bycatch number as much as possible without hurting our shrimp industry, but I am afraid that reducing bycatch is not going to appease many of you rec fanatics for any length of time much the same as sharply reducing gill net effort and gill net closures has done in reducing rec pressure to ban much of this type gear. So where does that leave us? Imagine that the shrimpers in NC have sat back and watch the gill netters pratically put out of work due to rec and hugger efforts and probably in no hurry to be put in the same situation, nor can I blame them.

Glen, check the gear and the areas where otters are allowed in Louisiana before you get too carried away. They are considerably more restrictive than NC.

Another aspect of trawling in LA is the fact that many of the changes that were developed in the industry resulted from new techniques introduced there by refugees from Viet Nam and other SE Asian countries following the War.