October 1999 -- SeaWatch - The Newsletter of CCA Florida

October 1999 Issue #79

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Snook by Susan H. Young

A colorful, acrobatic fighter, dolphin are the most sought-after offshore fish on the east coast of Florida and are the backbone of the offshore charter, guide and private recreational fishery. The species comprises a significant part of Florida's four billion dollar saltwater recreational fishery - the largest in the United States.

Although there is no comprehensive stock assessment for dolphin in the northern area of its range (that is, the southeastern United States), a preliminary stock assessment has been done in the dolphin's southern range (Barbados area) and among the key implications from that assessment are the following statements:

CCA Florida is most concerned about the emergence of a commercial longline fishery directly targeting dolphin. In the last few years, a number of commercial boats have begun the practice and have landed up to 28,000 pounds of dolphin per trip. In addition, there has been an increase in recreational landings, particularly in North Carolina.

The longline threat and the absence of any federal management plan or regulations highlights the immediate need for a dolphin fishery management plan. This is especially important in light of the fact that for the most part, federal fishery management plans have been recovery plans, not management plans. Dolphin need and deserve a management plan now - not a recovery plan later.

Allocation
Historically, the dolphin fishery has always been an overwhelmingly recreational fishery. Therefore, CCA Florida believes the resource should be allocated to both recreational and commercial harvesters based on the historical average catch from 1984 to 1997 of 90 percent recreational and 10 percent commercial. This will protect the resource and protect the economic value of this extremely important recreational fishery.

In addition, it's extremely important to establish a strong allocation position in the plan now before the commercial longline fishery expands and begins to supplant the recreational fishery. Sharks, amberjack, gag grouper are all examples of predominantly recreational fisheries which were impacted and displaced by commercial fishers.

Commercial Trip Limits
In the South Atlantic, CCA supports a commercial trip limit of 1,000 pounds of dolphin per trip, which would not reduce commercial hook and line take at all but would reduce longline take by 31 percent.

Commercial longline boats currently have several ways in which they take dolphin. One is as bycatch in the swordfish and tuna fishery. Another is by modified dolphin gear included as part of the swordfish and tuna longlines. A third is longline gear designed for and directed at dolphin.

According to the Council, "Within the past few years, there has been an increase in longline landings of dolphin with the participation of swordfish and shark longliners who have been adapting their gear to simultaneously target dolphin and focus more effort after shark and swordfish quotas are met."

As mentioned earlier, longlines directed at dolphin have brought in catches up to 28,000 pounds per trip. Some people believe that a 4,000 pound trip limit would eliminate a directed longline fishery. However, that is not true for the "modified" swordfish and tuna longlines, which include gear designed to take dolphin while fishing for other species. The only way to eliminate the dolphin "bycatch" in longlines is to eliminate the gear. A 1,000-pound trip limit would prevent a directed-longline fishery but would allow retention of "bycatch" in the swordfish and tuna longline fisheries.

Minimum Size
Establishing a minimum size of 20 to 22 inches is probably the easiest, least disruptive way to regulate recreational take while providing enhanced resource protection. Most dolphin are sexually mature at 18 inches; all are mature at 22 inches. A released 18-inch fish will be 20 inches in less than one month. A 20-inch, fork-length dolphin is roughly equivalent in weight to an 18-inch redfish.

Some argue that dolphin are too "wild" to measure and release alive. While that is certainly true for bigger fish over 10 pounds, small dolphin (less than 24 inches) can be measured and released alive. Florida has had a commercial 20-inch minimum size for many years.

In the South Atlantic, a recreational minimum size of 20 inches would reduce recreational landings from all recreational sectors by 17 percent in number and 4 percent in weight. These estimates are based on current National Marine Fisheries Service recreational landings data.

Recreational Bag Limits and Boat Limits
In the South Atlantic region, CCA supports a seven-fish limit which would reduce the weight of recreational landings by 4 percent for headboats, 11 percent for charter boats, and 9 percent for private boats. Florida and North Carolina currently have a 10-fish recreational bag limit; Georgia has a 15-fish limit; and South Carolina has proposed a seven-fish limit.

Sale of Recreational Caught Fish
CCA Florida recommended the prohibition of the sale of recreationally-caught dolphin but with some exception for charter boats which would be phased out or reduced over some period of time. Charter boats have traditionally relied upon the sale of dolphin for many years and there is no compelling reason for an immediate "cold turkey" prohibition on sale by charter boats.

Council Motions
At their meeting in September, the council approved a number of motions for the draft Dolphin/Wahoo Fishery Management Plan that will now be taken to public hearing. These include motions to:

Your Comments Needed
To receive a copy of the Dolphin/Wahoo FMP, and to make comments on the proposed regulations, contact the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407; (803) 571-4366.

A memorandum of agreement has been recently signed by the Coastal Conservation Association, the American Sportfishing Association, the Billfish Foundation, and the Blue Water Fishermen's Association, (which represents the longline industry). It calls for a permanent end to longlining in an area from the North Carolina/South Carolina border to the Florida Keys and a summer closure in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

The closure tracts total 160,000 square miles, an area slightly larger than California. The areas selected have been identified through scientific data as swordfish nurseries and places where a high amount of billfish bycatch occurs.

"If this legislative initiative is successful, the entire Gulf Stream off of Florida from Key West to the South Carolina and North Carolina border would be closed to longlining forever," said CCA Florida's Ted Forsgren.

Longlines, some as long as 80 miles, are used by some commercial fishermen to catch yellowfin tuna and swordfish. The gear is also responsible for significant bycatch of a number of other highly migratory fish species such as marlin, sailfish and sharks.

The landmark cooperative agreement states that the organizations will work to get legislation for the longline ban approved by the U.S. Congress. Commercial fishermen who have depended on the closed areas (about 30 percent of the U.S. commercial longline fleet in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern Atlantic) will be compensated through voluntary buyouts for being displaced. Funding for the buyouts will come from federal sources, other commercial fishing interests and recreational fishermen in the affected states.

"This may be the biggest ever conservation measure for offshore fisheries," said Walter W. Fondren III, chairman of the Coastal Conservation Association which represents 67,000 recreational fishermen. "It will protect the severely overfished swordfish population and will benefit other highly migratory species, such as billfish, mahi mahi, wahoo and marlin."

The agreement is based on government data that show where significant bycatch and small swordfish problems exist. It also calls for studies on ways to reduce longline bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico and other areas not affected by the ban.

"Real conservation has to be based on sound science. Emotion alone won't get you there," said Fred Miller, chairman of CCA's Governmental Relations Committee. "This agreement was hammered out using the cold, hard facts."

While the longline agreement is a "step in the right direction," said Fondren, efforts to reduce bycatch by longliners are far from over. CCA, other conservation organizations, and the domestic longline industry will ask the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna - which governs tuna fishing in international waters - to impose similar bans on longlining in overfished areas of the Atlantic.

Foreign longliners account for about 95 percent of the Atlantic billfish mortality, and they are responsible for most of the juvenile swordfish mortality.

Adds CCA's Fondren, "We'll be hard-pressed to rebuild these fish stocks without international cooperation."

It is with great sadness that the members and staff of CCA Florida note the passing of Harry Vernon. He died on October 2, at Mercy Hospital in Miami following a stroke. He was 72.

For nearly three decades, Harry Vernon (known to most simply as Captain Harry) owned Captain Harry's Supply Shop in Miami where he developed a widespread reputation for dispensing fishing advice to anyone that came in his store from professional guide to the weekend angler.

"I grew up going to Captain Harry's tackle store on the Miami River on weekends to pick up tackle and get the latest fishing reports from Captain Harry," said Scott Nichols, a Miami native and assistant director with CCA Florida.

The tackle supply business grew to become one of the premier saltwater fishing tackle suppliers around, producing a popular catalog and shipping products to over 151 countries.

Captain Harry was also one of the founding members of CCA Florida's Dade Chapter, and one of the leaders of the state Board of Directors during CCA's early years. "He has a long history of donating merchandise for banquets to help raise funds for marine conservation initiatives," said Nichols.

Harry and wife Joan were also one of the founders of the Miami Yamaha Contender Billfish Tournament. Joan is currently executive director of the tournament which has donated tens of thousands of dollars to CCA Florida in support of marine conservation.

Harry Vernon is survived by his wife Joan, three children, LuAnne Liederman, Kern Lynn Belisito, and Harcourt Vernon III; two stepchildren Elizabeth Peach and Michael Eisenhour; brother Richard Vernon; sister Barbara Chowder; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made to the Billfish Foundation (964) 938-0150 or to the Coastal Conservation Association Florida (407) 672-2058.

Each year the Florida Outdoor Writers Association (FOWA) presents the Frank Philpott Conservation Award "to deserving FOWA members or organizations for outstanding conservation efforts on behalf of the Florida Outdoors."

The award was presented during the annual FOWA Excellence in Craft Awards Banquet held on September 11 on Duck Key.

"This award belongs to every single member of the organization who contributed time and money to make CCA the strong and highly successful force for conservation that it is today," said CCA Florida Chairman Tim Nettles. "We've demonstrated what 8,000 conservationists, all working for the same goal, can accomplish."

CCA Florida's name has been engraved on the permanent Philpott Award and a representative plaque has been received by the organization. Previous winners include Karl Wickstrom, George Barley, Biff Lampton, and former CCA Florida Communications Director Dave Lear.

On September 7, the Oak Hill City Commission adopted an ordinance allowing the use of seine nets of 500 square feet or less within the city limits. Seine nets were banned in Volusia County by a special legislative act in 1970.

Florida's new Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded by advising commercial fishermen not to use seine nets in Oak Hill or risk being issued a citation or arrested.

Commercial fishermen had first approached the county commission and requested they send a resolution to the state in favor of lifting the ban. According to an editorial in the Daytona Beach News Journal, the county commissioners voted instead to send a letter to the state supporting the ban in Volusia County.

Commercial fishermen then took their proposal to the Oak Hill City Commission which passed the ordinance allowing the nets. As pointed out in the news journal editorial, "Strangely enough, the commission thought it could do that. Even stranger, the city attorney thought so too. But as much as they might wish otherwise, Oak Hill operates under Florida's Constitution and state regulations."

According to Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission general counsel Charlie Shelfer, the Oak Hill City Commission overstepped its constitutional powers by enacting the new ordinance. Regulation of the taking and possession of saltwater fish has been expressly reserved to the state since 1973 in accordance with the State Constitution. The special act of the Legislature, that originally banned seine nets in Volusia County, was later incorporated into the rules of the Marine Fisheries Commission and the FWC on July 1, 1999.

"We must not allow this to deteriorate into a struggle between the state and the city. It's just a matter of complying with the State Constitution," said Shelfer.

The Washington, D.C. office of CCA has hired David Warner for the newly created position of director of communications. CCA created the new position to better communicate its message of conserving and protecting the nation's marine resources to CCA members, the public and the media.

Most recently director of corporate communications for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Warner was a writer and editor for Nation's Business, the Chamber's monthly magazine, from 1988 to March 1999. Previously, he was a writer and spokesman for the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action. He also has been a freelance sportswriter for the Associated Press and United Press International.

Since its founding in 1977, the Houston-based CCA and its state organizations have been involved in hundreds of programs and projects related to fish conservation, including the funding of various scientific studies and the building of hatcheries and artificial reefs. Among its victories, the association helped stop the netting of redfish in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, obtained federal gamefish status for Atlantic billfish, and, most recently, signed a proposal to ban longline fishing in federal waters from the North Carolina-South Carolina border to Key West, and in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

"We've done a good job on our core mission - saving and preserving fish populations," says Fred Miller, chairman of CCA's Government Affairs Committee. "But we need to do a better job of telling people what we've accomplished. And, frankly, we're a little tired of other groups taking credit for progress that's been made largely through the efforts of CCA volunteers."

CCA Florida has selected five state legislators to receive Legislative Conservation Awards in recognition of their support for marine fisheries conservation during the 1999 Legislative session.

Each of these legislators was significantly involved in actions which provided the essential organizational structure, staffing and funding for the new Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). For the first time, all fish - saltwater and freshwater - and wildlife will be managed in a single, independent constitutional agency.

Senator Jack Latvala (R-Palm Harbor) was selected as Most Outstanding Senate Member for 1999. Throughout his legislative career Senator Latvala has consistently been a strong supporter of marine fisheries conservation. As Senate Majority Leader in 1999, he played a major role in shaping the FWC legislation.

Representative J. D. Alexander (R-Winter Haven) was selected as Most Outstanding House Member for 1999. As chairman of the House Water and Resource Management Committee, Representative Alexander led the House efforts to establish the structure and funding for the new agency.

CCA Florida also recognized three additional legislators for 1999 CCA Florida Legislative Conservation Awards: Senator Charles Bronson (R-Indian Harbor Beach), Representative Ken Pruitt (R-Port St. Lucie), and Representative Charles Sembler (R-Vero Beach).

The creation of the unified and independent commission was contained in Constitution Amendment 5 which passed with a huge 72 percent "Yes" vote on election day last November. CCA Florida, Florida Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Florida Wildlife Federation, and the many other conservation groups who supported the amendment, called for a total merger of the Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission (GFC), the Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) and elements of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The final legislation, strongly supported by this year's award recipients, fully embraced and implemented the intent of Amendment 5 and the wishes of Florida voters. The final product transferred the GFC, MFC, the entire Florida Marine Patrol, the Florida Marine Research Institute and other related marine resource programs from the DEP to the new Commission. Additionally, the legislation required that all revenues from the sale of saltwater recreational fishing licenses, and all federal funds received as match to those revenues, are to be appropriated by the Legislature to the Commission.

We are deeply appreciative of Mercury Marine for their continued support of CCA Florida conservation initiatives. Mercury donates two motors for every CCA Florida banquet. Click here to see our 1999 Fall Banquet Schedule.