A new Federal law that went into effect in January says that, with a few exceptions, fishermen must register if they’re in Federal waters, or if they are targeting or might catch anadromous species–fish like stripers, shad and river herring that live in saltwater but spawn in fresh water.

Although registering is the law, officials stress that the Registry – a new tool that will help NOAA and anglers work together to conserve our oceans – is intended more as a benefit than a burden to fishermen. According to NOAA Fisheries’ Gordon Colvin, it is important for three major reasons:

First, as a national “phone book” of saltwater fishermen, the Registry will make it possible to collect better data about who’s been fishing and how often. Second, better data ultimately means better decision-making when it comes to setting regulations that affect recreational fishermen, ocean enthusiasts, coastal communities and the thousands of Virginia residents whose lives and livelihoods are connected to fishing.

Finally, the Registry is the lynchpin in a massive effort to improve the way NOAA collects and reports the information about recreational fishing that managers use to determine such things as fishing seasons, size limits and catch limits. An incomplete registry could mean substantial delays in making improvements that everyone agrees are necessary.

“When you get right down to it, registration is as important to fishermen as their bait and their tackle,” said Gordon Colvin of NOAA Fisheries. “So we’re telling everyone: Even if you’ve put away your rod and reel for the year, if you remembered to fish, remember to register.”

Registration is quick, easy and FREE in 2010. To learn more or to register, visit www.countmyfish.nooa.gov, or call 1-888-MRIP-411.

NOTE:

In 2011, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) will implement its own free saltwater registration program, under a new state law that went into effect July 1.

The Virginia Fisherman Identification Program will collect the information necessary to exempt saltwater anglers from having to register annually with the federal government and pay any future federal registration charges. The free, annual state registration will be in place by Jan. 1, 2011.

                          

Beginning August 23, the Ocean City record for catch and release white marlin was broken by multiple boats on multiple days culminating on August 30, when Captain John Duffie and his crew on the Billfisher out of Sunset Marina caught and released 57 billfish. On the same day, nine boats combined for 267 released white marlin.

“This is the best white marlin bite I’ve ever experienced,” said Steve Linhard of Annapolis, Maryland’s representative on the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council and Captain of the Hot Tuna.

“Fishing with Captain Sylvain Cote and Karl Bieberich onboard Espadon out of Ocean City last week, we raised 30 and had 11 bite. At one time we counted seven fish in the spread. Ocean City continues to prove itself to be the White Marlin Capital of the World.”

The fishing was put on hold temporarily as Hurricane Earl passes by the Virginia Coast. On September 3rd, waves heights off Virginia Beach reached 18 feet as the storm approached.

                          

These tips will help anglers photograph a trophy speckled trout without harming the fish:

* Make sure that equipment is working and ready before handling fish.

* Keep fish in the water until the photo is taken. Every second that the fish spends out of the water can affect its chance for survival after release.

* When ready for the picture, barely lift the fish out of the water.

* Have the angler support the fish by cradling it in their hands. Place one hand under the fish’s belly and one at the fish’s tail.

* When lifting the fish, keep it horizontal and support it’s full body weight. Avoid holding fish in a vertical position by the jaw.

* Avoid taking fish out of the water for more than 20 seconds. A good habit is to have the angler hold their breath until the picture is taken.

* After the photo has been taken, lower the fish into the water and gently move the fish back and forth in the water to revive it. When the fish tries to swim away, release it.

                          

Following input from the Scup Monitoring Committee, the MAFMC, which met jointly today with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) management boards, voted to increase the total allowable catch for scup (porgy) from this year’s 17.09 million pounds of quota to a catch of 24.1 million pounds in 2011. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) had recommended an acceptable biological catch as high as 51.7 million pounds, which would’ve represented a near 200% increase in quota if enacted.

Council members heard various recommendations from the monitoring committee, in addition to public comment from recreational and commercial fishing interests who traveled to Philadelphia to attend today’s meetings, but voted on a more precautionary 41% increase in total allowable catch for next season. For the recreational sector, the total allowable catch of 24.1 million pounds will result in a 4.4-million-pound harvest for the year.

On the summer flounder front, the MAFMC voted to increase the total allowable catch from this season’s 25.48 million pounds to an increased quota of 33.95 million pounds in the year ahead. The new total allowable landings for 2011 represent the highest allowable catch debated by the MAFMC today.

Recreational fishermen are hopeful that this increase in quota means improved summer flounder regulations for 2011, but that still rests in the hands of the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS) for 2010.

“The recreational fishermen won’t know what this means in terms of regulations until November at the very least,” said Capt. Adam Nowalsky, chairman of the Recreational Fishing Alliance’s New Jersey Chapter (RFA-NJ). “As anglers have come to recognize year after year, now we have to wait for this season’s landings information to come through from MRFSS to forecast how that compares to the 2011 recreational allowable landings.”

“Some of the reasons for this success should go to the science that was contributed by the grassroots efforts of the local fishing community,” said Ray Bogan, legal counsel for the RFA. “There has been an extraordinary contribution by the anglers, which makes up a significant portion of the scientific effort in the summer flounder assessments,” he said.

Bogan noted that private funding through the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, United Boatmen, and RFA, along with non-federal inshore survey analysis by the North East Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) have helped lead to improved summer flounder assessments, which in turn has led to improved access for anglers.

A letter from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) to the New York council members overnight was distributed amongst MAFMC members, in which the senator urged council members to provide increased access to summer flounder and scup resources for both recreational and commercial fishermen.

“As the Council knows, these species are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring,” Sen. Schumer said in his letter, adding “Fishermen have patiently waited for these stocks to rebuild and were promised relief when they were healthy again. Now is that time.”

“The scup biomass is rebuilt by around 200% and yet it seems that our quota is going to be raised only marginally,” said Capt. Paul Forsberg of the Viking Fleet out of Montauk, NY, who attended today’s meeting. “How high must the biomass go before we can achieve maximum sustainable yield?”

Despite pleas from fishermen to increase the porgy quota by 55% to a total allowable catch of 26-1/2 million pounds, a 9-8 council vote put the porgy limit at a more modest 41% increase.

For details on recent MAFMC actions, visit www.mafmc.org

source: RFA

                          

Spot and croaker fishing is easy; fishermen need only a sensitive rod and reel in good condition. Tackle is basic, consisting of top and bottom rigs and baits such as bloodworms, squid strips, pieces of shrimp, cut peeler crab or one of the processed bait products that do not need to be kept cold.

By late summer and early fall, piers and local fishing spots often experience excellent fishing for both species. As the season goes on, a larger class of spot arrive, known for their bronze or yellow coloring.

Spot and croaker fishing often improves until hurricanes or Noreasters pass thru Virginia. Many anglers prefer the fall as the summer crowds have left and the temperatures are cooler. During the fall runs, spot and croaker are joined by bluefish, sea trout, rockfish and others.

                          

The South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board first reviewed the findings of the 2010 assessment in May. Upon the advice of the Peer Review Panel, the Board directed its Technical Committee to produce an additional analysis that would provide for a more certain stock status determination. With the extra analysis complete, the Board approved use of the stock assessment for management decisions.

Landings of croaker have fluctuated widely over time. Total reported landings (recreational and commercial) in 2008 were 24.7 million pounds, down from the most recent high of 39.7 million pounds in 2001, but still above the long-term average. Commercial landings make up about 75% of total reported landings. The majority of the landings come from North Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia, which report 78% of the coastwide recreational landings and 95% of coastwide commercial landings.

The major source of uncertainty for the assessment is the magnitude of Atlantic croaker bycatch in South Atlantic shrimp trawls. Most croaker caught in this fishery are less than 1 year old, too small to be marketed, and thus are discarded. Croaker are one of the largest components of the shrimp trawl catch; some studies found that shrimp trawls caught more croaker than shrimp. There are no continuous monitoring programs to account for these discards. This is a problem because the best available estimates of these landings are, in some years, as large or larger than reported landings.

Because of the high degree of uncertainty in the amount of shrimp trawl discards, the estimated values of stock size and fishing mortality are not considered reliable. However, the estimated trends showing increasing biomass and decreasing fishing mortality were very similar whether estimates of shrimp trawl discards were included in the model or not. A series of sensitivity runs conducted over a range of plausible values of shrimp trawl mortality all indicated that overfishing was not occurring, thus the Review Panel and the Management Board agreed that Atlantic croaker are not subject to overfishing. Estimates of SSB based on the same range were less stable, therefore a biomass determination could not be made. The Review Panel stressed the importance of developing valid estimates of shrimp trawl discards to improve the certainty of future stock assessment results.

Given that biomass is increasing and overfishing is not occurring, the Board did not initiate any changes to the management program at this time. It did approve the development of an addendum to modify the reference points and remove the distinction of two separate management regions based on the stock assessment. The draft addendum for public comment may be available for Board review at the Commission’s Annual Meeting in November.

A more detailed overview of the stock assessment is available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News. It was developed with the intent of aiding media and interested stakeholders in better understanding the Commission’s stock assessment results and process. Copies of the Atlantic Croaker Stock Assessment Report and Assessment Peer Review Report are also available on the Commission website (under Breaking News). For more information, please contact Nichola Meserve, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at (202) 289-6400.

                          

1. Scale the fish with a manual or electric fish scaler. While holding the fish with one hand, use the tool to remove all scales. You must run the scaler from tail to head in order to get the scales off. The skin should be smooth when all scales are gone. Rinse well.

To clean whole fish:

Removing fins

2. Cut the fish’s head off. make the cut at the back of the fish’s gills. Cut through at this point.

3. Cut from the belly back to the vent, avoiding all organs. Remove all organs, saving the fish roe if any is found.

4. Cut off the tail and fins.

To fillet fish:

Atlantic Croaker

2. Cut behind the gill, from back down to flank.

3. Holding the fish firmly, slice forward from the tail fin to the vent (about 1-2 inches), making a clean cut down to the bone.

4. Working from the top, slice along the skeleton, connecting from head to tail. Follow downward, cutting the meat away from the ribs.

5. Rinse the fish and place on ice immediately.

Fried fish

Pan Fried Spot – Croaker

Ingredients:

8-12 fillets or 4-6 whole fish
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Rinse and drain fillets.

2. Soak fillets in a mixture of egg and milk.

3. Using a zipper bag, shake fillets in flour, salt and pepper.

4. Fry in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

                          

True Tales of the Tide chronicles a wide variety of fishing adventures from citation spot to the capture of the largest fish ever caught on rod and reel in Virginia, John Thurston’s 1099-pound, 12-ounce tiger shark. Mike Halperin shares the satisfaction of showing first-time anglers how to achieve angling success and relates his own personal triumphs over some of the ocean’s most challenging creatures. The author currently holds the record for the second largest dusky shark ever caught anywhere, a Virginia state record 673-pound fish. A second state record, a 256-pound bull shark, has been caught on board his boat Drifter.

Detailing the effort, dedication, joy, and self-discovery that are part of competitive fishing, True Tales of the Tide has been written to entertain, inspire, and educate both the novice angler and the seasoned sportsman and is great reading for anyone who loves the outdoors. Special skills and fishing techniques are included.

About the Author

Mike Halperin, a native of Staten Island, NY, and a Vietnam-era naval veteran and U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, draws on a lifetime of saltwater fishing experience and writing talent to recount unique angling experiences. As a longtime resident of Virginia Beach, a premier fishing location on the East Coast, the author is fortunate to have had access to some of the best surf, pier, bay, and ocean fishing available. Captain Halperin has used this access to help him teach many saltwater anglers how to achieve their “impossible” dreams.

True Tales of the Tide: An Angler’s Lifelong Quest ($13.00)
ISBN: 978-1-4349-0148-4
paperback
Publication Date: September 10, 2009.

                          

In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a law to establish a boating safety education compliance requirement. This requirement will be phased in over the next several years and by 2016, all operators of PWCs (Personal Watercraft such as jet skis, Sea Doos, Wave Runners) and operators of Motorboats with a 10 hp or greater motor, will be required to have a boating safety education course completion card on board when operating a PWC or Motorboat.

As of July 1, 2009, all PWC operators 20 years old and younger must complete a boating safety course. This is the beginning of the phase-in of the Education Compliance Requirement for all Virginia boaters.

Beginning July 1, 2010, all PWC operators 35 and younger must complete a boating safety course.

For more information, visit:

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/education/requirement/

                          

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh flounder fillets (skin on)
1 lb Chesapeake Bay lump backfin crab meat
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup crab seasoning
1 lemon (juice and pulp only)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Line a baking dish with olive oil and place fillets in dish, skin side down.
2. Mix egg, melted butter, mayonnaise, crab seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and onion.
3. Blend in crab meat.
4. Spread stuffing over fillets and bake at 400 for 5 minutes, until juices begin to boil.
5. Move to broiler, watch closely, broiling until stuffing begins to brown lightly.

Serving suggestions:

This dish is excellent with sliced garden tomatoes, fresh steamed vegetables or rice and a Virginia Chardonnay.