“This is a terrific chance to discover the joy of fishing and boating,” said Bowman. “Fishing produces memories that can last a lifetime and can foster a deeper appreciation for our natural environment. We should all strive to be stewards of our natural resources.”

No fishing license of any kind will be required for recreational saltwater rod and reel fishing during free fishing days. All fishing regulations, including size, season, catch limits and gear restrictions, will remain in effect.

A Virginia saltwater fishing license costs only $12.50 a year for state residents. It’s a bargain, and the money supports valuable fisheries work across the state.

“We’re proud of the work we do to protect our natural resources, and we hope everyone takes advantage of free fishing days so that they may learn the joys of fishing in Virginia,” said Bowman, Commissioner of the agency that manages the state’s saltwater fisheries. “That is what our conservation efforts are all about.”

                          

Atlantic Croaker or “hardhead” are popular panfish common in Virginia. The fish get their names because of the “croaking” noise they make when removed from the water. Croakers are hard fighters and prolific feeders. They are caught on a variety of baits and lures. They are among the first fish to be caught in the spring and are caught over a wide range of habitats. Croaker can be caught from piers, jetties, inlets, in bays and from the surf.

Croaker baits include shrimp, crabs, squid, cut fish, bloodworms and more. In addition to cut baits, croaker are caught on a variety of jigs and other saltwater lures. They can also be caught in the shallows and grass beds using fly fishing gear.

Spot are among the most popular Virginia panfish. Spot can be identified by the distinctive dark spot above the pectoral fin. The species is abundant in coastal bays, creeks and other estuaries. They are especially common around fishing piers where they are caught in large numbers. Spot are caught using small hooks and baits such as bloodworms, crab or other baits which can be presented in small pieces.

White perch are small but tenacious fish that are found in rivers, creeks and bays. White perch prefer brackish water but can live in environments that range from fresh water to fully saltwater. These hardy panfish are caught with small baits such as grass shrimp or bloodworms, or by casting artificial lures or flies. Perch can be caught year round, even thru ice. They school up to spawn in early spring and can be caught in large numbers.

Scup or porgy are another saltwater panfish. They range from New England to North Carolina and are occasional visitors to Virginia coastal waters, inland waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Adult scup feed in schools of similar-sized individuals around piers, rocks, offshore ledges, jetties, and mussel beds. They move inshore in summer but return to deeper waters offshore or migrate southward when temperatures cool. Large scup generally occur farther offshore than do smaller, younger ones.

Pigfish are colorful members of the grunt family. They are marked with a bluish upper and a silver lower body, with a series of attractive stripes on the sides and bands on the snout and head. The species ranges from Massachusetts through the Gulf of Mexico and are common in Virginia during the summer and early fall. They are easily caught around piers, reefs and rough bottoms using small pieces of bait such as bloodworms, crab, squid or shrimp.

                          

“Resolving issues facing our fisheries today will require partnerships between resource managers and users,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “I commit that NOAA Fisheries will focus on addressing the issues of concern to the recreational fishing community with the utmost disciplined attention.”

For more on the Summit, visit the NOAA Fisheries Service recreational fishing website.

                          

The Council voted to send a letter to NMFS, upon receipt of NMFS’ black sea bass proposed rule, to support adoption of the ASMFC 2010 Black Sea Bass recreational measures of a 3.7 million pound total allowable landings (TAL), a 12.5″ minimum fish size, a 25 fish possession limit, and a season of May 22 through September 12.

source: MAFMC

                          

NOAA is now accepting nominations to this new Recreational Fisheries Working Group. Interested members of the recreational fishing community are encouraged to read the Federal Register notice for information on qualifications and application requirements. Applications will be accepted until February 16, 2010.

Questions regarding the working group should be directed to NOAA’s interim senior policy advisor for recreational fisheries, Gordon Colvin at gordon.colvin@noaa.gov.

source: NOAA Fish News

                          

“The closures keep coming and it’s good to see the collective fishing communities and industries, both recreational and commercial, calling for scientific based Magnuson reform,” said Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).  “We are all in this together.”  Donofrio cited recent closures of amberjack, black sea bass and red snapper fisheries as examples of what he calls a “broken” federal fisheries law.

The groups organized through United We Fish are hoping to prove to legislators just how many American anglers and business owners are truly being impacted by the overly restrictive management requirements created by MSA based on non scientific arbitrary deadlines.  According to Bob Zales of the Conservation Cooperative of Gulf Fishermen (CCGF), the time-specific deadlines mandated by MSA coupled with flawed data collection methods are forcing anglers off the water.  “We fully support real science based management and the conservation of our marine resources while also being able to sustain recreational and commercial fishing activities, providing locally caught seafood, sustaining small family businesses, and supporting our coastal communities.”

This effort is being coordinated by many organizations and individuals including but not limited to the RFA, CCGF, United Boatmen of New York, United Boatmen of New Jersey, New York Sportfishing Federation, Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s Association and the Fishing Rights Alliance.  “Some people have asked ‘why, it’s winter’,” said Donofrio who said he’s gotten the required permits and expects a large crowd in DC on February 24th, regardless of weather. “We can’t let seasons stop the momentum, and if we wait any longer none of us will be fishing.  Many members of Congress will be standing shoulder to shoulder with us,” Donofrio said.

Nils Stolpe, a consultant to the commercial fishing industry and columnist for SavingSeafood.org said that over the past three decades since the original Magnuson Act was established, fishermen have been gradually phased out of the fisheries management process, regardless of sector.  “The scientists have been put in charge, and as the list of closures and restrictions up above painfully demonstrates, the Act has been turned into a weapon that is now being used against fishermen and fishing communities.”

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) first introduced the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2008 in the 110th Congress to incorporate “limited flexibility” into federal fisheries management.  More than 100 fishing groups and industry members from around the country pledged their support for the legislation and the bill’s 19 bipartisan coastal cosponsors, but the bill languished during the volatile economic climate in advance of the presidential elections in November of 2008.

Realizing that fisheries closures would continue without congressional intervention, in March of this year, Rep. Pallone and fellow Representatives John Adler (D-NJ), Henry Brown, Jr. (R-SC), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), Barney Frank (D-MA), Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-NC), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Frank LoBiondo (D-NJ), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Michael Michaud (D-ME), Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) and John Tierney (D-MA), reintroduced the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2009 (HR 1584).  Twenty-five total co-sponsors have since pledged support to date including Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Timothy Bishop (D-NY), Allen Boyd (D-FL), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Peter King (R-NY), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Jo Bonner (R-AL), John Mica (R-FL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), Clifford Stearns (R-FL), Donna Christensen (D-VI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Ander Crenshaw (R-FL).

Following a letter-writing campaign by the RFA-NY and members of the New York Sportfishing Federation, senior Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York announced his Senate version of the bill (S.1255).  Currently, the Senate bill to correct the flaws in MSA has no co-sponsors, which is something United We Fish organizers are hoping will change in February.

“New York’s Senator Schumer is as concerned about his fishing constituents as he is about the fish, just as Congressmen Pallone, Frank, Jones, LoBiondo, Kennedy, Adler and others in the House of Representatives are,” said Stolpe.  “Hence they have formed the nucleus of a growing movement in Congress that, in spite of the editorial opinion of the New York Times and the expenditure of many millions of dollars by the Pew Charitable Trusts, is aimed at preserving recreational and commercial fishing, the lifestyles of millions of fishermen, and the tens of thousands of businesses and hundreds of fishing communities that they support,” Stolpe added.

Organizers from within the recreational fishing sector are hoping to get commitment from all user groups and across varied state and regional boundaries.  “This is much bigger than any one state issue or individual grievance,” said RFA’s Managing Director Jim Hutchinson, Jr.  “Whether it’s our restrictive fluke fishery in New York, the arbitrary closure of state waters for our anglers in California, or the shutdown of red snapper and amberjack down south, our community has been divided by preservationist tactics for too long.  It’s time to unite the clans in defense of our coastal heritage and traditions,” Hutchinson said.

“We need to let Congress and NOAA know that we are the collective voice of the recreational fishing community and the collective voice does not accept the current broken management system which wreaks such havoc on all of us and our businesses,” said Donofrio, adding “The goal on February 24th will be to get all of our congressional friends to attend.”

“At this point Senator Schumer and his Congressional colleagues in the House deserve the thanks and the support of every one of us who fishes, whether for fun or profit,” said Stolpe.

The United We Fish rally is set for 2/24/10 at noon at the Capitol.  For details as they become available, sign up for the RFA’s email newsletter on the homepage at www.joinrfa.org.

                          

Individual sections of the guide include:

Virginia’s Marine Waters and Fisheries

A Guide to Virginia’s Saltwater Fish
How, When and Where to Catch

Virginia’s Public Boat Launching Facilities

The Modern Angler – Angling Ethics

Virginia’s Artificial Reef Program

Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program

Fisheries Management

Enforcement and the Virginia Marine Police

Virginia’s Saltwater Recreational Fishing License

Saltwater Fishing – Where to Begin

Fish Identification Guide

for more information or to download documents, see: http://www.mrc.virginia.gov/vswft/Angler_Guide/index.shtm

                          

Landings data and scientific analyses show recreational fishermen may exceed their 1.14 million pound harvest limit by as much as 84 to 225 percent warranting the closure. The recreational harvest in 2009 could exceed the entire total allowable catch for commercial and recreational fisheries combined if left unchecked.

                          

As a first step, Dr. Lubchenco will create a new position of senior policy advisor for recreational fishing that will report directly to the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries and be charged with addressing the interests of the recreational community. A recreational fishing summit will provide a forum to identify issues of concern and possible solutions. This national meeting will be followed by a series of joint problem-solving roundtables to identify roadblocks to an improved relationship and to design reasonable solutions. NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee will be asked to organize and provide authoritative and comprehensive national policy advice from marine recreational stakeholders.

For more information, contact NOAA Communications and Legislative Affairs at 202-482-4640.

source: NOAA Fish News