Outdoors column: Unfortunately, regulations steal show in 2009

How could the year 2010 nearly be upon us? The first decade of the 21st century has certainly flown by - more proof that time, indeed, marches on.

It's time to reflect on the year that was 2009 in the outdoors along our South Carolina coast. Unfortunately the look back is clouded with visions of decreased limits, new regulations and closures on the saltwater fishing scene.

While federal red tape has been stealing the spotlight from our fisheries, there have been some historic catches and, sadly, the end of an era.

5. Dr. Donald Millus Passes Away: For 35 years, the Coastal Carolina Invitational college fishing match has been held out of Murrells Inlet - until 2009. The tournament was founded and staged by Coastal Carolina University Prof. Donald Millus until his untimely death on June 28.

Scheduling snafus and poor weather conditions prevented the 36th annual event from being staged this fall as CCU Marine Science Prof. Erin Burge took on the task of continuing the tournament in Millus' absence. The event is expected to continue in 2010.

Millus was an English professor at Coastal Carolina, and wrote fishing-related books including "Wading South" and Fishing "The Southeast Coast," plus had a column in the Horry Independent, Just Angling.

Millus' passion was fishing and his love and care for the marine environment he enjoyed along the South Carolina coast shined through in his writings.

4. Super Sailfish: Highlighted by a record 138 sailfish released by 74 boats in the HMY-Viking MegaDock Tournament out of Charleston City Marina from July 9-11, sailfish action was superb off the South Carolina coast this summer.

Capt. Mike Larrow of Ridgeland and the crew aboard his boat, Micabe, released nine sailfish in two days to win not only the MegaDock tournament but the South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Series as well.

Sailfish were not only landed in good numbers by trolling boats near the Continental Shelf, or the break, but fish were consistently caught and released much close to shore in depths of 60-70 feet by anglers targeting king mackerel and dolphin.

Over the last quarter-century or so, anglers have completely changed their approached to billfishing - from all-kill to all-release. Larrow believes the impact of releasing billfish over the years, especially in the last decade, has helped their stocks.

"They're coming back," said Larrow, a veteran captain of 35 years. "If you leave them there, they're going to raise more. If you kill them all, there's not going to be any there."

3. Low Dissolved Oxygen: Low levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) in near-shore ocean water along the Grand Strand were detected again in August, marking a repeat occurrence of an episode of low DO near the surf zone that occurred in July 2004. Both times a highly unusual number of flounder were caught by anglers on local fishing piers.

This episode was also characterized by live bait such as mullet and mud minnows dying after only moments on the hook on bottom rigs off some area piers, a sure sign of the low levels of DO.

The 2004 event spurred the establishment of a data station at the Apache Pier on the north end of Myrtle Beach in May of 2006. The data station records data such as water temperature, wind direction and speed, salinity, relative humidity and dissolved oxygen. On Aug. 18, the data station actually showed no dissolved oxygen in the water.

"This has been the most dramatic oxygen deficiency we've seen. We've never seen anything this intense before," said Dr. Susan Libes, a Professor of Marine Chemistry at Coastal Carolina University who played a major role in establishing the data station. "The bottom water [at Apache Pier on Aug. 18] was anoxia, which means no oxygen."

Libes pointed to a number of causes including storm water runoff, tidal flushing from high tides, warm water, wind direction and the water flow into the ocean from local blackwater rivers that naturally contain plenty of organic matter.

"It's things that humans can't control but they create a perfect storm of these periodic declines in oxygen," Libes said. "It's physics, chemistry and biology all acting together when conditions are just right."

2. McMullans Monster King: It was the catch heard 'round the world - the world of king mackerel fishing in the Southeast, that is.

The trio of father Rube McMullan and sons, Barrett and Brant, composing the OIFC Fishing Team, landed a legendary king mackerel that tipped the scales at 74.1 pounds and did it on the grandest of stages - the 2009 Southern Kingfish Association's National Championship in Biloxi, Miss.

Combined with a 44.03-pounder, the McMullan's Team OIFC was the runaway winner in the prestigious national event with a two-fish aggregate of 118.13 pounds. The second-place team, Promarineusa.com, was well off the pace at 100.71 pounds.

The 74.1-pounder marks the largest king ever caught in the SKA's 19-year history and the 118.13-pounds is the top aggregate ever on the circuit. But here's the kicker, from all accounts the fish appears to be the largest landed in any king mackerel tournament in the Southeast - ever.

"I would have to say - and I've been fishing and involved with king tournaments for over 30 years - I've never heard of a king come in of that size," said Jack Holmes, a managing partner of SKA and a co-founder of the organization in 1991. "I haven't heard of any and I know of just about all the fish being caught no matter where they are. I've heard of plenty of 60s [kings in the 60-pound class] but nothing like that one.''

A few days after the catch, Brant McMullan was still a little overwhelmed.

"It's the largest in the history of king mackerel tournament fishing," he said. "That pretty much sums it up, I don't know what else you can say. Somehow or another we were on the other end of it.

"I don't know if it ever will sink in," McMullan continued. "It's one thing to say you won the tournament, but a lot of people have said it will never be beat. That's pretty wild."

1. Fisheries Laws: A bevy of changes in fisheries regulations were either put into place or are set to go into effect in 2010 with offshore bottom fishing for snapper and grouper species feeling the sting.

Consider:

A recreational ban on catches of vermilion snapper is in effect through March 31, 2010.

A ban on recreational and commercial catches of grouper goes into effect in one week, Jan. 1, 2010, and runs through April 30, 2010.

A 180-day ban on all catches of red snapper goes into effect on Jan. 4, 2010, with the option available for the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) to extend the ban for an additional 180 days.

But the biggest blow to recreational and commercial snapper-grouper fishermen in South Carolina and points south may be yet to come.

In early December, the SAFMC took preliminary action on Amendment 17-A of the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan at a meeting in Atlantic Beach, N.C. If implemented, the amendment would close a huge swath of the ocean floor from South Carolina (offshore of McClellanville) to central Florida to any snapper-grouper fishing in depths of 98 to 300 feet.

The SAFMC will readdress the issue during a March 1-5, 2010, meeting in Jekyll Island, Ga., and could take final action at a subsequent meeting June 6-11, 2010, in Orlando, Fla.

"It's just a shame. It's just a matter of time before they put us out of business," Capt. Danny Juel, a recreational and commercial fisherman from Little River, said earlier this year.

In addition, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved a drastic reduction in the limits on weakfish, known locally as grey trout or summer trout. Until 2007, there were no limits at all on weakfish in South Carolina but first-time regulations were then established on the species - a 12-inch minimum size limit and a 10-fish per person daily bag limit.

In November, the ASMFC decided to implement a one-fish creel limit (one-fish per person per day) for recreational anglers from Massachussetts to Florida. The individual states must submit an implementation plan by Jan. 1, 2010, with the new rules for weakfish scheduled to go into effect on May 1, 2010.

National seminar hits Charleston

The 2010 Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series will make a stop in Charleston at Lightsey Auditorium on the campus of Charleston Southern University on Jan. 9.

The seminar will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the auditorium, located at 9200 University Blvd., with George Poveromo hosting the proceedings. Poveromo is the host of George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing on ESPN2, and a Senior Editor for Salt Water Sportsman magazine.

Another distinguished guest will be Don Hammond, a former South Carolina Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist and now the head of the Cooperative Science Services, LLC, which operates the Dolphin Research Program.

Several top-notch regional captains will be on hand to provide their expertise on a wide-range of fishing topics from inshore action for trout, red drum and flounder to offshore tactics for trolling and bottom fishing.

Tickets are $55 and include a one-year subscription or extension to Salt Water Sportsman Magazine, a comprehensive course textbook, a Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecast Analysis (offshore tuna, dolphin, marlin and major kingfish tournaments only), a bottle of OrPine Wash & Wax and a spool of Sufix Fishing line. Also, thousands of dollars worth of door prizes will be awarded at the Charleston seminar.

For tickets, call 1-800-448-7360 or visit www.nationalseminarseries.com.