With the bevy of rules, closures and proposals swirling around snapper-grouper fishing off the Southeast Coast, Wallace Jenkins says there are some major misconceptions among recreational fishermen.
"Our DNR [Department of Natural Resources] board has received a lot of comments and concerns and they want to make sure the public knows what the rules really are and that fishing is not being shut down," said Jenkins, a marine biologist with DNR's Office of Fisheries Management. "It's being ratcheted down but not shut down."
A proposal within Amendment 17A on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's docket is behind much of what Jenkins calls "hysteria" around the issue.
Amendment 17A is meant to end overfishing of red snapper and the SAFMC will consider implementing a preferred closed area to all bottom fishing, dubbed Alternative 4D, this year. The SAFMC will readdress the issue during a March 1-5 meeting in Jekyll Island, Ga., and could take final action at a subsequent meeting June 6-11 in Orlando, Fla.
Alternative 4D includes a 9,678-square mile strip of bottom that stretches from off Melbourne, Fla., northward to due east of Cape Romain near McClellanville. Anglers should note the potential closed area covers waters from depths of 98 to 300 feet.
"I think people don't understand, they think all snapper-grouper fishing is closed down and it's not," said Jenkins. "I think there's an information gap out there. People are just worried they aren't going to be able to fish like they have been but they'll still have ample opportunity to fish for snapper and grouper.
"So far the closed area hasn't been decided on and it's just a proposal at this point."
Closures of a variety of snapper-grouper species are adding to the hysteria, but the bottom line is that when a spawning season closure for shallow-water grouper ends on April 30, all the staple snapper-grouper species for local anglers will be available - except for red snapper, which aren't commonly found off the northern S.C. coast.
"The traditional summertime fishing will be open for those species but they will have to throw back red snapper," said Jenkins.
The current closures on reef species off the Southeast Coast, including South Carolina, are:
A shallow-water grouper spawning season closure is in effect for recreational and commercial fishermen through April 30 during which no gag grouper, black grouper, red grouper, scamp, rock hind, red hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth grouper, and tiger grouper may be harvested, possessed, sold or purchased.
Recreational and commercial fishing for red snapper is closed through June 2. The interim rule could be extended an additional six months if deemed necessary by the SAFMC.
Vermilion Snapper: The recreational fishery for vermilion snapper is closed through March 31.
If, and only if, the Amendment 17A Alternative 4D closure is put in place, Jenkins stressed that fishermen from Grand Strand ports from Little River to Georgetown would have plenty of bottom-fishing options.
In the event of the closure, bottom fishing would be allowed in waters shallower than 98 feet and only two of DNR's nearly 40 artificial reefs - the Vermilion off Georgetown and the Comanche off Charleston - would be in the closed area.
"From the coast out to 98 feet would still be open to bottom fishing," said Jenkins. "I can understand the concern, that is a good habitat for grouper and snapper where you have the drop-offs on the Continental Shelf [that would be in the closed area]. But there are still plenty of live-bottom areas inside of [the proposed closed area]."
The adjoining chart details the recreational limits and closed seasons for reef fish species regularly encountered in South Carolina's offshore waters.
Ducks Unlimited
The Ducks Unlimited Greenwing Shootout will be March 6 at Myrtle Grove Gun Club in Longs. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. to be followed by lunch and a gun safety course. Shooting begins at 1 p.m. with a social and raffle starting at 4 p.m.
Cost is $35 for a single child (including 100 clays) and $60 for guardian and child (200 clays). Lunch is included but participants should bring their own gun and ammunition. Targets for BB guns will be available for young children.
Registration should be completed by Feb. 28. For more information, call David Cutler (222-7433) or Hunter Platt (602-5096).
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