State representative preparing bill to study recent decline of red drum

State representative and Murrells Inlet resident Stephen Goldfinch (R-Georgetown) has seen and heard of a decline in recent years of the number of red drum in Georgetown County estuarine waters, and wants to find out why.

Serving District 108 – which consists of Georgetown and Charleston counties – has a proposal in the works designed to figure out the reason behind the perceived decline of the Palmetto State's most popular inshore game fish.

Rep. Goldfinch’s idea, which is currently being drafted into a bill, involves the regulation of anglers hauling in red drum in North Inlet. The proposal would make the area a “catch-and-release” fishery on an experimental basis for the next five years.

A decline in the size of winter schools of red drum has been the impetus the proposal, which Rep. Goldfinch expects to be presented to the House Agriculture, Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs committee soon for consideration to become a bill.

“There will be a draft on the desk probably next week and then it will be assigned to a committee,” Rep. Goldfinch said on Tuesday. “I’d imagine it will probably get some traction. I think it’s ultimately something people will get behind and support.”

Rep. Goldfinch, an avid angler and spearfisherman, has heard from fishing guides regarding the recent decline in red drum numbers.

“I’ve gotten a lot of reports from the guides in the area that the big winter schools we used to see six to 10 years ago are gone now – that those schools are now in the 25- to 30-range (in numbers of fish) as opposed to the 200-range – that something is going on,” Rep. Goldfinch said.

Rep. Goldfinch surmises the issue behind the decline is biological in nature, or South Carolina’s current red drum limit of ‘three-fish per person per day’ with a 15- to 23-inch slot limit either isn’t adequate or often isn’t being adhered to.

“(S.C. Department of Natural Resources) would have an opportunity to use their biologists to study it thoroughly,” said Rep. Goldfinch. “In five years we’d have a collection of data to tell us whether or not it’s overfishing that is the problem or whether or not it’s a biological problem. If it’s overfishing we’re going to know what we need to do with catch limits. If it’s a biological problem, hopefully we can figure out that problem as well.

“It’s hard for (SCDNR biologists) to get good, conclusive data on catch limits for redfish in South Carolina right now because you’ve got a lot of people that are not following the rules. You’ve got a lot of people that are putting eight to 10, 12- to 15-fish in the boat and then you’ve got a lot of people who are following the rules. The consensus among the guides is it’s the lawbreakers that are causing the problem and that we need to do something with catch limits.”

North Inlet is a relatively pristine salt marsh inlet nestled between Georgetown’s Winyah Bay and DeBordieu Colony, a private development just south of Pawleys Island. The inlet is bordered to the east by North Island and the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by Hobcaw Barony.

The small inlet, which has no true freshwater influx other than rainwater runoff, is accessible from Winyah Bay for Georgetown anglers.

“SCDNR supports it, (Coastal Conservation Association) I’m sure will support it,” Rep. Goldfinch said. “The people that are going to have problems with that are probably people that are breaking the law anyway. People that truly are concerned with that fishery and want to see it grow aren’t going to have a problem with that at all because they’re going to understand the importance of having a controlled environment.

“North Inlet is just as good a controlled environment as ever,” the state representative said. “It’s not like I’m taking Murrells Inlet or Winyah Bay, I’m taking a little isolated area called North Inlet."

While his proposal is a long way from becoming law, Rep. Goldfinch notes the catch-and-release rule for red drum in North Inlet would be in place for five years and then the results would be evaluated.

He does have his own vision of what the proposal – if ever put into effect – would mean for the redfish population in the inlet.

“I think what you’ll see in three to four years is North Inlet become a mecca for catch-and-release fishermen,” Goldfinch said. “All the big fly fishermen will probably (come) to North Inlet because I think you’ll see the big schools (of red drum) come back to North Inlet again with it being a catch-and-release area only.

“If my premonition is true, then we might decide we want to keep that area that way and leave it unspoiled. If it doesn’t change, there’s no reason to keep doing it that way – let’s open it back up and figure out what the problem (with the decline in red drum) is from a different angle.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 10:33 PM with the headline "State representative preparing bill to study recent decline of red drum."