FOR MEMBER INFORMATION
Coastal Conservation Assn Mississippi
Government Relations Committee
109 South 27th Avenue, Ste 219, Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Email: ccams@nexband.com Website: www.ccamississippi.org
CONTACT: F. J. Eicke, Chairman, capteicke@AOL.com
Government Relations Committee Statement on Spotted Seatrout
Management of Mississippi’s spotted (speckled) seatrout resource by the Commission on Marine Resources (CMR) has been a recurring issue over an extended period of time and surfaced again recently with the closing of the commercial season on April 1, 2010. Commercial catch of spotted seatrout is assigned a quota of 40,000 pounds per year (est. 1995) with the season running from October 1 to September 30. For reasons that are not clearly established but with indications why the quota was reached, the Government Relations Committee of CCA Mississippi, acting on behalf of the membership with endorsement of the Executive Board, formulated a statement on this issue and its ramifications. The statement, available for reading on our website under Advocacy, was presented to the CMR on May 18, 2010. Members are urged to read this statement since it addresses more that the current commercial closing in an effort to encourage the CMR to look at this issue from a broader perspective.
Historically, the commercial quota for spotted seatrout has not been reached since the 2000-01 season with a total of six closings since 1995-96. This quota was put in place when the gillnet restrictions were implemented and intended to provide restaurants and seafood markets with a reasonable supply of spotted seatrout from a hook-and-line commercial fishery. The GRC explored what factors may have contributed to reaching the quota at essentially the mid-point of the commercial year:
· The impact of the major increase in commercial hook-and-line licenses issued: 100 or less from 1992-2006 and exceeding 300 in 2010;
· Concerns about “recreational” anglers holding commercial licenses concurrently to avoid regulations applying to recreational catch or choosing to sell their catch on a commercial license;
· The successful protection and increase in spotted seatrout stock and size from the years of recreational (comprising the bulk of the catch) size and possession limits that was reduced from 14 to 13 inches by the CMR in a recent action; size of the average trout caught may be a factor (commercial size remained at 14 inches when the recreational size was reduced from 14 to 13 inches);
· The average catch for the months of November and December (1996-2010) are exceeded only by the average catch for April and May;
· The commercial quota for red drum (35,000 pounds) was last reached and the season closed in May 2001 and flounder (74,000 pounds, established in 2002 in the regulation of this specie) has never been reached.
None of the possibilities above are established or conclusive. We simply do not know the state of the resource and fully realize that the economic value of spotted seatrout to the recreational sector far exceeds the economic value of the commercial catch. CCA therefore opposes any increase in the annual commercial quota for spotted seatrout until data reflecting the possible impact of the size reduction has been thoroughly analyzed. In addition, a recent study by Richard Fulford and Read Hendon (Gulf and Caribbean Research, 2010) of GCRL reviewed management of spotted seatrout in Mississippi with some of their conclusions noted below:
1. Mississippi is the only GOM (Gulf of Mexico) state that does not manage spotted seatrout with a “Target SPR” (Spawning Potential Ratio) and the Mississippi SPR is below the reported target values for other GOM states (except possibly Louisiana and a recent conversation with the CCALA Executive Director indicated concerns with the Louisiana stock of spotted seatrout);
2. Coastal aquatic vegetation is potentially an important limiting component (Writer’s note: and raises the stakes with the current oil spill crisis);
3. The reduction in size limit may portend a transfer from release (at 14 inch minimum) to harvest (at 13 inch minimum) for shore-bound and small boat anglers. With regulation that does not protect fish that have not fully spawned (i.e. less than 14 inch female trout), SPR may be further impacted.
Please visit the CCA Mississippi website (www.ccamississippi.org) to read the “Statement on Spotted Seatrout” presented to the Commission on Marine Resources on May 18, 2010. You will note that CCA Mississippi is proposing a “Spotted Seatrout Task Force” to address this issue in a comprehensive fashion that would include the voices of all relevant sectors but with the clear expectation that this advisory body would place the spotted seatrout resource first and rely on the science available to guide recommendations on any changes to be presented to the CMR for consideration. This is a bold and somewhat risky step. Your GRC is convinced that unless we address this issue and others of importance to us (management plans on other regulated species and related issues such as environmental factors and impacts of other commercial fisheries), we will continue to make piece-meal decisions and be picking off one issue after another in an unrelated manner that is not the best method to make vital decisions that affect our marine resources. CCA exists to “conserve and protect our marine resources” and will remain involved in doing so.
ADDENDUM: The Government Relations Committee is composed of members interested in the regulatory and policy efforts of the Association in addressing issues that arise in state governmental bodies such as the Commission on Marine Resources and the Mississippi Legislature. The state GRC, in addition, works closely with the CCA National GRC, particularly through the GOM Sub-Committee, in addressing federal issues at the national (NOAA/NMFS) and regional (Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council or Gulf Council) levels. In addition to volunteer members, the state GRC has contracted with a lobbyist who represents us in the Legislature. CCA National has retained an eminent Fisheries Consultant who advises us on Gulf Council actions and two national lobbyists in Washington. Without the exceptional representation these professionals provide to CCA and the recreational angling community as a whole, recreational saltwater angling would not be acknowledged for its economic and socio-cultural contribution to society and for our efforts to assure that responsible angling based on sustainability of our marine stocks and marine science guide our efforts.
ADDENDUM 2: The Gulf Council will meet at the Courtyard Marriott on Beach Blvd in Gulfport from June 14 -17. Agenda for the committees and council is available at www.gulfcouncil.org. The public is welcome at these meetings but seldom attend – this meeting could be different. Among the items on the committee schedule are: Update on Oil Spill in the Gulf (Monday, 1:30-2:30); Reef Fish Management Committee (Monday, 2:30-5:30 and Tuesday, 8:30-4:00); and Sustainable Fisheries/Ecosystem Committee (Wednesday, 8:30-Noon). As with most organizations, the committees are the working groups and their meetings the most informative. If you attend, you will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Russell Nelson, CCA’s Fisheries Consultant, who advises the National GRC and GOM sub-committee on Gulf Council proceedings.
INVITATION FROM CCAMS GRC: If this work interests you and you have the time to devote to our efforts, please contact the committee chairman and express your interest. You must be a current CCA member to serve. You can reach the Chairman at CaptEicke@AOL.com.
