MISSISSIPPI Chapter update
2010 was a busy and interesting year
for CCA Mississippi, and we are well into making 2011 even more successful. Our “Casting for Conservation” kid’s fishing rodeo series is as popular as ever. We planned on having four tour- naments in 2010 but ended up having just three great events as a result of the oil spill last summer. We would like to
thank all of our sponsors and volun- teers who helped with the “Casting for Conservation” in 2010. We look for- ward to seeing you again at all four events this year. Two “Casting for Conservation” events are planned for May - May 7 in Bay St. Louis and May 21 in Pascagoula.
The chapter is planning for our 2011
spring fundraiser season so watch your mail, e-mail and check the web site for more information about upcoming events —
www.CCAMississippi.org.
NORTH CAROLINA
Speckled sea trout closure In early 2011, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) Director Louis Daniel issued a procla- mation that closed the harvest of spot- ted sea trout to both commercial and recreational fishing for an indefinite period beginning at noon on Jan. 14, 2011. The closure was in response to recent cold-stun events in coastal
MARYLAND
Gill net carnage closes season This year exploded with a flurry of
action in Maryland when the Depart- ment of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Natural Resource Police (NRP) uncov- ered illegally set gill nets that killed approximately 10 tons of striped bass.
zens,” said CCA Maryland Executive Director Tony Friedrich, who took a leadership role in communicating the severity of the illegal act. “They simply don’t understand that the fishery resource belongs to all citizens in our state and not just a few individuals who want to turn the resource into personal profit.
“The NRP officers and DNR were
started pulling the net, they feared that it was so heavy with fish that they risked capsizing their boat and called for a buoy tender to assist with the operation. Friedrich sought permission from
CCAMaryland acted quickly and deci- sively to assure that members and the general public were informed of the carnage and urged the Department to take strong action.
Four days after the first net was dis-
covered, the Department announced that it was closing the gill net season for the remainder of the year. “The illegal action of some commer- cial fishermen was an attack on recra- tional anglers and all Maryland citi-
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the heroes in this blatant disregard of natural resource laws. They took sig- nificant action, which hopefully will deliver a message to commercial fisher- men that they will remember far into the future. If they cannot police them- selves, the state will step in.” The saga began Feb. 1 with the dis- covery of the first gill net which was anchored to the bottom, unattended, and set before the opening of the season — all illegal acts. When NPR officers
www.joincca.org
NRP to watch the offloading of the fish and was able to take photos and video which CCA Maryland offered to Baltimore Sun Outdoor Writer Candus Thompson, who used them in subse- quent coverage. Approximately six tons of striped bass along with shad and sea ducks were killed in the net. One day later, NPR found another illegal set net, bringing the two-day total of dead striped bass, the Maryland state fish, to approximately 10 tons. Friedrich again recorded the offloading. CCA Maryland disseminated three of its electronic newsletter to members and placed the photos and video on its website. It also recommended to DNR that it count and weigh all of the ille- gally caught stripers and count them against the gill net quota for 2011. “The reaction to what we communi- cated has been overwhelming and is far more than we have ever had,” said Friedrich. “We had a 700 percent in- crease in traffic on the site with page views focusing on the images and video we were able to provide.” The three issues of Tight Lines can be viewed at
www.ccamd.org under “gill net news.” DNR offered a $5,000 reward for assistance in finding and convicting the perpetrator of the illegal nets, and CCA Maryland added $1,000 for the reward.
New officers elected for 2011
Ed Liccione heads the 2011 slate of state chapter officers as chairman. Others include Lew Armistead, vice chairman; Tim Campbell, secretary; and Erica Kirby, treasurer. Trent Zivkovich is chairing the Government Relations Committee.
TIDE
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