activities such as habitat restoration, creating oyster reefs, conservation pro- jects, scientific studies, and scholar- ships for students in fields such as marine biology, although Whisenhunt emphasized that plans for the fund are still evolving.
Donations to the fund may be sent
to CCA Maryland Habitat/Education Fund, P.O. Box 513, Easton, MD 21601. Questions about the fund should be directed to Executive Director Tony Friedrich,
tony@ccamd.org.
Second Yellow Perch Appreciation Day
attracts anglers, dignitaries
More than 130 people attended the second annual Yellow Perch Appre- ciation Day in March for a day of fish- ing and celebration of the restoration of the yellow perch fishery in Maryland. The event, sponsored by CCA Maryland and its Upper Bay Chapter, brings together recreational anglers, parents fishing with their youngsters, and state officials.
The fishing community came together
in February for the ninth annual Tiefest sponsored by CCAMaryland for a day of fly tying, casting instruction, and camaraderie. More than 450 anglers from four states mingled with such fishing luminaries as Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser, Bob Popovics, Steve Silverio, Steve Farrar, and Brad Buzzi. Kreh and Clouser provided casting demonstrations, and members of the Mid-Atlantic Fly Anglers worked indi- vidually with attendees on their cast- ing. More than 25 tyers demonstrated patterns and answered questions. “This was another great year for
State Sen. Nancy Jacobs and Trent Zivkovich, chair of the CCA Mary- land government relations commit- tee, spoke as part of the ceremony. Sen. Jacobs also assisted her granddaughter, Annabelle, fishing, and Maryland De- partment of Natural Resources Fish- eries Director Tom O’Connell and his family also participated.
Zivkovich cited the success of res- toration efforts when management plans are based on scientific data and the value such efforts can have for fam- ilies that want to take their children fishing early in the year.
TIDE
TieFest,” said CCA Maryland Executive Director Tony Friedrich, who orga- nized the event. “It is a truly special day where anyone attending can inter- act with legends of our sport like Lefty, Clouser and Popovics. Additionally, this year we were able to add 40 new CCAmembers during the Tiefest.”
MAINE
Chapter testifies on issues
In the first three months of 2011,
CCA Maine testified in front of the Maine Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee and at a Department of Marine Resources (DMR) rule-making hearing in opposition to important leg- islation affecting marine sport fishing in state waters.
www.joincca.org
Mark Astfalk took the top prize of $250 with a yellow perch weighing 21.8 ounces. Other prizes went to Mike Windell, second place ($200) — 20.5 ounces; Eric Braley, third place ($150) — 19.4 ounces; Jason Curry, fourth place ($100) — 18 ounces; and Micaela Rodgers, fifth place — 17.65 ounces. As a new CCA member, Rodgers’ prize money of $50 was doubled to $100.
Tiefest attracts anglers, angling legends
The first
testimony was directed
against an amended version of Maine’s saltwater fishing registry bill for which Gov. Paul LePage has agreed to find funding. The amended version does meet NOAA requirements, gives DMR full authority to administer the registry, and keeps all DMR recreational fish- eries programs in place. But the striped bass endorsement requirement has been eliminated and the bill does not allow saltwater anglers to pay their fair share for managing the resource, as saltwater commercial fishermen and freshwater anglers do. We are also very concerned that the state’s severe bud- get situation will result in the loss of key DMR programs in order to find ongoing financing for the registry. It appears likely, however, that the amended version of the saltwater reg- istry will be approved by the Legislature. At a public hearing in early April,
CCA Maine testified in opposition to a proposal to remove the marine bait prohibition when fishing for striped bass in the Kennebec River during the catch-and-release only season that runs from May 1 to June 30. Although the proposed rule-making change would mandate the use of circle hooks when fishing with live or dead bait, CCA Maine feels that any increase in mortal- ity on pre-spawning native fish and on migratory stripers which are particu- larly vulnerable in the early season is misguided at best given the current sta- tus of striped bass on the Atlantic Coast and especially in Maine waters. The DMR Advisory Committee’s vote on this issue had not yet been taken at press time.
Several years ago, CCA Maine worked successfully with DMR and commercial fishermen to pass legisla- tion reducing the size of menhaden car- rier boats fishing in coastal waters in order to leave adequate “pogie” forage for striped bass, bluefish and marine mammals and birds. An amendment proposed in January of this year would have allowed carrier boats up to 150 feet or larger to enter the fishery. Strong tes- timony from CCAMaine and from local sportfishing captains in opposition to this amendment resulted in an unani- mous “ought not to pass” vote by the Marine Resources Committee.
Showing the flag
As part of an intensive marketing push to attract new members, CCA Maine directors manned the organiza- tion’s traveling booth at the LL Bean Spring Fishing Expo in March, giving
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