The Carolinas - Black Sea Bass Closure

SOUTHEAST FISHERY BULLETIN

(South Atlantic)




FB12-060

Sustainable Fisheries

727-824-5305
August 24, 2012



NOAA Fisheries Service Announces Closure Date for the

Harvest of South Atlantic Recreational Black Sea Bass


NOAA Fisheries Service has determined that the 2012-2013 recreational annual catch limit of 409,000 pounds for black sea bass has been reached. As a result, the recreational sector for black sea bass in federal waters of the South Atlantic from 35°15.19' N. latitude, (the latitude of Cape Hatteras Light, North Carolina) to Key West, Florida, will close, effective 12:01 a.m. (local time) September 4, 2012, through 12:01 a.m. June 1, 2013.



For vessels with a valid federal charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic Snapper-grouper, the closure applies to state and federal waters. The operator of a vessel that has a federal for-hire permit for snapper-grouper must land any black sea bass harvested from either state or federal waters prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, September 4, 2012.



Black sea bass are experiencing overfishing (rate of removal is too high). For the 2012-2013 fishing year the commercial annual catch limit is 309,000 pounds and the recreational annual catch limit is 409,000 pounds. Harvest levels must be kept below these levels to prevent fish from being removed too quickly, and to rebuild the black sea bass population.

Those guys have it nailed. If we didn't reach the quota, they'd say it's because they are endangered and we need to stop fishing. If we reach the quota, well damn, we better stop fishing right now before we wipe them out.

You simply cannot get away from those darn things they are so thick.

Gotta be kidding me.... I can't keep a bait on the bottom lately because of those stupid things. How in the hell are they endangered?

Gotta be kidding me.... I can't keep a bait on the bottom lately because of those stupid things. How in the hell are they endangered?


X2

Them stupid b....ds need to go fishing with me.....just like Tperkerson said, we can't keep a bait on bottom long enough for anything else...damn amazing.

The recreational black sea bass season in the South Atlantic will have lasted just 96 days when the fishery is closed on Sept. 4th due to the annual catch limit being met. Fishermen are actually a victim of a successful rebuilding program, where there are more and larger sea bass each year, causing the fixed annual catch limit to be caught sooner each year. The annual catch limit needs to be increased ASAP or a lot of coastal businesses are going to be severely impacted by these early closures during tourism season!

Not to mention winter and early spring is when the big ones come inside the 20 mile range.

Another short sea bass season. Time to focus on wahoo again...

that Hope and Change thing just isn't working out for me, I was hoping to at least be able to fish for them there bass till december, now I'm going to have to Change my plans,

How do they determine the amount of BSB caught by recreational anglers?

They guess.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YuzlNQeaNr0/Sgbz2jlF-1I/AAAAAAAABM0/KIEidlkk5yY/s400/South.Park.jpg

How do they determine the amount of BSB caught by recreational anglers?

They probably ask the commercial guys how many they think we have caught:jk:

Lets start mailing Sea Bass to NOAA and SAMF,,,, No ice, just in an envelope... Do this throughout the closure. Put a note in there saying that we are conducting our own fish stock assessments and want to share the data....

Lets start mailing Sea Bass to NOAA and SAMF,,,, No ice, just in an envelope... Do this throughout the closure. Put a note in there saying that we are conducting our own fish stock assessments and want to share the data....

that is not a bad idea

How many pages?