On Jan. 3, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission held a public hearing at the DNREC office next to the Lewes boat ramp at the end of Pilottown Road. The meeting got underway at 6 p.m. There were five members of the public in attendance, plus two of the three Delaware members of the ASMFC.
The object of the meeting was to gather input from Delaware anglers as to their preference for the 2018 black sea bass season. A 22-page handout explaining the various choices we have was available, but anyone who hoped to read and digest the contents of this draft addendum to the Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Management Plan for public comment in less than a week is a far better man than me.
When all the explaining was done and the questions were asked and answered, a vote was taken on the five options available. Since it would take at least 22 pages to explain and list all the various options, and the paper is not likely to give me that much space, I will cut to the chase.
The Spawning Stock Biomass and the recruitment are both up and the stock is not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring, so no drastic cuts in the recreational harvest will be made in 2018. However, the manner used to manage the stock will be reviewed, and this is the subject of all the possible options.
First, the five guys there voted to keep Delaware in the Southern Region along with Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. They also voted for the same regulations to cover all four states.
The plan that gives us a 225-day season was approved. The size limit will remain at 12.5 inches and the bag limit will be 15 fish. These regulations will be continued for three years.
Then John Clark, director of fisheries at the Division of Fish and Wildlife, asked the guys how they felt about a 28-day February season for black sea bass. Since no charter or head boat operator was present, and they would be the ones who would profit from this season, the matter was sort of discussed, but never voted on. Since there would be a payback of days during the regular sea bass season, the general feeling was let it pass.
New year, new rules
One of the more interesting new regulations for 2018 is the need to have a Highly Migratory Species permit if you are targeting sharks, even from the beach. In addition, anglers will have to watch a short video about sharks and take a quiz in order to obtain a shark endorsement to their Highly Migratory Species permit.
In the past, HMS permits were issued to boats, not individuals. I went online to see how that has changed, and as of Wednesday, the permit language was still talking about boats.
Permits cost $20 and are good until Dec. 31, 2018.
Enforcement should be fun. Anyone who surf fishes knows it is possible to catch sharks when fishing for other species. I would hope an enforcement officer would not ticket someone who caught and released a big sand tiger while soaking a bunker head for blues or rockfish.
On the other hand, if someone is fishing from the beach at night using a kayak to take a big hunk of skate out well beyond the breakers and then catches a sand tiger shark, I would say he or she was definitely targeting sharks. In this case, a HMS permit would be required.
I know several captains who run inshore charters for sharks, and I would hope their boats already have their HMS permit. The same is true for boats that target makos on the inshore grounds.
Back in the day, when I ran my charter boat, just about everyone had HMS permits in case we had a tuna or marlin charter. The permits were free and it was just a normal part of the charter business. Now it appears the government wants even more information on sharks and this requirement for a HMS for shore fishing is one way to gather that data.
Striper tournament
The Lewes Harbour Marina Striper Tournament ended Dec. 23 with the following winners: First place went to Bob Fitzwater for his 43.5-pound striper. In second place was Joe Choma with a 35.5-pound rockfish, while third went to Dave Lynam with a 33-pound bass.
The fishing got off to a slow start, with the best action coming just a few days before the tournament ended. The Delaware slot of 37 to 44 inches resulted in many big fish being released. That’s a good thing.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
