Introduction
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
(ASMFC) was formed by the fifteen Atlantic Coast
states in 1942 to coordinate the conservation and
management of near shore fishery resources shared by
the states. The authority to manage Atlantic Coastal
Sharks lies with the coastal states and is coordinated
through the ASMFC under the authority of the Atlantic
Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act.
By federal law, North Carolina must enact the
requirements of ASMFC Fishery Management Plans
(FMPs) or risk federal sanctions against North Carolina
fisheries. The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission chose
to adopt all ASMFC FMPs as North Carolina rules
through an Interjurisdictional Fishery Management Plan
(IJ FMP). Smooth dogfish, as part of the Atlantic
Coastal Sharks Interstate Fishery Management Plan, is
one of the species included in the IJ FMP.
Process
The ASFMC has determined that changes to the
existing management program for coastal sharks are
necessary to meet the goals of the FMP and has
developed a draft addendum to address these
changes. An addendum differs from an amendment in
two key ways: 1 ) It is a shorter process with one round
of public hearings; 2) it generally addresses a specific
management measure being proposed.
The ASMFC is seeking public input on the proposed
management changes described in the addendum.
After this phase of public input, the ASMFC will
evaluate comments received, make necessary changes
to the addendum then finalize the management
measures and the effective date of the changes.
Purpose
The purpose of this Public Information Brochure (PIB)
is to inform the public of issues under consideration by
the ASMFC and any potential impacts to North
Carolina’s fisheries so that the public has an
opportunity to make comment on:
■ Changes observed in the fishery
■ Management, regulation or enforcement
actions that should or should not be taken
■ Other concerns about the fishery
Input received during the public comment process can
influence ithe outcome of the final addendum.
Current Management
North Carolina has managed the coastal shark fishery
under the ASMFC Interstate FMP for Atlantic Coastal
Sharks since 2009. North Carolina does not have a
separate state FMP for these species. Smooth dogfish
are included as one of the 40 species managed in the
plan. All regulations in the FMP apply to smooth dogfish
except where an exemption is specifically listed (i.e.
recreational possession limits, quota specification).
Recreational possession of any shark species is limited
to one shark per vessel per day, including charter and
head boat vessels for hire. One additional Atlantic
sharpnose (no minimum size), smooth dogfish (no
minimum size) and one bonnethead (no minimum size)
per person per day may be landed in addition to
allowable bag limits for other sharks. For a complete list
of recreational regulations, please see Draft Addendum
1 to the Interstate FMP for Atlantic Coastal Sharks at
www.asmfc.org.
Commercial open seasons in state waters are
comparable to open seasons established by the
National Marine Fisheries Service and are managed by
quotas. It is unlawful to possess more than 33 large
coastal sharks per trip. No harvest or size restrictions
are set on small coastal or pelagic sharks, but a
corresponding carcass must be landed with all fins.
North Carolina currently manages the Atlantic Coastal
Shark fishery by proclamation. For a full copy of North
Carolina's rules and regulations on coastal sharks refer
to Proclamation FF-32-2009, which can be found on the
NCDMF web page or in Draft Addendum 1 to the
Atlantic Coastal Sharks FMP, available at
www.asmfc.org.
North Carolina Fishery
North Carolina recreational and commercial coastal
shark landings for 2007 were 395,996 pounds with an
additional 4,609 pounds of fins landed. Commercial
landings made up 87 percent (344,278 pounds) of the
total shark landings with the other 13percent (51,718
pounds) harvested by recreational fishermen.
Commercial and recreational landings fluctuate over
time. Currently, the ten year (1999-2008) commercial
landings average is 1.1 million pounds and the
recreational landings average is 33,397 pounds.
Among the coastal sharks, smooth dogfish are
commonly found in the sounds, beaches, and near
shore waters of North Carolina in late spring and early
fall. The majority of smooth dogfish landed in North
Carolina come from the commercial fishing industry,
with the recreational fishery making up less than
1 percent of the total harvest each year. Both the
recreational and commercial fisheries have increased
landings in smooth dogfish in the past two years. In
2008, the landings of smooth dogfish in North Carolina
equaled 826,240 pounds (commercial) and 9,100
pounds (recreational). Ocean gill nets have been the
predominant commercial gear used to harvest smooth
dogfish in North Carolina.
Status of the Stocks
Federal harvest restrictions for Atlantic coastal sharks
have been in place since 1993, and a closure to
commercial harvest in state waters occurred from 1997
to 2006. While assessments have been conducted for
both large and small coastal shark complexes, there is
not a specific assessment for smooth dogfish. In the
absence of an assessment, the ASMFC Atlantic
Coastal Sharks Plan Development Team and Technical
Committee recommended setting possession limits
identical to Atlantic sharpnose sharks because these
two species have a very similar life history. The
sharpnose limits are grounded in a stock assessment
and also account for the needs of recreational and
party/charter boat sectors.
Summary of the Problem
ASMFC’s Addendum I for Coastal Sharks proposes
measures that will allow at-sea processing of smooth
dogfish, eliminate a two hour large mesh gill net
attendance requirement and remove the smooth
dogfish possession limits for recreational fishermen.
The ASMFC is considering these management
measures in an effort to increase the quality of the fish
product, decrease hazards to gill net fishermen and
maintain consistency between the commercial and
recreational smooth dogfish fisheries.
Management Options
The preferred option of the ASMFC Management Board
is indicated in bold italic for each of the first three
Issues (1 - 3). The ASMFC Board does not have a
preferred option for Issue 4.