m a r i n e advice 



Coastal Fishing: Know Your Limits 



It used to be saltwater fishing was 

 like a game of chance at a carnival. You'd 

 bait your line with anything handy, toss 

 your lure into the waves as far as you 

 could muster, then wait to see what 

 grabbed hold. Whatever fish surfaced was 

 good for the frying pan. 



But these days, anglers have to know 

 a little more than the location of the near- 

 est bait and tackle shop. Fishery manage- 

 ment organizations, charged with preserv- 

 ing the balance between the number of 

 fish available and the number caught, 

 make laws governing the catch. To be a 

 responsible angler — and avoid a ticket 

 — you need to bone up on current rules 

 and regulations. 



"The day is gone when you can come 

 down to the beach and catch anything," 

 says Sea Grant fisheries agent Jim Bahen. 

 "You better know your fish, you better 

 have a ruler and you better know your 

 regulations." 



For instance, there's a five-fish catch 

 limit on king mackerel in state waters, and 

 the fish must measure 20 inches in fork 

 length. A Spanish mackerel must measure 

 at least 12 inches, and you can fill your 

 cooler with up to 10 each day. Got that? 



Now, keep in mind that a juvenile 

 king mackerel looks a lot like a small 

 adult Spanish mackerel. Careful scrutiny 

 of the fish's lateral line and the size of its 

 eye should clear up any doubt. 



On to that flounder you've just 

 hooked. Can you keep it in good con- 

 science? In Pamlico Sound — "inshore" 

 waters — if the fish is 13 inches or 

 longer, you can. But trek across to the 

 beach at Hatteras — ocean waters — and 

 the same fish would have to measure at 

 least 14 inches in total length. And that's 

 only if you catch it between May 1 and 

 Dec. 31, the state season for hook-and- 

 line flounder fishing in the ocean. You 

 can fish for flounder in the estuaries year- 

 round. 



And did we mention that any of this 

 may change by the time you read this? 



Don't be daunted. It is possible to be 

 a conservation-minded angler without 



night school. You just need a few tools, 

 most importantly the free recreational 

 catch chart compiled by Bahen. It lists the 

 catch limits and harvest lengths for 35 

 popular marine fish. It also includes bio- 

 logical data to help fishermen fathom the 

 reasons behind the regulations. 



"Sea Grant educates people not only 

 on what the new regulations are, but also 

 kind of gives some explanation as to why 

 they're there," says Bahen. "A lot of 

 people wonder, if I caught this little blue- 

 fish and he's 9 inches, why should I put 

 him back?" 



At sexual maturity, bluefish usually 

 measure between 12 and 14 inches. Re- 

 leasing the 9-inch bluefish would give it a 

 chance to mature, spawn and proliferate. 

 Size limits placed on fish usually correlate 

 with the fish's position on the reproduc- 

 tive spectrum. 



"Striped bass might take five or six 

 years to reach that point, whereas spot, 

 croaker or bluefish might take one or two 

 years," says Bahen. It's important to allow 

 fish to spawn several times before harvest- 

 ing, he says. 



Biologists know the ages, lengths and 

 weights of each species at spawning and 

 use them to make management recom- 

 mendations. They also determine a total 

 allowable catch (TAC) of a given species. 



"You take this pot of fish, and you 

 know that some of them are juveniles not 

 able to spawn, some are in the first year of 

 reproduction and some are older fish," he 

 says. "Biologists have determined how 

 many of those fish 12 inches or greater 

 you can take out of the pot and still keep 

 the population healthy." 



Managers set TACs, measured in 

 pounds, for commercial harvest and bag 

 limits for recreational catch. The N.C. 

 Marine Fisheries Commission determines 

 the catch limits and minimum harvest 

 sizes for fish caught in state waters — 

 estuaries and ocean waters up to three 

 miles offshore. The South Atlantic Fish- 

 ery Management Council establishes the 

 same kind of rules for federal waters — 

 from three miles to 200 miles offshore. 



Recently, the Atlantic States Marine Fish- 

 eries Commission entered the regulatory 

 arena, establishing management plans for 

 species that migrate between states in 

 nearshore waters. 



Because of the dynamics in population 

 and harvest, any of these organizations may 

 change length requirements or close fishing 

 of a particular species. Bahen stays on top 

 of the changes, keeping Sea Grant's chart 

 current. 



He offers these suggestions for landing 

 citation-size fish: 



• Keep a tape measure in your tackle 

 box or use a cooler with a built-in measure- 

 ment scale. For quick reference, measure a 

 12-inch section of your rod to use as a 

 guide. When measuring fish, lay your catch 

 onto your scale. Otherwise, as in the case 

 of a species with a thicker belly, placing 



a tape measure flush with the fish could 

 distort the length. 



• Depending on the species, minimum 

 size is expressed in fork length (FL) or total 

 length (TL). Fork length is measured from 

 the tip of the fish's lower jaw (mouth 

 closed) to the fork or indentation in its tail. 

 In billfish, you would disregard the upper 

 protrusion, measuring from the underbite. 

 Total length is measured from the tip of the 

 nose to the tip of the tail. 



• If you're unfamiliar with marine fish, 

 pick up a field guide in the Peterson series 

 or Charles Manooch's Fisherman's Guide: 

 Fishes of the Southeastern United States. 

 Look for a well-organized book with color 

 photographs and key identification mark- 

 ings such as lateral lines and spots. 



• Be aware that common names of 

 species vary by locale. Depending on the 

 region, whiting is known as Virginia mul- 

 let, sea mullet or northern kingfish; redfish, 

 puppy drum and channel bass all describe 

 the same species; striped bass and rockfish 

 are one and the same. 



For a free copy of A Recreational 

 Guide to Management of Fish in South 

 Atlantic Waters or the supplementary 

 snapper-grouper chart, write Sea Grant, 

 Box 8605, N.C. State University, Raleigh, 

 NC 27695. Or call 919/515-2454. 



COASTWATCH 21 



