Scientists rank overfishing as a 

 leading cause of the problem. As 

 numbers of fish in the water shrink, 

 fishermen have been forced to cast their 

 nets farther out to sea. Meanwhile, sales 

 of commercial fishing gear have steadily 

 increased. Technology, which now 

 enables people to net more fish at a faster 

 pace than ever in the state's 400-year 

 fishing history, has also emerged as an 

 environmental nemesis. 



In 1983, the N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries reported that 4,061 

 fishermen had vessel licenses for full- 

 time fishing. Ten years later, that figure 

 rose to 5,214. During that same period, 

 quantities of edible finfish declined 

 dramatically. 



Tugging on the other end of the line 

 is an ever-expanding net of government 

 regulation that commercial watermen 

 must adhere to and competition from an 

 influx of recreational fishermen from 

 other Atlantic states. 



Population growth among North 

 Carolina's 20 coastal counties may also 

 have a significant effect on overfishing. 

 About 71 1,000 permanent residents were 

 reported living in the state's coastal 

 communities in 1990, according to the 

 U.S. Bureau of the Census. That number 

 is expected to swell to 937,000 by the 

 year 2010. 



The Sea Grant project will examine 

 the impact of all these factors, Copeland 

 says. The information will serve as a basis 

 for future policy, which could include 

 revamping fishing licensing laws and 

 beefing up law enforcement. 



Copeland cites the top goal as 

 identifying and defining the state's fishing 

 gear, fishermen and fishing effort. The 

 remaining four priorities are: assessing 

 the Division of Marine Fisheries, devising 

 ways to reduce fishing effort, revitalizing 

 the fish population and developing better 

 fisheries management techniques. 



The Sea Grant study stems from 

 legislation passed last summer by the 

 General Assembly. In the same piece of 

 legislation, a two-year ban on the sale of 

 commercial fishing licenses was imposed. 

 During the moratorium, licenses may be 

 renewed and transferred, but no new 

 licenses will be sold until June 30, 1996. 



The moratorium is "a pause," 

 Copeland says, to closely examine 

 North Carolina's fishing industry for 

 the first time. 



A 19-member steering committee 

 leads the Sea Grant study. It comprises 

 members of both commercial and recre- 

 ational fishing industries, academia and 

 government. Also included are an ecolo- 

 gist, an economist and a social scientist. 

 Copeland serves as a member of the 

 committee. 



"One of the greatest strengths of 

 the committee is the quality of people 

 we have," says Bob Lucas, committee 

 chairman. "The learning curve is not 

 very much. You don't want to spend a 

 lot of time bringing people up to date 

 on the issues. These people already 

 are up to date." 



A main obstacle for the group, 

 however, has been "narrowing our 

 focus," Lucas says. With so many 

 issues at stake, sometimes it has been a 

 challenge to closely examine smaller 

 problems. 



For now, the group's prime task is 

 pinpointing the fishermen of North 

 Carolina. "We let a lot of people do a lot 

 of things. How many recreational people 

 are actually doing commercial fishing? 

 Doggone it, we don't even know who it 

 is we're managing," Lucas says. 



Improving fisheries management 

 inevitably will require heavy-handed 

 measures, which many other states 

 have taken, Lucas says. Maryland, for 

 example, charges $2,000 for a fishing 

 license and requires a one-year waiting 

 period. 



Lucas warned against taking small, 

 hesitant steps toward reform. "It would 

 take 20 years to do it that way, and I'm 

 not up for it. In the long run, we'll get 

 there quicker." 



Copeland notes, "Reducing harvest 

 and maintaining adequate fisheries 

 populations are crucial to the future 

 equitable use of a public resource for all 

 North Carolinians." 



There are no panaceas, he says, and 

 new strategies will require compromises 

 from all groups involved. The results, 

 however, will write a new chapter in the 

 state's coastal history. □ 



Scientists rank overfishing 

 as a leading cause of the 

 problem. As numbers of 

 fish in the water shrink, 

 fishermen have been forced 

 to cast their nets farther out 

 to sea. Meanwhile, sales of 

 commercial fishing gear 

 have steadily increased. 

 Technology, which now 

 enables people to net more 

 fish at a faster pace than ever 

 in the state's 400-year fishing 

 history, has also emerged as 

 an environmental nemesis. 



Tugging on the other 

 end of the line is an 

 ever-expanding net 

 of government regulation 

 that commercial watermen 

 must adhere to and 

 competition from an influx 

 of recreational fishermen 

 from other Atlantic states. 



COASTWATCH 23 



