Spearfishing crackdown may prove difficult
The state wants to crack down on commercial spearfishing on recreational artificial reefs. But officials say that even with new laws, there's only so much wildlife officers can do.
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources has asked the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council about the feasibility of limiting commercial anglers to the same "bag limit," or fish catch per trip, as recreational divers on the state's offshore reefs. That is usually only a few of each species. Currently, commercial divers have no limits except for large federal quotas.
It's a ticklish question because the reefs belong to the state but the waters are governed by federal regulation.
"We haven't ever done anything like that," said Bob Mahood, director of the Charleston-based fishery management council, which sets the rules for this region. Mahood said he would consult with the council's attorneys.
Previous story
Spearfishing a sore point; Out-of-state boats profit from S.C. reefs, published 06/13/09
Meanwhile, staff from the DNR's Law Enforcement and Marine Resources divisions are brainstorming other regulation options and how to enforce them. Officials concede that, new rules or not, there's only so much they can do offshore. Federal funding for DNR to patrol offshore has been cut by more than 90 percent and no state money has replaced it. U.S. Coast Guard crews have port security and other new duties, and there's only one federal fisheries officer for the state, said Col. Alvin Taylor, DNR law enforcement deputy director.
"Bottom line — there's not as much law enforcement out there as probably should be," he said. "It's tough enforcement work, 60 miles offshore. We'll check them as often as we can."
Recreational groups protested commercial spearfishing after reports were made of the recent harvest of thousands of pounds of grouper by two Florida-based boats. Commercial spearfishing is now legal on the reefs, but the reefs were placed for and with revenue from recreational anglers.
Two or three commercial dive boats per year spend the summer on the state's 52 artificial reefs, diving where big scamp and gag grouper lurk and flounder are said to school in layers like pancakes. In 2008, commercial dive-fishing, largely spearfishing, reported 21,000 pounds caught, mostly of grouper and hogfish. The total spear-fishing flounder catch isn't compiled separately from a count that includes gigging.
Federal regulators consider grouper overfished, and restrictions are tightening to manage the stock.
Charter boat Capt. Eric Heiden told the S.C. Natural Resources board Wednesday about eyewitness reports of a football field-long stack of grouper on a Georgetown dock that was 3 feet high.
"South Carolina is the only state that doesn't require out-of-state boats to announce their arrival so DNR can inspect the catch. I fish these (reefs). There are no fish left on most of them," he said.
Inspections are an issue, said Robert Boyles, deputy director for the Marine Resources Division at DNR. "We don't have the bodies" to be on site every time a boat pulls in. DNR relies on "random enforcement," showing up occasionally unannounced at the docks so that the commercial boats don't know when inspectors will be waiting.
Reach Bo Petersen at 937-5744 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
loggerhead (anonymous) says...
bo, was anyone a certified scuba diver questioned for his or her point of view? if not, i wouldn't say you correctly reported the issues. i have been diving for almost 30 years off our coast and Florida and i have yet to see any commercial spearfishing or 100 recreational speafishing boats pile shot fish 3 feet high on any dock. i can't say this for headboats and H&L commercial boats. these boats spend more time on spots cleaning them out were divers have a limited dive time on each dive. As for the artifical reefs being overfished by any form of fishing, it would take 6 summers by anymeans of fishing to take 21,000lbs. off these reefs. Most are in federal waters and under the control of the fed qoutes. i don't know many if any reefs that less than 3 miles offshore and under the control of the state. Please get both sides.
July 9, 2009 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
postman01 (anonymous) says...
Why waste time on it if probabilities for success are nil?
July 9, 2009 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
maeko (anonymous) says...
if the artificial reefs were created using state tax dollars and with the intent for recreational fishing, than commercial fishing should be banned. it seems only logical the money was released for that purpose. however, i do not know the background of the orginal legislation that created the reefs.
i just take personal issue with out-of-state commercial fishers coming to state waters and poaching on reefs that i may have paid for with the intent of recreational use.
July 9, 2009 at 9:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theronce (anonymous) says...
As we draw down both the Coast Guard and DNR, look for more trouble off our coasts.
July 9, 2009 at 10:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flatpickit (anonymous) says...
ok, so loggerhead, you haven't seen it so it hasn't happened? How did you get to be so omnipresent?
I'd like to know if a 21,000 lb catch for commercial dive fishing is as impossible as you say. Somehow, i don't think so.
Successful regulation has a low probability now, but that's because of funding for enforcement. Time is being spent on it because this is a horrible misuse of the natural resources that aren't sustainable under this kind of pressure.
July 9, 2009 at 10:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
loggerhead (anonymous) says...
by your comment you are not a diver i take it. if you were to see the fish on these man-made reefs you would see my point. no it is not possible to take 21,000lbs. a trip with a crew of 4-5 divers as the original article stated. fish in a iced cooler can not last as long as it would take to shot this amount with this crew. the totals were for the entire summer. the point is people fear most what they have no idea what they are most feared about(spearfishing). I think you would be shocked how many H&L boats from NC,GA,FL and states beyond fish our waters taking far more of "your fish" than 3 com. spearfishing boats. if commercial spearfishing was so easy why is it only 3 boats. lastly, when shrimping was profitable what waters do you think the shrimpers worked in the winter? West coast FL it works both ways!!
July 9, 2009 at 11:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eatmorecollards (anonymous) says...
What I can't understand is the mind set of commercial fishermen who would spend several days diving depths up to a 100 plus feet, month after month, year after year.
Its got to be hard on ones health.
It may truly be the worlds deadliest catch.
July 9, 2009 at 11:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
flatpickit (anonymous) says...
After reading that response, I obviously should have left it alone, but here i go again.
For reference, the original article stated, "In 2008, commercial dive-fishing, largely spearfishing, reported 21,000 pounds caught..."
You say that the original article stated a 21,000 lb take per trip with a crew of 4-5 divers. Well that sure seems impossible. Then you say that the totals are for the entire summer. I can't make sense of your thoughts.
Then comes, "people fear most what they have no idea what they are most feared about".
What the?
By the way, I have seen the fish on these reefs, from the water, and from research vessels using ROV technology.
July 9, 2009 at 2:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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