Our cobia regulations for 2016 have been established for the 2016 fishing year effective June 1, 2016.  VSSA has been working on cobia since October and the fight is far from over.  VSSA has attended many meetings, conducted polls, reached out to members, listened to angler concerns, but at the end of the day it came down to a vote by our VMRC Associate Commissioners.  Dr. Ken Neill, one of the Associate Commissioners, was very vocal about keeping our season open and although nobody is completely happy with the results, it is better than a closure.  Thanks Dr. Neill for your efforts to influence the other board members.   

Here are our new regulations effective June 1st.  (note:  use the official VMRC site for fishing regulations before heading out).

• 1 cobia per angler 40 inches or greater total length.
• Maximum of 2 cobia per vessel for all vessels, private, charter, and inspected vessels (head boats).
• Only 1 of the 2 fish may be over 50 inches.  (note you can have 2 fish between 40 and 50 inches)
• Pier and surf fisherman 1 fish per person 40 inches or better.
• Gaffing of cobia is prohibited. 
• Federal waters close June 20 (3 – 200 miles out from shore).  The Chesapeake Bay is all State waters, not Federal waters. 
• Catch and release remains open and unlimited.  Release citation may still be registered all year.
• Season closes August 30. 
• Landing permits will be required for everyone that comes with mandatory reporting.  If you fail to report or submit did not fish reports you risk not getting a permit the following year.  If you don’t have a cobia permit and land a cobia while targeting other species (like flounder) you must obtain one online (for free) before bringing that cobia home.

VSSA will continue to be directly involved in the cobia issue as next up is the amendment for the cobia FMP that will affect our 2017 season.  We must pay close attention to this so Virginia is represented.

Here is the article from the Pilot Online.

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/vmrc-changes-cobia-regulations-to-allow-season-to-remain-open/article_48133cd6-3cdb-5220-8a12-550bf742a663.html

NEWPORT NEWS

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission on Tuesday voted 5-4 to keep the state’s cobia season open until Aug. 30, but not without several drastic changes in regulation.

After an outcry from anglers over a South Atlantic Marine Fishery Council order to close the fishery from Georgia to New York on June 20, state agencies had sought a compromise that would keep fishing open . Federal fisheries managers had requested that states adopt the closure after catches of the popular species spiked well over the Allowable Catch Limit last year.

North Carolina last week opted to keep its season open until Sept. 30, but with several regulations that angered recreational fishermen – including only being able to keep fish Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Charter and pier anglers can keep fish seven days a week.

Virginia’s new regulations, which will go into effect June 1, were met with mixed emotions.

In Virginia waters inside of 3 miles from the coast, anglers will have a one-fish-per-person limit, up to a two-fish maximum per boat. Fish must be at least 40 inches long and only one can top 50 inches. Gaffing no longer will be permitted in an effort to lower fish mortality for catch-and-release action. Some form of mandatory reporting will be put in place.

“This is a conservation measure to keep our economy going and give our anglers time and give the feds time to fix their mess,” said Commissioner Ken Neill, Virginia’s representative to the International Game Fish Association. “This is much more restrictive than we’ve ever fished.”

The catching of cobia will not be permitted in federal waters 3 miles and out off either state after June 20.

A closure on June 20 in state waters would have affected the Virginia economy, anglers and several commissioners argued.

“I would have been more satisfied with a three-fish limit,” said Capt. Jorj Head, a teacher who spends the season taking charters out for cobia. “I can live with it for this season, but I wouldn’t use the word happy. It is better than a closure.”

Jonathan French from Northern Virginia put in an extensive research effort to fight the closure in both states, finding information that the SAMFC closure had violated at least two standards in the Magnuson Stevens Act designed to protect fisheries and user groups.

“I have a problem that Virginia chose a shorter season and less limits than North Carolina,” he said. “And I was disgusted that some of the members (of the VRMC) didn’t do any research on this before the meeting even though I provided them with everything. It’s unjust when you acknowledge that federal laws were violated when determining the June 20 closure.

“When you look at the charters that have more than two customers, it’s going to have an impact.”

John Bull, head of the VMRC, said he was nervous about defying the SAMFC call for closure on June 20, but said he believes the commission took a good path.

“I think the commission took prudent and deliberate action after four hours of discussion and information gathering,” Bull said. “This was a very difficult decision for an important fishery. It’s hard to assess what the long-term ramifications will be.

“No one has a crystal ball for stuff like this.”

http://pilotonline.com/sports/outdoors/north-carolina-votes-to-keep-cobia-season-open/article_d032dc84-add5-5f1e-937f-b7215c27b58d.html

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Commission voted Thursday to keep its state-waters cobia fishery open past a federally-ordered June 20 closing, putting the state in non-compliance with the South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council.

But the commission made several drastic changes to size and bag limits, and severely cut the number of days that recreational anglers could keep the coveted species.

From May 23 to Sept. 30, charter boats will be able to fish every day with a four-fish limit per boat, with each fish measuring at least 37 inches. Pier and surf anglers also can fish every day, with one 37-inch minimum fish per person per day.

Recreational private boaters, however, will be able to keep fish only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The limit will be two fish of at least 37 inches per boat.

Catch-and-release action is allowed, but closing the season on Sept. 30 will effectively end the fall portion of the fishery.

In federal waters past the state line of three miles, the closure will be from June 20 through the end of the year.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will make its decision about whether to go non-compliant Tuesday at its Newport News office.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-state-of-the-chesapeake-bay-discussion-with-congressman-scott-rigell-tickets-24790837061?aff=efbnreg

Attention Residents of Virginia’s Second Congressional District: You are invited to attend the 3rd Annual State of the Chesapeake Bay Discussion Addressing important Bay restoration issues Hosted by Congressman Scott Rigell Tuesday, May 31 6 pm – 8 pm Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club 1052 Cardinal Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Featuring:

Panelists (TBD)

Exhibitors:

TBD

 ** Oysters will be provided by Pleasure House Oysters**

Free Event

 Have questions? Contact Shannon Kendrick, District Director for Congressman Scott Rigell at Shannon.Kendrick@mail.house.gov Light refreshments will be provided Verify your congressional district at www.house.gov

Have questions about 3rd Annual State of the Chesapeake Bay Discussion with Congressman Scott Rigell? Contact Office of Congressman Scott Rigell

The draft cobia letter was distributed to VSSA members today.  Comments should arrive NLT Wed, May 18 and the letter will be submitted by Thur, May 19.  Please contact us if you did not receive it and wish to review before being submitted.

Anglers are encouraged to submit their own letters or emails to VMRC.  Emails should be sent to rob.o’reilly@mrc.virginia.gov or mailed to VMRC, 2600 Washington Avenue, Suite 107, Newport News, VA 23607-0756.  Letters and emails should arrive NLT Friday, May 20.  The VMRC meeting where the cobia regulations will be set for 2016 is scheduled for May 24 and is item number 14 on the agenda. 

http://www.mrc.state.va.us/Commission_Agendas/ca0516.shtm

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/2016/may/may2_cobialegislation.html

May 2, 2016New cobia regulations seek to rebuild South Carolina fishery

Responding to concerns from the public and data collected by S.C. Department of Natural Resources biologists, the South Carolina General Assembly has passed legislation to help rebuild the state’s cobia fishery. The new cobia regulations, which are effective for the 2016 season after receiving Gov. Nikki Haley’s signature, include a catch-and-release period in May and smaller bag and boat limits.

The new legislation will affect cobia in South Carolina state waters (out to 3 nautical miles offshore) south of Jeremy Inlet, Edisto Island (032° 31.0´ N latitude; see map for details).

Under the new regulations, the possession of cobia in this area will be limited to one person per day and no more than three per boat per day, with a 33-inch fork length size limit. Previously, the bag limit for cobia in this area was two fish per day, with no boat limit.

From May 1 to May 31, 2016, this cobia fishery will be limited to catch and release only. It will be unlawful to take and possess cobia from this area during the month of May, and at any time federal regulations provide for the closure of recreational cobia fishing in federal waters.

Cobia is a large, fast-growing fish with the streamlined body of a shark and the broad head of a catfish. Along the southern half of the coast, the return of spawning cobia to the area’s rivers each spring has been celebrated for generations, giving anglers the chance to land a hard-fighting game fish from a small boat.

In the past decade, as population growth accelerated, South Carolina experienced an approximately 26 percent increase in the number of licensed anglers. As the tradition of spring cobia fishing grew, the angling community began expressing concerns that cobia were no longer as plentiful as they’d once been.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists undertook extensive studies of the species to determine whether cobia was being overfished in state waters and, if so, how best to protect and rebuild the population. Researchers “fingerprinted” the DNA from thousands of fish, developed a sophisticated cobia stocking program, and collected information and donated samples from the public in order to construct the most complete picture possible of the status of cobia in South Carolina waters.

The science was clear, suggesting that South Carolina’s cobia population is in jeopardy of collapsing due to long-term overharvesting.

One of the most noteworthy findings included the discovery that South Carolina’s cobia belong to what’s called a genetically distinct population segment. The fish that return each year to Port Royal, St. Helena, and Calibogue Sounds reproduce only in those waterways; they are genetically different from and do not interbreed with the larger, offshore population of South Atlantic cobia. If the South Carolina cobia population disappears, DNR biologists noted, these genetic differences mean that cobia could be absent from the state’s waterways for a very long time.

Throughout 2015, DNR biologists hosted public talks along the coast to share the agency’s findings and gather feedback about how members of the public would like to see the cobia problem addressed.

More than 1,400 anglers responded to a DNR survey to share their opinions about how cobia should be managed in South Carolina waters. Sixty percent of respondents said they would “support” or “strongly support” the most aggressive approach offered to reduce harvest and rebuild the cobia population. Many individuals and angling organizations reached out to their legislators and wrote editorials to further voice their concerns about the future of South Carolina’s cobia fishery. The Coastal Conservation Association also played an important role in supporting the efforts that resulted in the new law.

Based on recommendations made by DNR and the angling community, identical companion bills moved through the Senate and House with support from Sen. Chip Campsen of Charleston, House Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. David Hiott of Pickens, Rep. Bill Hixon of North Augusta, and the Beaufort County legislative delegation. The legislation was signed into law on April 29, 2016, by Governor Nikki Haley and took effect immediately.

http://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2016/04/29/atlantic-bigeye-tuna-noaa-iccat-jersey-charter-boats/83590018/

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has put Atlantic bigeye tuna on the overfishing list in its annual Status of the Stocks update.

It means the harvest rate is higher right now than the rate that produces its maximum sustainable yield — the largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a stock under prevailing environmental and fishery conditions.

It could also mean potential reductions in the total allowable catch will be implemented.

Jennie Lyons, from NOAA Fisheries Public Affairs, said the listing is based on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas’ (ICCAT) most recent accepted stock assessment that showed fishing mortality rate in 2014 exceeded the overfishing threshold by 28 percent.

While there is both recreational and commercial fisheries here for bigeye, it pales in comparison to major baitboat fisheries in Ghana, Senegal, the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores off the west coast of Africa.

Bigeye tuna can reach 5 ½-feet lengths and weights of over 200 pounds.

MORE: Big tuna: Ray Bogan appointed ICCAT commissioner

“U.S. fishermen harvest about 1 percent of the overall quota, so it is important that we work with our international partners to end overfishing and rebuild this stock,” Lyons said.

ICCAT, formed by a treaty in 1966, manages this stock. ICCAT is as an inter-governmental fishery organization responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas.

MORE: New size limits for summer flounder and sea bass passed

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Lyons said the population of Atlantic bigeye tuna continues to slowly increase since a rebuilding plan’s implementation in 1999.

“The stock is now estimated at 67 percent of its target level, so rebuilding measures will remain in place until it reaches that target level,” Lyons said.