Shrimp FMP - Division of Marine Fisheries

Preliminary bycatch results from a recently completed FRG (Logothetis, pers. comm.)provide some data on the bycatch associated with commercial trawling in the Cape Fear River.Based on 25 trips and 50 tows conducted between April and November of 2003, the ratio ofbycatch to shrimp was 0.38: 1. In other words, for every 0.38 lb. of bycatch captured there was1 lb of shrimp captured. This ratio of bycatch was the lowest of any of the study areas, whichalso included waters in Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender and Onslow counties. The meancounts of shrimp by month were calculated for the Cape Fear River based on1 tow in August, 5tows in September, 18 tows in October and 10 tows in November. Counts averaged 122 inAugust, 96 in September, 60 in October and 41 in November. All tows were conducted with acommercial 50-foot two-seam otter trawl outfitted with turtle and fish excluder devices.Management Options/Impacts(+ potential positive impact of action)(- potential negative impact of action)1) Status quo (potential opening dates set by proclamation and determined by sampling)+ Flexibility in dealing with variety of conditions+ No need for further rulemaking- Does not address harvest of small shrimp or waste/bycatch in some areas- Sometimes necessitates “grand openings”2) Status quo for the main river but establish no trawling areas in the bays south of FortFisher and the Baldhead creeks+ Harvest of more marketable shrimp+ Potential reduction in waste/bycatch- More regulations- Modifications to strategy may not have intended effect- Possible reduction of harvest3) Prohibit all trawling in Cape Fear+ Possible benefit to finfish+ Eliminates any navigational conflicts+ No harvest of small shrimp by trawlers- Eliminates traditional trawl fishery in some areas- Financial hardship on some shrimpersAC Recommendation: Status Quo.DMF, and MFC Recommendation: Status quo for the main river but establish no trawlingareas in the bays south of Fort Fisher and the Bald Head creeks.272