The Commission made it clear that an individual fishing quota (IFQ) program states that only fishermen who meet certain qualifications, such as landing at least a minimum amount of striped bass in specific years, would be eligible to continue in the fishery. It is also told that shares of the total 480,480-pound quota for the ocean commercial fishery would then be allocated to qualifying fishermen. In most IFQ systems, fishermen can buy, sell, or lease shares after regulators make the initial allocation.
According to commission member Dewey Hemilright the motion was passed opposing IFQs at the meeting Thursday night at the Hatteras Village Civic Center. Phil Ray Haywood of Colington seconded the motion. Hemilright said that the state use other management mechanisms that are already available to prevent over-harvest before turning to IFQs.
He further explained that stricter possession limit rules and gear permits could be used to ensure that the total harvest limit was not exceeded in any year. Noting that North Carolina fishermen hadn’t harvested the full quota for the last two years, he recommended that the state seek authority to roll-over unused quota to the next fishing season.
It is noticed that Kelly Schoolcraft of Frisco was the only commission member not supporting the motion made by Hemilright. Schoolcraft mentioned the plan and simple truth is that the state doesn’t have enough striped bass quota to accommodate fishing by everyone with a commercial fishing license. Prior to the vote, the commission heard a presentation on IFQs by Canadian fisherman Wes Erikson and listened to public comment Erikson, a British Columbia halibut fisherman, described a fishery marked by short seasons, low prices, poor quality fish, consistent overharvesting, and hazardous working conditions in the 1980s.
Britton Shackelford, president of North Carolina Watermen United, said that this is a small community where we all know everybody. He doesn’t want to be the one to make the decision that this child’s daddy gets into the fishery, but this one’s daddy doesn’t.
