Three fish species to draw bag limits for the first time

[Sam]

Virginia anglers will have bag limits on sheepshead, tilefish and grouper for the first time. The limits are effective Tuesday. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission is initiating the limits because the species have grown rapidly in popularity. Anglers will be able to keep four sheepshead, seven tilefish and one grouper. There are no size restrictions. Grouper and several varieties of tilefish are found around deep offshore bottom structures. Sheepshead are found around closer-to-shore structures such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.


Commercial fishermen also had limits on the three species imposed on them.
The commission initiated the limits as a proactive measure. "We didn't want to wait to have limits put on us," said Jack Travelstead, chief fisheries manager for the commission. "The South Atlantic Council has indicated a desire to extend their numbers north, and that would include us."Anglers fishing from North Carolina and states south have a five -fish limit for a combined bag that includes tilefish and grouper. Long a popular fishery in southern states because the species are found closer to the coast, tilefish and grouper experienced severe declines several years ago.


Overfishing was determined to be the cause. Tilefish and grouper are slow-growing fish that have difficulty rebounding from overfishing. But opponents of the new rule argue not enough is known about tilefish, which they say appear to be plentiful in deep waters approximately 70 miles off the Virginia coast. Travelstead said his staff recommended the commission adopt a 10 -fish limit for tilefish. He said the commission chose seven because it fell in between the popular number and the five-fish limit in the south.


Travelstead acknowledged the fishery in Virginia is limited because of how difficult the angling is. But he said the rapid rise in popularity, coupled with the history of easy depletion in numbers, helped prompt the new regulations. "There seemed to be a lot of interest in the tilefish regulations, but only five anglers attended the meeting," he said.

PilotOnline.com

[Randy Stinchcomb]

Good to sea that some people care about our fishery
Tilefish are excellent table fair, one of my favorites