HOME / REGIONAL REPORTS / SEPTEMBER 2007
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Gulf Coast Report Gulf of Mexico Fishing Regulation Changes Fall fishing along the Gulf will be a bit different this year. NOAA’s Fisheries Division has directed the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council to lower the total allowable catch for red snapper for both recreational and commercial fishermen. For recreational anglers, the daily bag limit for red snapper–a fish valued much more for its table qualities than as a gamefish–will now be two fish per angler, down from four last season. There are also rumblings that the length of the season may be cut. This move is going to have serious repercussions for both private boats and those in the for-hire fishing industry as red snapper are the largest overall drawing card for Gulf anglers. ... Everything’s Bigger in Texas Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, a bull shark measuring nine feet in length and weighing 513 pounds was caught in the bay inside Port Aransas, Texas, by Randy Rickerson of Corpus Christi. Captured May 18, the fish should be certified by now as a new state record. ... New Marina Going Up, While many areas bemoan the decline in boating facilities, in Texas, the long-rumored Surfside Marina is under construction. The facility, on the ICW almost under the Surfside Bridge across from Freeport, will have dry stack storage for 160 boats, plus 38 wet slips. The 25-acre property was once a crewboat dock and has a good, but not exceptionally well-protected harbor off the ICW. Future plans call for a restaurant and hotel. ... Summer Activities Along the Coast Cruisers who can afford the fuel to wander along the Gulf coast this month will find lots of activities in coastal communities from Florida to Texas.
MidAtlantic Report Offshore Sailboat Racing Returns to the Mid-Atlantic It will be nice to see the return of the Southern Ocean Racing Conference to Carolina waters next spring. (See Scuttlebutt page 160.) The Fort Lauderdale to Charleston Ocean Yacht Race originated in 1968 and ran for 10 years. The inaugural race in 1968 was won by Dr. Dean Woosley in his 40-foot Columbia. The race record is held by the 53-foot sloop Bumblebee, owned and skippered by J.D. Kahlbetzer, completing the 1976 race in 40 hours, 34 minutes and 30 seconds. ... Annapolis Boat Shows Cruisers through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal found a favorite historical docking destination out of business last year. Schaefer’s Canal House restaurant, banquet hall and marina had been part of the Chesapeake City and canal landscape for decades. ... Neptune Festival Virginia Beach will host its annual Neptune Festival on Friday, September 28, through Sunday, September 30. Activities such as the North American Sandsculpting Competition draw visitors and guests from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. ... Dredging Help Wrightsville Beach has agreed to help out its neighbors to the south by pledging $2,500 to assist with dredging Carolina Beach’s inlet. The money is expected to come from room occupancy tax revenues. ...
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