CCA SC encourages Governor to reconsider access closures

CCA SC encourages Governor to reconsider access closures

CCA SC encourages Governor to reconsider access closures
“Given that fishing provides a valuable, needed, and traditional physical and mental outlet, we would like to encourage you to consider amending your executive order regarding the closure of public boat ramps and landings as soon as appropriate.”

CCA South Carolina asks Governor McMaster to revisit Executive Order closing public boat ramps and landings. The full letter is below.
April 9, 2020

The Honorable Henry McMaster Governor, State of South Carolina 1205 Pendleton Street Columbia, SC 29201
Dear Governor McMaster,

On behalf of the over 10,000 members, supporters, and volunteers across the Palmetto State as well as the state board of directors of Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC), I thank you for the leadership you have shown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your efforts to secure both the physical health and well-being of our citizens as well as the welfare of the state’s economy have been evident in your decisive actions. South Carolinians will remember your efforts justly.

As you are keenly aware, recreational saltwater fishing is a strong part of the fabric of South Carolina; both culturally and economically. While the stewardship of our envied coastal resources is mission centric to CCA SC, advocating for and advancing recreational saltwater anglers’ access to those resources is just as strong a part of our efforts. Given that fishing provides a valuable, needed, and traditional physical and mental outlet, we would like to encourage you to consider amending your executive order regarding the closure of public boat ramps and landings as soon as appropriate. Perhaps there are additional protocols that could be adopted to allow for the use of these public trust areas while maintaining the clearly warranted social distancing and gathering guidelines that are so important at this time.

To echo what the American Sportfishing Association said in their letter to you dated Friday, March 27, “Particularly during this pandemic, recreational fishing provides an ideal means for individuals and families to get outdoors and boost their physical and mental health in a way that doesn’t necessitate close contact with others”. Clearly, allowing South Carolina’s families to access the waterways of the state in a responsible manner was your intent, as is evident in the message that fishing has not been prohibited; however the closure of the public landings and ramps is a de facto closure of access for the vast majority of our state’s citizens. Many Governors have encouraged forms of outdoor recreation, such as recreational fishing, as a positive and appropriate activity compatible with social distancing guidelines. You have been a staunch advocate of that traditional activity during your time as Governor and the recreational saltwater fishing community values your commitment.

CCA SC works tirelessly with state agencies, fisheries managers & law enforcement, and state and local officials to be a valued and trusted voice concerning marine conservation and angling advocacy issues. During this unprecedented time in our state and country’s history, South Carolinians are united in overcoming this great challenge and look to your leadership to provide the path. We urge you to please revisit this order and seek guidelines that would allow Palmetto State families the opportunity to use these resources as a vital re-set. If we can be of any assistance in that endeavor, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely, Jay Brown CCA SC State Chapter Chairman

Popular recreational species are early winners in legislative session

Popular recreational species are early winners in legislative session
Conservation measures put in place on Atlantic Spadefish and Tripletail

Columbia, S.C. – While it is early in the 2020 South Carolina legislative process, key legislators working with Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC) and state fisheries managers passed important conservation measures for both Atlantic Spadefish and Tripletail late last week, two species popular among recreational anglers. Senate Bill 474 places a 14-inch minimum size limit on Atlantic Spadefish with no changes to creel limits already in place. Senate Bill 475 addresses the fact that Tripletail had no conservation measures of any kind in the Palmetto State – the only state in the species’ range without any regulation – by placing an 18-inch minimum size limit and a three-per-person, nine-fish-per-boat creel limit. Both pieces of legislation, particularly S.475, are reasonable management steps that needed to be taken, says the recreational angling advocacy group.

“We (CCA SC) have long held the position that every recreationally important species should be seen as having value and should be protected with reasonable management regulations,” said Tombo Milliken, CCA SC Government Relations chairman. “To do otherwise would be irresponsible given the increasing pressures on our existing coastal resources. We are very appreciative and thankful that we have willing partners in the General Assembly and state agencies to work with towards those goals.”

South Carolina manages all its natural resources via legislation, requiring approval by both the House and the Senate before being signed into law by the Governor. The two fisheries legislative efforts began in 2019 and received staunch support in both bodies of the General Assembly, yet were delayed passage in the waning days of last year’s session. With support in the Senate by Sens. Chip Campsen, Stephen Goldfinch, Greg Gregory, and Ronny Cromer last session, the bills moved easily through that body’s process. Equally as impressive was the bi-partisan support the bills received this session in the House with Reps. David Hiott, Bill Hixon, and Roger Kirby navigating the bills through the sub-committee and full committee process to final vote.

“To have decision-makers who understand and recognize both the value that South Carolinians place on our coastal and marine resources and what having access to them means to our traditional way of life is so crucial in a state that continues to experience so much population growth,” said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director. “Our coast is such a special place along the entire Eastern Seaboard and has played so significant a role in South Carolina’s – even the country’s – history that it deserves the commitment by interested parties to protect and manage it with wise stewardship and in a sustainable manner.”

Great Southern Homes Announces Commitment to Conservation

Great Southern Homes Announces Commitment to Conservation

Leading South Carolina Home Builder proud Partner in Conservation

 

 

Columbia, S.C. – With the start of the new year, Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina and the privately-held Great Southern Homes headquartered in Irmo, SC are excited to announce the home builder has become the marine advocacy group’s latest South Carolina based Partner in Conservation. With Great Southern Homes commitment of a continual annual pledge, CCA SC will be able to expand their marine conservation mission of improving both marine resources and recreational saltwater angling along the Palmetto State’s coast.

 

“Great Southern Homes has been a dedicated supporter of CCA SC for some time now and to have them commit to such a substantial partnership speaks volumes about their leadership’s dedication to quality of life in South Carolina” said Jay Brown, CCA SC state Chairman. “We look forward to them being a part of our organization’s efforts for a long time”.

 

As one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing builders and Builder Magazine’s 54th Largest Builder, Great Southern Homes knows the housing market of the Southeast as well as anyone. The company now builds in over 100 communities throughout South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia and its footprint extends to most new housing markets across the state. Since their beginning, they’ve built homes on the solid foundation of exceptional quality, industry-leading construction standards and brilliant energy-smart and cost-efficient features. Great Southern Homes currently builds new homes throughout South Carolina with operations in the Midlands, Greenville/Spartanburg, Clemson, Charleston, Myrtle Beach/Georgetown, Florence, Sumter and Aiken/Augusta.

 

“Our partnership with CCA SC is a fun and exciting way to get involved and be a part of all the important work the organization is doing along South Carolina’s coastsaid Maigan Lincks, Great Southern Homes Marketing Director “Supporting and promoting the wise stewardship of our state’s marine resources is one-way this partnership contributes to making a better future for everyone”.

 

“It takes passion and a willingness to get involved to face the challenges to our marine resources and we are fortunate to have a partner in Great Southern Homes that conveys both of those qualities” said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director. “Having South Carolina based companies realize the value of the work CCA SC is doing and willingly stepping in to provide the on-going support that it requires really speaks directly to the high priority South Carolinians place on our natural resources and sporting tradtions”.

 

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CCA SC, Sea Hunt Boat Company extend marine conservation partnership

CCA SC, Sea Hunt Boat Company extend marine conservation partnership

Nations top selling saltwater boat builder committed to conservation, recreational angling

 

Columbia, S.C. – With the start of the new year, marine conservation and recreational saltwater fishing in the Palmetto State received a shot in the arm with the announcement that CCA South Carolina and Sea Hunt Boat Company have extended their partnership. 2020 marks the seventh consecutive year of the two organization’s collaboration and both are very excited about what the relationship has been able to accomplish towards the promotion and enhancement of those two defining traditions in South Carolina.

 

“We are pleased and honored that Sea Hunt Boat Company believes in the conservation and angling track record that CCA SC has established,” said Jay Brown, CCA SC state chairman. “Having a true home-grown industry leader in the boating community that sees the positive impacts of those efforts and is willing to contribute towards future successes speaks volumes about the community values of Sea Hunt Boats. We are proud to have them as a partner as we continue to work to improve recreational angling and our state’s marine resources.”

 

As an innovative leader in the industry, Sea Hunt Boats is committed to giving its customers the most boat for their money and strives to be the best value in the marine industry. It has earned a loyal following of customers all over the country. The company’s commitment to the sustainable management of our marine resources runs just as deep. Sea Hunt has once again been named the Official Boat of CCA South Carolina. The company also continues as the title sponsor of the organization’s growing S.T.A.R. Tagged Redfish Tournament as well as the presenting sponsor of the organization’s very popular annual Banquet Trail.

 

“We share CCA South Carolina’s vision for stewardship of our marine resources and we greatly admire the work they have done with their habitat program. We believe CCA is a complete marine conservation organization and so extending this partnership was an easy decision for us,” said Bubba Roof, Jr., president of Sea Hunt Boats. “As a company, it is our belief, now more than ever, that efforts for proper marine conservation need the strong support of the marine industry and we like to lead by actions not just words around here.”

 

“Sea Hunt’s commitment means more reefs, more restoration, more research and more recreational angling advocacy for Palmetto State fishermen,” said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director. “As anglers, the team at Sea Hunt Boat Company gets that uniting sportfishing and conservation interests to marine manufacturing is good for both fish and fishermen.”

 

 

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Sea Hunt/CCA Reef Deployment

CCA SC’s Topwater Action Campaign 10th anniversary celebration continues! The Sea Hunt Boat Company/CCA Reef is the third and latest Deepwater reef (100’ of water or greater) CCA SC and partners have deployed making it the tenth artificial reef drop off the coast of South Carolina in the short life history of the program; 10 in 10 if you will! This reef is open and ready for fishing 16 miles off of Beaufort/Hilton Head. Over ten years, CCA SC and our partners have invested an... estimated $1,000,000 in on the ground projects like artificial reefs, equipment donations, scientific research, and manpower right here in the waters of the Palmetto State to improve both fish and fishing!

• Coordinates for this site are: 32 03.220’ N – 080 25.391’ W •

Angling community unites to give Mother Nature a boost

[dt_gap height=”10″ /]Angling community unites to give Mother Nature a boost

Project ReSpeck to enhance stock recovery capability at Waddell Center

 

Columbia, S.C. – This past January, record cold weather set in across the Southeast causing a noticeable fish kill along the entire Palmetto State coast and calling into question the future of several popular species of fish important to recreational saltwater anglers. A conversation by a group of concerned industry parties focusing on what action could be taken to hasten a recovery began and out of that came Project ReSpeck; an initiative to provide $25,000 in funding to establish the ability to spawn, grow, and release spotted or “speckled” trout into South Carolina’s estuaries. This past Saturday, after months of collaboration, Project ReSpeck and the Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC) presented a $25,000 check to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for the installation and operation of five maturation tanks at the Waddell Center in Bluffton, SC.

“Based on what we were seeing on the water ourselves and as reports came in from across the coast, we knew some action was going to be needed,” said Joel Levine of RedFin Charters in Charleston, SC and originator of the effort. “We felt the recreational angling community would see the need for and be willing to enthusiastically support a campaign that would provide a meaningful path for recovery. With funding for five tanks, it has obviously surpassed that capability.”

The tanks will provide the SCDNR staff at the Waddell Center in Bluffton, SC with a powerful stock enhancement tool. By simulating spawning conditions in a controlled environment, species such as red drum, spotted sea trout, and even flounder may be produced for the purpose of releasing them into the wild to supplement existing populations. The process could be expanded to include a variety of species in the future.

CCA SC was contacted by Daniel Nussbaum, president of Z-man, as wells as David Fladd and Ralph Phillips of Eye Strike Fishing (all Project ReSpeck contributors and supporters) bringing the campaign to the recreational angling advocacy group’s attention. Within 48 hours of learning of the effort, CCA SC had eagerly committed to RedFin Charters, Z-man, and Eye Strike that the organization would match half of the projects goal of raising $25,000 for the tanks, providing $12,500 of the total project investment.

“This project provides a real world asset to biologist and state fisheries managers; a constant goal in the organization’s mission of improving both fish and fisheries,” said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director. “A collaboration of this magnitude that brings together industry leaders, conservation & science, and the recreational angling community represents what can be achieved regarding the enhancement and improvement of our state’s envied marine resources.”

 

First 2018 STAR tagged redfish caught in Murrells Inlet!

[dt_gap height=”10″ /]***Breaking News***

First 2018 STAR tagged redfish caught in Murrells Inlet!

 

            Columbia, SC – While enjoying the Palmetto State coast on vacation, an angler from Ohio was fishing with Capt Jay Baisch of Fishful Thinking Guide Service in Murrells Inlet, SC. The crew was having a good day of fun and fishing when a 20 inch redfish was brought to the boat. The fish was sporting tag #14 of the 2018 CCA South Carolina STAR tournament; a fish potentially worth a brand new Sea Hunt 22BX bay boat, Yamaha motor, and Wesco trailer valued at over $43,000. Unfortunately, the angler was not registered for the tournament and thereby missed out on the prize winning fish!

 

“We noticed immediately that the fish had a tag but simply mistook it for a SCDNR tag at the time” said Capt Jay. “It wasn’t until later that we noticed it was a STAR tag and immediately called the STAR number to report the catch”.

 

Now in its second year, the CCA South Carolina STAR Tournament presented by Sea Hunt Boat Company, is a nonprofit saltwater fishing tournament focused on attracting people to the Palmetto State’s outstanding coast and the important work of conservation, protection, and stewardship of our coastal resources – all of which are cornerstones of CCA South Carolina’s mission. The tournament gets families on the water and helps educate both angler and non-angler alike on the role we all play in those significant efforts. The tournament is takes place from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year. The tournament has released 60 specially tagged redfish along the coast of South Carolina and the first two CCA members registered for the tournament to catch a STAR- tagged redfish could win a new 2018 Sea Hunt Boat Company BX 22 BR bay boat, Yamaha 150 motor, and a Wesco aluminium trailer valued at over $43,000!

 

“The fish are tagged and out there” said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director and STAR tournament director. “We have had four fish from last year’s inaugural year recaptured but this marks the first fish caught in the current tournament year. We are all pulling for someone to catch one of the remaining 59 fish as we really want to give away both of the prize boats this year. Anglers have until Labor Day weekend to make it happen”.

 

Don’t let this happen to you or your friends! Get registered NOW at www.joincca.org today and be ready when your opportunity strikes! Friends don’t let friends fish without being registered for STAR!

 

Modern Fish Act 101

[dt_gap height=”10″ /]From our friends at The Center for Sportfishing Policy:

Modern Fish Act 101
Time to Get Reel

As we celebrate National Fishing and Boating Week, a review of the Modern Fish Act is in order. A lot has been written about this bill by many different people — some informed and some uninformed. One thing is for sure — the Modern Fish Act is an unprecedented, sportfishing-focused fisheries management bill that is moving through both chambers of Congress. This bi-partisan legistlation aims to improve federal management of recreational fisheries while safeguarding sustainability for future generations.

Since school’s out for summer and many families are celebrating this week on the water, let’s look at what the bill accomplishes.

The Modern Fish Act:

  • Requires periodic reviews of mixed-use fisheries allocations (i.e. those fished by both the commercial and recreational sectors) in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. It’s a no-brainer that the way a public resource is divvied up should be periodically examined, but that is not happening now.
  • Clarifies that regional fishery management councils and NOAA Fisheries can implement management approaches such as harvest rate management that have been used successfully in some regions but that other regions have not even considered.
  • Requires a National Academy of Sciences study of how Limited Access Privilege Programs (conveniently nicknamed “catch share” programs) in mixed-use fisheries could be improved to reduce user conflicts, and places a hold on implementing any new Limited Access Privilege Programs until the study’s results are public.
  • Revises the rebuilding timeline requirement to ensure the timeframes are based on the biology of a depleted fishery, not an arbitrary 10-year rebuilding timeline. Anyone who supports science-based management should prefer this approach.
  • Authorizes the use of multi-year and multi-species annual catch limits, which is simply a codification of recent updates to NOAA Fisheries guidelines.
  • Requires NOAA Fisheries to respond if a state, regional fishery management council or interstate marine fisheries commission objects to an exempted fishing permit providing more clarity to the approval process.
  • Requires a study of how third-party data, such as state-collected data through electronic reporting systems — e.g. iSnapper in Texas, La Creel in Louisiana, Tails ‘n Scales in Mississippi, Outdoor AL in Alabama and iAngler in Florida — could improve fisheries data. For many offshore fisheries, the federal program that estimates angler harvest — the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) — does not provide data at the level of accuracy or timeliness needed for basic management, much less in-season management of various fisheries.
  • Tells NOAA Fisheries to implement the recommendations of the recent National Academy of Sciences review of MRIP and to follow up on key questions raised in the report, for example whether/how management could be better adapted to align with available data.

The Modern Fish Act does NOT exempt recreational anglers from rules, regulations or laws. Anglers support science-based management which ensures the future of recreational fishing.

Science-based. Angler-focused. That’s the Modern Fish Act. And it’s time to get reel.

 Jeff Angers     

    

Habitat partners complete General Oglethorpe Reef

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Habitat partners complete General Oglethorpe Reef

CCA South Carolina and conservation partners splash first of three new reefs

 

Columbia, S.C. – Last week, Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), and the Building Conservation Trust (BCT) – CCA’s national habitat program – completed the first of three projects aimed at expanding and enhancing offshore reef habitat in the Palmetto State. The 106-foot decommissioned tugboat General Oglethorpe was deployed some 30 miles off the coast of Charleston in approximately 100 feet of water, creating vital new fisheries habitat and establishing additional recreational angling opportunities for fishermen.

 

“These projects represent an ever expanding vision for CCA SC concerning projects and partnerships that improve both fisheries habitat and recreational angling opportunities in South Carolina,” said Gary Keisler, CCA SC’s Topwater Action Campaign coordinator. “From nearshore efforts focusing on water quality and estuarine habitat to scientific studies and monitoring of offshore habitat, CCA SC and our partners are working to enhance our coastal resources.”

 

All three of the projects will be placed at the same general depth but at different locations along the coastline. Deep-water reefs of this nature will benefit species ranging from the snapper-grouper complex to highly migratory species, providing a wide abundance of fish and marine life and making it a true destination for recreational anglers. The next deployment will be off the coast of Georgetown with another 100-foot tug and is simply awaiting favorable weather conditions. Later in the year, a final project will take place with a deployment of similar material off the coast of Beaufort/Hilton Head. These projects represent an approximate $300,000 investment by the partners.

 

According to former crew members, the General Oglethorpe was originally commissioned on the Great Lakes as an ice breaker and was an active participant in the search for the famous Edmund Fitzgerald until called off the search due to weather conditions that evening. From there, the tug made its way to the West Coast and later to the East Coast where it continued to work on the Savannah River right up to the day the partners stepped in and purchased the vessel.

 

“These tugboats will make tremendous additions to our artificial reefs, creating productive habitat for fish and anglers, as well as interesting dive sites for divers,” said Bob Martore, SCDNR’s Artificial Reef Coordinator.  “We never would have been able to complete these projects without CCA SC’s assistance.  We’re looking forward to undertaking many more reef-building projects with CCA SC and BCT in the future.”

 

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