|
July 23, 2009
Commercial fisherman and watersports
enthusiasts clash on pound nets in Pamlico Sound
By SUSAN WEST
Eastern
Pamlico Sound doesn’t look congested, but disagreement over the
use of some parts of the estuary has erupted on Hatteras Island.
Commercial fisherman Todd Ballance planned to set flounder pound nets
in two locations off the southern end of the island, one off Sandy Bay
near Hatteras village and one offshore of Sunset Village in Frisco.
But some soundside property owners and recreational watercraft users
objected, saying Ballance’s fishing nets would impede boating,
kiteboarding, windsurfing, kayaking, and sport-fishing on the sound.
In the end, the Division of Marine Fisheries, the state agency in
charge of reviewing proposed pound net sites, decided against issuing
permits to Ballance.
The fisheries division can deny pound net permit applications when nets
would “interfere with public navigation or with existing,
traditional uses of the area,” according to state law.
Ballance said not getting the Sandy Bay permit was a disappointment,
but not completely unexpected since the area hadn’t been used by
pound netters in the past.
“But denial of the permit for the stand off Sunset Village really
stung. That area of the sound has been a pound net area
historically,” he said.
Pound nets have been a popular gear choice for generations of Outer
Banks fishermen. Ballance said his great-great grandfathers pound
netted in the waters surrounding Hatteras Island.
Set on stakes, or poles, the nets are designed to remain in place for
the duration of the fishing season. The southern flounder season
usually starts around September, and runs about three months.
The gear takes its name from the pound, or enclosure, that traps
fish. Fishermen use hand-held dip nets to scoop the fish from the
net into their boats, releasing unwanted fish back into the
sound.
Fisheries managers give pound nets high marks in the protection of fish and other marine animals.
“Pound nets are very environmentally-friendly and are a great way
to harvest fish in the sound,” agreed Joe Thompson, developer of
the Sunset Village housing neighborhood in Frisco.
But Thompson said he and the Sunset Village Homeowners Association
objected to the pound net proposed offshore of Sunset Village because
the net would interfere with navigation out of the marina at the
development.
However, Ballance said the pound net would not impact boaters motoring
from the marina to the navigable deep-water channel in the sound.
“Boaters would have to turn out of the path to the channel and
they’d run aground before they’d come to the pound
net,” he explained.
Thompson acknowledged that he did not know exactly how the pound net stand would have lined up with the channel.
He said the permitting process used by the Division of Marine Fisheries
could be improved so that more information was easily accessible to the
public.
“Without being provided information showing that it
wouldn’t impact boating and watersports, my concerns and those of
the homeowners association are warranted,” he said.
In a letter to the state fisheries agency, the Sunset Village
Homeowners Association wrote that the net would impede recreational use
of the sound, such as kiteboarding and windsurfing, and reduce vacation
rentals and property values in the development.
Ballance said the net would have been located more than one-half mile
offshore and would not have occupied much territory, leaving plenty of
room for mobile watersports enthusiasts.
Although he does not believe denial of the permit was justified, Ballance decided not to appeal the decision.
“Petitioning and asking for a hearing could be a lengthy process that would run into the fishing season,” he said.
Instead, he applied for a permit to expand another pound net stand near the vicinity of Cape Channel.
As of last week, the state had received fewer than a handful of public
comments on that application, all supporting the proposed extension.
|
|
  |
|
|
