CDollar's Wild Chesapeake
My waterfowl season ended with an audible whimper, but apparently there are big doings that potentially could impact next year’s duck and goose season. Lawmakers in the General Assembly are considering a bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by state Senators Sarah Elfreth and Jack Bailey who sit on opposite sides of the aisle, that would allow Sunday bird hunting with some parameters built-in.
It’s a fairly complex bill, so what’s in it? For starters, it includes a modest license fee increase for resident and non-residents, the first in more than thirty years, that could help increase hunter opportunities and ramp-up efforts to bring new hunters into the fold as well as retain existing hunters. True, the bump only raises $2.2M for the state’s Wildlife and Heritage Service, but that number would be matched by federal funds at three-to-one. Even I, a galactically challenge numbers guy, can figure out that’s more than $6M in ‘free’ money. Who doesn’t like more money, especially for natural resources?
There are other things in the bill, but the headliner is that it finally allows Sunday hunting for waterfowl. Oddly enough, this concept has been stuck for years here in the Free State, which is strange given that the Chesapeake is a storied waterfowl hunting region. (Blue laws anyone? Try telling people you can’t buy booze on Sundays. You’d have riots in the streets.) The vast majority of the country has moved into the 21st century on this. Last month, the Virginia legislature passed a Sunday hunting bill, and only Maine and Massachusetts have total bans on Sunday hunting.
The sport’s top organizations, including Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation as well as the Maryland Sportsmen’s Foundation support the bill, and oddly enough so does the Humane Society of the United States. (Shakespeare nailed it - Politics do indeed make strange bedfellows!) I recall a survey from a couple years back that showed about three-quarters of Maryland waterfowl hunters surveyed wanted the opportunity to hunt waterfowl on Sunday.
On the other side are guides and outfitters as well as some private landowners/lessees. Apparently, they oppose it because they believe the birds need a day of rest. My guess is that some waterfront landowners are also not in favor of a Sunday hunting option because of the noise, and the anti-hunting crowd too, well, for obvious reasons. These are chiefly reasonable objections, ones I don't happen to share, however. There is opt-out language in the bill if residents in a particular county don’t want Sunday hunting.
Political handicappers tell me Sunday waterfowl hunting may finally cross the finish line but could use a public bump of support before the Senate committee vote. As a public lands guy, Count me in as a supporter. It’s time.
Coastal Board to Punts on Commercial Striper Quota Transfer Decision
I tried, I really did, to come up with a lucid response to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) decision earlier this month to delay voting on whether or not to allow the transfer of commercial rockfish quota between states. I came up empty. I simply couldn’t follow the logic.
After all, most members of the Commission’s striper board strongly back the coastwide striper rebuilding plan, known as Amendment 7. Scientifically, we know sticking to the plan gives us the best chance to return the striper stock to health within the estimated seven- to ten-year rebuilding timeframe. True, there are key variables beyond our control, but one main point isn’t, and that’s maintaining current fishing mortality at its current level. The Board knows this, and in far greater depth than I, so I can only conclude they still want to see the numbers play out. Why, I couldn’t tell you.
We also know without a doubt that the angling public overwhelming supports stronger striper conversation measures. Thousands of people and scores of fishing groups – diehard custodians of this irreplaceable public resources – flat out told the ASMFC this was a bad idea. Not reason enough for you? It is particularly notable that the only state with usable quota to give – North Carolina – also voted against the addendum. What’s left to decide? A head scratcher, indeed.
Perhaps only cod has a longer history than stripers of politics influencing policy, and not always for the good. From where I sit, we missed a golden opportunity to regain some of the sport fishing community’s faith in the fishery management process. At the May meeting, the ASMFC has another shot at getting it right. Fingers crossed.
Parts of Wild Chesapeake blogs have been previously published in print newspapers and magazines. 2023 copyright Chris D. Dollar.