Synopsis of the North Carolina Marine Recreational Fishing Forum (7th). Improving Engagement with the Recreational Fishing Community. Held on April 21, 2012.

摘要

The original North Carolina Marine Recreational Fishing Forum, initiated by North Carolina Sea Grant (www.ncseagrant.org) and held annually from 1992 to 1997, was considered by many stakeholders to be an excellent mechanism to engage the recreational fishing community on pressing issues through a facilitated discussion outside of the regulatory arena. Reconvening the Forum this year will support outreach and information activities for recreational fisheries data collection programs, but even more, will provide an additional venue for communicating information on some of today's pressing issues and for garnering engagement and gathering input from the marine recreational fishing community. On April 21, 2012, North Carolina Sea Grant reestablished a Marine Recreational Fishing Forum held on the campus of North Carolina State University (McKimmon Center) in Raleigh. Sea Grant had hosted an annual forum series from 1992 to 1997. Like those sessions, the 2012 meeting was designed to engage the recreational fishing community on current issues through a facilitated discussion outside of the regulatory arena. Sixty-five people (including speakers) pre-registered for the event and 43 individuals made their way to Raleigh that Saturday. Topics discussed ranged from protected species issues, to the status of marine debris along the central coast. But, most of the discussion was directed at the topic of recreational data collection in North Carolina. The forum hosted nine presenters representing NC State, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF), the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. North Carolina House Representative Tom Murry (District 41) summarized the outcomes of the N.C. General Assemblys Marine Fisheries Study Committee.