OCEAN CITY -- Numerous fishing licenses, faulty data statistics and restrictive limits are a few problems some local fishermen claim to have with how the Maryland Department of Natural Resources regulates fishing.
At the Ocean City Fishing Center, charter fishermen said the fishing regulations imposed by DNR have made it difficult for them to make a living. Mark Radcliffe, captain of the charter boat Fish Bonz, said he has to purchase about three permits a year --two of which he said did not exist when he first started his business 20 years ago.
One of the permits is the highly migratory species permit, which allows fishermen to catch species like tuna, billfish and sharks. The other permit is for fishing wahoo and dolphin. The highly migratory species permits costs $20, while the wahoo and dolphin permit costs $25 for one fishery and $10 for each additional permit, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Radcliffe is not too irritated with the prices of the permits but he said the number of permits and the regulations are a nuisance.
One example he gave was fishing for bluefish tuna. A highly migratory species permit allows charter fishermen to catch and keep two bluefish tuna a day. The first fish has to be 27-47 inches in length, and the other 47-73 inches, he said. Radcliffe does not understand why there are such restrictions on bluefin tuna; he said the population is overregulated. In addition, he said when the bluefin tuna migrate, fishermen from European countries collect tuna in much bigger numbers than in the U.S.
Another issue charter fishermen have with regulations is the requirement to keep a fishing log. Recording a fishing log is mandated by state and federal law for saltwater inshore fishing -- three miles off the coast -- and by federal law for fishing in international waters, which is greater than three miles offshore, Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association Atlantic Coast Chapter President Frank Watkins said.
Radcliffe said he has to fill out a log every day.
"To do that on a daily basis is a real major pain," he said.
The logs are meant to keep track of fish populations, but Samurai charter boat Capt. Jeremy Blunt said the system is flawed because not every captain keeps up-to-date logs. He also said there is no scientific method involved with tracking fish population numbers so the data from fishing logs tends to be off.
Watkins said the new system of keeping logs and identifying fishermen using federal identification numbers is not foolproof, but it is much better than previous methods used by DNR and federal agencies.
One of Blunt's deckhands, Brian Behe, said the government agencies do not have fishermen's best interest in mind.
"It's not about the regulations. It's about the money," Behe said.
Despite the claims from fishermen, DNR fisheries biologist Martin Gary said the purposes of the regulations and the fishing permits are often confused.
Gary, who has worked for DNR since the 1980s, said certain fish populations are fairing well, but it was not the same case years ago. Fish species like American shad, hickory shad and yellow perch were so low in numbers, a moratorium was put in place, which meant people could fish for them but were not allowed to keep them.
Today, these fish species, in addition to the blue crab and striped bass, are coming back in greater numbers, he said.
When things in the fishing community are not ideal, Gary said the blame often goes on DNR.
Gary said the revenue from licenses goes into two funds that support several projects. The money made from saltwater licenses is deposited into the Fisheries Research and Development fund. For freshwater licenses, the fund is called the Fisheries Management and Protection fund.
Funds stock assessment, biological studies, hatcheries, fish clinics, fishery marketing and employee wages, Gary said.
The money can also help with new projects, such as creating more docks and boat launches for saltwater fishing, which the lack thereof, Gary said, is still a big problem.
Gary said the people who complain about where their money goes have not done their research or talked to any leadership officials. A newly formatted report will be released by the DNR Sports Fishery Advisory Commission on July 17, Gary said.
MSSA Atlantic Chapter President Frank Watkins said fishing licenses help in some ways. The licenses, including the recently introduced recreational fishing pass, are a way to keep track of how many people are fishing in Maryland waters, he said. Money also funds the Marine Police, which Watkins said helps fight poaching.
"Fishers who realize the purpose of what licenses are used for would realize licensing is a good thing," he said.
Recreational fishers said they have some problems with Maryland fishing regulations but not as many.
Robert Slayter of Millsboro has fished from the Harry W. Kelley Bridge for more than 45 years. It was not until two years ago that he was required to have a permit to fish from that location. Since he is from out of state, Slayter has to pay $22.50 a year for the permit. He was not surprised about the recent requirement, but he feels sorry for people visiting Maryland who now have to pay to fish recreationally off the bridges and from the shores.
Slayter said he is also displeased with the changing flounder size limit, which he said changes nearly every year. The current size limit for summer flounder is 17 inches.
"Some consistency would be nice," he said.
Gary said the flounder size limit is not within DNR's control. The size limit is determined by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which controls flounder catch limits and sizes for several states along the East Coast.
Another recreational fisher, Mike Majermik of Ocean City, takes issue with having to buy and carry two fishing licenses: one for Delaware and the other for Maryland. The price of the Maryland license does not bother him, but he said it is a pain to purchase two licenses each year.
The ASMFC gives Maryland the smallest catch quota at 3 percent so DNR has to make sure the requirements are enforced. Exceeding this quota results in penalties, which can include a shortened season, a lower minimal size or a smaller catch limit, Gary said. Also, 60 percent of the quota is given to commercial fishing and 40 percent to recreational.
