Article by Marty Gary
It’s All Good
Having been fortunate enough to spend many summers growing up at my family’s North Ocean City home from the time I was 12, I have my share of memories of good fishing in Ocean City. But as good as any of those memories have been, I don’t know if I can recall a past June that has been as good as this one.
Inshore, stripers have been good from the Rt. 50 Bridge and the South Jetty. Summer flounder keepers have been turning up for the inshore charters and private boats, especially in the south bay down by the airport to Frontier Town. The head boats continue to make impressive catches of Atlantic cod, along with black sea bass and tautog on the offshore reefs and wrecks. Biologists from Massachusetts and NOAA continue to work with Captain Monty Hawkins to document the unusual summer catches of cod, including tag mark and recapture information.
Offshore, the pelagic fishery continues to see great action at the canyons for yellowfin tuna, with several blue marlin and a few whites reported as well. Further in at the Chicken Bone, Hambone and along the 20 fathom line, bluefin catches have been decent. Our biologists report that over 90 bluefin had been checked in (see below for landings requirements) during the time frame May 1 through June 5th. By comparison, only 4 had been checked in for the same time frame last year.
Sharks, particularly blue, hammerheads and some makos are turning up at the Fingers and the Sausages.
Overall, June of 2011 should go down as one of the very best in years.
Tuna Time
The shift of attention for offshore anglers is now focusing on tuna. This coming weekend marks the first big tournament for tuna. The Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s Association (MSSA) will be holding their 22nd Annual Tunament Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Weigh-ins will be held at Sunset Marina, along with Chincoteague and Wachapreague, VA. Look for the tuna bite to remain solid leading up to the 24th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament, July 15-17, with weigh-ins at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
All owners/operators of vessels fishing recreationally for and/or retaining regulated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (Atlantic tunas, sharks, swordfish and billfish) in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, must obtain an Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit. Similar to Atlantic tunas permits, 2011 Atlantic HMS permits cost $20.00 and will be valid from the date of issuance through December 31, 2011. Please remember that Maryland vessel owners should report their recreational bluefin tuna, blue marlin, white marlin, roundscale spearfish, sailfish, and swordfish landings at a state-operated reporting station.
Anglers are responsible for completing a catch card when they return to port for each ABT or billfish on board their vessel. A tag is provided for each completed catch card and the angler is required to place this tag around the tail of the fish before removing it from the vessel. Trailered boats cannot be pulled from the water until the tag is in place.
Nine marinas qualify as Recreational ABT/Billfish Reporting Stations. Marinas distribute and collect catch cards, issue tags, and return leftover supplies to MD DNR at the conclusion of the fishing season. In addition to the marinas, an after hours kiosk is available at the MD DNR field office. Anglers that use the kiosk are expected to complete the catch card and the attached receipt, which replaces the tag. The catch card is to be deposited into the locked box at the kiosk. Participating marina’s include: Ake Marine, Bahia Marina, Fishermen’s Marina, Sunset Marina, Ocean City Fishing Center, Ocean Pines Marina, Pines Point Marina, White Marlin Marina, Talbot Street Pier and Marina and the MD DNR Natural Resources Boat House in West Ocean City next to the Martin Fish Company.
Get Ready for Radford
You’ve been hearing about it for a couple of years. Now it looks like the time is fast approaching for the sinking of the largest vessel for an artificial reef on the Atlantic Coast, and second largest in North American waters. The USS Radford at 573 feet in length will be second in size only to the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier placed off Pensacola, Florida in 2006. The placement of the Radford as an artificial reef off the Delmarva Peninsula will create a giant three-dimensional structure, which will provide habitat for fish and myriad other marine fauna. The location of the final resting place of the Radford is the Deljerseyland reef site. Named because it is located relatively equidistant from the ports of Ocean City, Maryland, Indian River, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey. The reef site sits approximately 30 nautical miles from each of these ports in 130 feet of water near the existing wreck of the Moonstone. When the vessel goes down, it will provide 70 feet of vertical relief off the ocean floor.
The prospects are promising for drawing a mix of fish species ranging from those with strong affinities for structure such as tautog, black sea bass, cunner and triggerfish to apex predators such as tuna and sharks. The sinking of the Radford also represents an effort to demonstrate that large vessels can be prepared and reefed inexpensively and expeditiously. In contrast to other mega vessels like the Hoyt Vandenbergh, which took over 10 years of preparation at a price tag of over $10 million dollars, or the Oriskany, which took years to address environmental remediation at a cost of nearly $19 million dollars, the Radford will have taken just two years to prepare, at a cost of $800,000. The reefing of the Radford is a joint venture between the states of Delaware (lead on the project), New Jersey and Maryland along with the US Navy. Delaware maintains the permit for the deepwater site. The exact date has not been announced, but it appears to be lining up to be just a few weeks away. Reefing the vessel in the middle of the summer will provide great exposure to the project and an opportunity for many folks to see the reefing exercise (assuming good weather).
On a personal note, I was taught to dive on wrecks off Maryland’s coast, and I look forward to being able to be among the first to dive the Radford when she goes down. I’ll have an update each week as we get closer to the reefing, but be prepared for a once in a lifetime event this summer.
Questions From Coastal Fishermen Readers?
I welcome any questions you may have on fisheries management, sport fishing licenses, or any other fisheries related questions. Please email your questions to:
[email protected]
Until next week…….good fishing!
Marty Gary is Assistant Director/Fisheries Ecologist at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Service.
