Black Sea Bass

[Ttmako]

As you all know, NJ is now in our own region with approx. 30% of the quota.
Despite the SSB being 240% of the threshold, "managers" feel the need to further constrain the harvest. As a result, the 2018 NY quota has been reduced.
Last night, over 200 fisherman showed up at the NYDEC meeting to strongly object to 2018 BSB quota reduction.
They are appealing the quota reduction, and rightfully so. Its a very similar approach to what NJ did last year with Fluke.
As far as I can tell, the appeal is based on the distribution of the quota, not the poor MRIP data used to calculate the 2018 RHL.
If NY is granted the appeal, the quota will need to come from somewhere.
My fear is that somewhere will be the newly created NJ region.
Its really a shame what the managers are doing to this fishery. There is no reason to restrict NJ or NY fisherman. It is not conservation oriented to have a 15" minimum BSB, due to the number of discards required to actually catch a limit of BSB.
By dividing up the quota into smaller pieces, managers are able to shift recreational anglers focus away from the underlying cause of our regulatory issues, MRIP and make us fight our neighboring state over a poorly constructed allocation.
I hope NY wins their appeal, but the focus needs to be on MRIP and not splitting the overall quota. The overall quota needs to be increased!

Thoughts?

[Slip It In]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPGsRGzA3rQ


Big thank you to Jim.

[dakota560]

All I can say is thank the good lord we have intelligent articulate people like Jim Hutchinson Jr representing us and fighting on our behalf. The level of incompetency in this battle is staggering. It all comes down to power, money and special interest groups. Jim big thank you for your time and efforts!

[Joey Dah Fish]

TT is spot on and thanks for the info. I’ve been watching this closely it will be interesting to watch. What will be even more important is what will happen next season to NJ.

[Ttmako]

Stay tuned
This is going to get very interesting.
NY anglers are fighting with everything they have. Our problem will be is they don't care where the allocation comes from.
If NJ anglers sleep and let the quota come from us, we will have the same issue that happened in the fall of 2017. When Fluke closes and tautog isn't open, we will have nothing to fish for.
Party boats and charter boats beware. WE are about to get screwed.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Things are not adding up here. This fishery according to their data is 230% rebuilt yet they won't liberalize the regs?? Time to take these guys to task. Like Hutch said, we've suffered through rebuilding the stocks by taking away days, increasing size limits and decreasing bags limits and now that it's rebuilt we don't get any relief?

Good to see an angry NY mob taking them to task and calling people out. Lets hope their voices are loud enough to overcome the environmental groups who would rather we don't fish at all.

[Detour66]

Let's hope the new administration in Washington jumps in and supports us like they have promised. It would be a welcome change!

[dales529]

Just when you think they cant find another way to screw recreational fishermen they come up with something else. NJ better stand our ground and NOT give up any quota. I fully support what NY is doing and hope the appeal/ suits whatever comes is successful. Having said that NY, RI and CT didnt have our backs last year when we fought. We won our own region and just saying we shouldnt have to give any of our quota away. Granted said quota is yet to be established:eek:

[Joey Dah Fish]

It is my understanding that Wilbur Ross attended a meeting much to the dismay of those opposed to the modern Fishing act. Ohhhhh something is going on

[bolt]

right on !!

[Scrubby]

Just when you think they cant find another way to screw recreational fishermen they come up with something else. NJ better stand our ground and NOT give up any quota. I fully support what NY is doing and hope the appeal/ suits whatever comes is successful. Having said that NY, RI and CT didnt have our backs last year when we fought. We won our own region and just saying we shouldnt have to give any of our quota away. Granted said quota is yet to be established:eek:

Absolutely.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Might be wishful thinking on my part but I think Federal Fisheries Management has been put on notice here in NJ as a direct result of last years Fluke battle. It might not have had the outcome we all wanted in terms of length of season, but it let them know we weren't going to stand down and accept what they offered.

Glad we all stood up for ourselves and hope NY does the same. Only way to change the system is to continually challenge it.

If they're called on the carpet again by forcing quota cut backs on a fishery that's 230% rebuilt, that's going to be some pretty shaky ground to stand on.

[pectoralfin]

The following are excerpts from correspondence I had with NMFS regarding black sea bass

Based on the 2016 benchmark stock assessment, which has data through 2015,
the population reached its peak in 2015 and is expected to decline as the large 2011 year class begins to decline and exit the fishery. So the overall population, particularly the spawning population, is expected to decline from 2017 to 2018. When we set the overall quotas, we assume the target/maximum fishing mortality rate will take place and we get an associated harvest allowed. As the population declines, the associated harvest then needs to decline as well or we will, over the long run, end up removing too many fish from the population.

The recreational harvest limit in 2017 was 4.29 million pounds and the recreational harvest limit in 2018 will be 3.66 million pounds.

These follow the same pattern as the commercial quotas and are slightly higher because the overall allowable black sea bass harvest is split 49% commercial and 51% recreational.