Fluke Regs - Get Involved

[Gerry Zagorski]

Lots of lively discussion about the potential upcoming Fluke regs in HartAttacks post below... I wrote a response in that thread but thought I'd put it here as well since it's such an important discussion... We can't just wake up suddenly a few weeks before the regs are decided and try to make a stand. This fight is not a sprint, it's a marathon and we need to be involved constantly...

This is how Tom got involved.......

Like many people involved in this fight, Tom is a tireless voice for the interests of recreational fishing... Not just the fishermen but for the overall health of the fishery. There are those outside our recreational fishing community that think we're just a bunch of neanderthals who want to kill everything that swims. Nothing could be further then the truth... I think I speak for most that our first concern is not about how many fish we can take, it's about our responsibility to protect and sustain the fishery so that we and future generations can enjoy this great sport of ours.

Just thinking back a few years ago when he attended one of the Galloway meetings... I watched as Tom's head practically exploded when he saw the data presented. The Fluke fishery was on a downward spiral and there was a direct correlation with the regulations... Each year the size of fish we could keep was increased forcing us to target the larger fish we needed for reproduction and the stocks decreased. Tom was on to something here and after many late night discussions on how best to boil down and present this information, we got him plugged into others who were involved...

I've always contended you're either part of the problem or part of the solution... Apathy is the enemy here as many feel helpless and wonder to themselves what can I do about it so they do nothing.

Point here is I don't care who you are, you can get involved... Not everyone has the analytical skills like Tom, I sure don't but there are other ways to use what you do have.... It could be volunteering your time, writing a letter, attending a meeting or a march or you can financially support the groups that support your interests.... What you shouldn't do is roll over because if you do, they've won.

There's 2 ways to fight, politically and scientifically... We need to change the laws which govern our fisheries and the science used to manage them and we've made some great strides in each area... On the political side the recent passage of the The Modern Fishing Act. On the Science side the Size/Sex study which gives us the information needed to manage the resource with better science.

We still have a long way to go but none of this would have been possible without the individual and collective efforts of every day people like you and me who got involved and refused to roll over.

If you're interested in helping the fight on political side stop by the RFA booth 3/15 - 3/17 at the Saltwater Fishing show in Edison or visit https://www.joinrfa.org/

On the Science side please visit http://www.ssfff.org/

Or get plugged into a fishing group like http://www.jcaa.org/ who will also be at the Edison show.

This quote from Edward Everett Hale sums it up “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

Please consider getting and staying involved!!

[hartattack]

The 7-March NJ Marine Fisheries Council is at the Stafford Twp. Municipal Building, 260 East Bay Avenue, Manahawkin, NJ 08050. They will discuss the guidelines that MAFMC proposed Last week (Status Quo) and hopefully propose/vote on the NJ 2019 regs - would be nice to see a good turnout on 7-March (5pm start time sucks, in-person only meeting)

Here is agenda for 7-March NJ meeting: https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/pdf/2019/minutes/mfc_agenda03-07-19.pdf

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks Larry - Here’s a chance for people to get informed and or involved...

I remember this time last year when people on our NJ Council decided enough was enough and finally took a stand. You could argue the ultimate success of that stand but it was a stand none the less and the powers to be were put on notice that we here in NJ were just got to roll over...

[dakota560]

Gerry thanks for the kind words. My involvment or contribution would be zero if not for your guidance and the many people you introduced me to. Dales529 (Dave) has become a great friend and mentor helping me understand protocols, process. legislation and basically how all this works. I've graduated Intro, still need to learn Intermediate and Advanced but eventually will. I thank you both for your friendship and help. It's been an education and eye opening process. Gerry introduced me to some very talented and dedicated people from both RFA and SSFFF and through other means I've been fortunate to meet other dedicated and concerned individuals affiliated or having connections with commercial, for hire, party boat as well as of course the recreational community. There's many many more to meet. We all float with the tide on this one meaning if the overall fishery improves which I very much believe it can, we all benefit. If it doesn't, we all suffer together which would be an unnecessary and unfortunate outcome for everyone. It's that simple.

This is in many ways a David and Goliath scenario but remember David won. Patience in this case isn't a convenience, it's a necessity even though many are working diligently in a "time is of the essence" mode. Government / regulators move at their own pace so we'll deal wlth that pace....that's fine. We need to keep getting the word out, raise awareness of the problems holding the fishery back and try unifying different interested parties in the process......not an easy task by any stretch and something many have been working on for years. That's where I hope / believe the analysis I've put together providing a different view / interpretation of NMFS's / ASMFC's own data can help us work towards a different approach to the management ideologies toward this fishery. Not for the benefit of any individual group but for the benfit of every interested group. I believe we can get SSB over 100,000 metric tons over the next 5-7 years (highest level since published numbers dating back to 1982) if we learn from the data which already exists and implement regulations which have already driven SSB to record levels ranging from 600% - 900% growth over a 13-yr period between 1989 and 2002. 57th SAW says it 600%, 66th SAW based on different reference points says it ~900%. Either represents significant growth. What that says is the regulations in place then worked so NMFS continued employing them but in the process overlooked a key metric resulting in unexpected and undesirable consequences which has to be corrected.

Personally I'd love nothing more than to revert back closer to the catch quotas, size and possession limits and regulations in general governing both commercial and recreational during those years. Possession limits were much higher, size limits much lower, quotas significantly higher for both commercial and recreational and SSB exploded higher. It all hinges on proteting the spawn, egg production or Recruitment (R) as NMFS refers to it and reversing that trend is the key. Size regulations post 1999 / 2000 have killed recruitment, an unintentional consequence by NMFS intended to manage catch which destroyed the spawning biomass. The data is there to support it, it's not hard to understand if you present it properly. The two questions still to be answered. First are we willing to acknowledge what the data is telling us regardless of past legislation and second will we finally acknowledge a law adopted 43-yrs ago (MSA) is preventing regulatory changes necessary to improve the health of the fishery from being adopted. Proposing the same legislation year over year which resulted in failed results we've said in past is the definition of insanity. Allowing a law put on the books 43 years ago to impede decisions we know have to prospectively be made based on 35-yrs of data to manage this fishery back to health raises that definition of insanity. If the answer to those two questions is yes, we can start the process of rebuilding. If the answer is no, the negative trend to SSB which started in 2003 and the negative trend with egg production which started earlier will continue indefinitely which benefits no one.

[shrimpman steve]

Dave does a tireless and thankless job. We all should thanks him for the hours he has put into keeping our hobby alive.

Tom and Gerry. You guys as well.

Thanks for all you do

[AndyS]

"Too many people involved and everyone has their own agenda. You are correct, the Chair not having any idea of the spawn timeframe and her answer involving no study ever done determining the impact of commercial netting on the efficacy of the spawn is essentially negligence and completely irresponsible. Dr Mark Terceiro's (Supervisor: Research Fishery Biologist for NOAA) comment disputing the 80 - 90% decrease in recruitment statistics which per his own admission are his own numbers was even more frustrating"

[dakota560]

Dave does a tireless and thankless job. We all should thanks him for the hours he has put into keeping our hobby alive.

Tom and Gerry. You guys as well.

Thanks for all you do

Steve....truer words have never been spoken regarding Dave and Gerry. Both have full time businesses to deal with, same issues we all have in life to attend to and still find time to give of themselves freely to help save a resource and rights we have to enjoy that resource they believe in. God knows their efforts and the efforts of all aren't for personal gain or recognition, it's about respect for the fishery, our rights to enjoy it, the businesses that depend on it and it's availablity for future generations as it is for us today. Would hate to see these fisheries disappear more than some already have and all of us not enjoy the same opportunities we have today and in past.

Good post Steve!

[Rocky]

Here is agenda for 7-March NJ meeting: https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/pdf/2019/minutes/mfc_agenda03-07-19.pdf

I checked out the agenda schedule and didn't see anything about fluke mentioned, did I miss something?

[dakota560]

Rocky I believe 6, 7 and possibly even 8 will address fluke, sea bass and scup.

[Capt Sal]

It is a thankless job but i for one would like to thank him for donating his time and effort.One of the problems i see is that the "average recreational fishermen'' are misinformed. It is great that for hire people and avid fishermen are involved going to meetings and donating money to organizations like the RFA. The problem is we need ''every '' recreational fisherman on board.When i ran a charter boat i would talk about this with my customers. One of the main things they were misinformed about is the New Jersey Division Of Fish And Game does not have the authority to set the bag limits or lenght of seasons. They have to pick from what NOAA gives us. Read more and go on the links provided here on this site.

[Angler Paul]

The 7-March NJ Marine Fisheries Council is at the Stafford Twp. Municipal Building, 260 East Bay Avenue, Manahawkin, NJ 08050. They will discuss the guidelines that MAFMC proposed Last week (Status Quo) and hopefully propose/vote on the NJ 2019 regs - would be nice to see a good turnout on 7-March (5pm start time sucks, in-person only meeting)

Here is agenda for 7-March NJ meeting: https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/pdf/2019/minutes/mfc_agenda03-07-19.pdf


I don't expect the NJMFC to set regulations at their meeting on March 7th. The ASMFC and MAFMC will have a joint meeting and set the specifications for fluke on 3/6. Therefore, our state will not have the ability to create options until after that meeting. Most likely there will be an advisors meeting for both fluke and sea bass sometime after the 6th and then the NJMFC will probably have a special meeting to set the fluke and sea bass regs in late March or early April. Paul Haertel - JCAA Board Member

[Sullivan]

Thanks guy's , would like to go when it counts , I know someone will post it .