dakota560
01-05-2017, 11:03 AM
Tried researching the year fluke regulations were first adopted under the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). Couldn't find anything on line so wanted to ask the board to see who remembers when and what the initial regulations were. Believe it started in the early 80's at a 10 fish daily limit at 13 or 14 inches.
The 10 national standards defined by the MSA are mandated to:
- Achieve optimum yield and prevent overfishing
- Use best available scientific information
- Manage individual stocks as a unit
- Allocations must be fair and equitable, promote conservation and
prevent excessive shares
- Consider efficiency in utilization; not have economic allocation as sole
purpose
- Allow for variations and contingencies
- Minimize costs, avoid duplication
- Consider fishing communities to provide for their sustained participation
and to minimize adverse economic impacts
- Minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality
- Promote safety of human life at sea
http://www.asmfc.org/species/summer-flounder
http://www.fishingnj.org/netusa3.htm
If you look at the two attached links, it's unconscionable the increase in commercial fluke landings post the adoption of the MSA in 1976. And please someone tell me how this supports the number one standard as written by the governing body themselves which is Achieve optimum yield and prevent overfishing Bear in mind MSA was adopted in 1976. The average commercial harvest of fluke from the early 60's to mid 70's (pre MSA) appears to range around 3,000 - 3,500 metric tons. Post MSA from the mid 70's to late 80's it appears to range at ~12,000 metric toms or over 26,000,000 lbs a year. That's approximately a 300% increase overnight in commercial harvest! Keep in mind three things, this was after MSA was legislated, occurred simultaneous to recreational anglers for the first time ever being restricted with daily creel and size limits and these reported commercial harvest numbers are probably grossly understated when you factor in dead discard and black market catches. It wouldn't surprise me if the actual metric tonnage of fluke killed every year by commercial concerns is double what is actually reported. This was the beginning of the end, not the beginning of a management plan to sustain and protect the fishery and it's been all down hill since.
How these statistics ride under the radar screen year over year while we lose our public resource is really nothing short of criminal. There is no accountability at the highest level where these unilateral decisions are being made for the benefit of a few conglomerates and many politicians who are profiting at our collective expense.
Absolutely unbelievable. Before the MSA and regulation, summer flounder was a viable, healthy year in year out fishery which sustained itself. Since the adoption of MSA and the massive uptick of commercial landings, this fishery has been trending in the wrong direction and we're paying the dues of decisions being made for money and greed as opposed to efficient management of the resource.
The 10 national standards defined by the MSA are mandated to:
- Achieve optimum yield and prevent overfishing
- Use best available scientific information
- Manage individual stocks as a unit
- Allocations must be fair and equitable, promote conservation and
prevent excessive shares
- Consider efficiency in utilization; not have economic allocation as sole
purpose
- Allow for variations and contingencies
- Minimize costs, avoid duplication
- Consider fishing communities to provide for their sustained participation
and to minimize adverse economic impacts
- Minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality
- Promote safety of human life at sea
http://www.asmfc.org/species/summer-flounder
http://www.fishingnj.org/netusa3.htm
If you look at the two attached links, it's unconscionable the increase in commercial fluke landings post the adoption of the MSA in 1976. And please someone tell me how this supports the number one standard as written by the governing body themselves which is Achieve optimum yield and prevent overfishing Bear in mind MSA was adopted in 1976. The average commercial harvest of fluke from the early 60's to mid 70's (pre MSA) appears to range around 3,000 - 3,500 metric tons. Post MSA from the mid 70's to late 80's it appears to range at ~12,000 metric toms or over 26,000,000 lbs a year. That's approximately a 300% increase overnight in commercial harvest! Keep in mind three things, this was after MSA was legislated, occurred simultaneous to recreational anglers for the first time ever being restricted with daily creel and size limits and these reported commercial harvest numbers are probably grossly understated when you factor in dead discard and black market catches. It wouldn't surprise me if the actual metric tonnage of fluke killed every year by commercial concerns is double what is actually reported. This was the beginning of the end, not the beginning of a management plan to sustain and protect the fishery and it's been all down hill since.
How these statistics ride under the radar screen year over year while we lose our public resource is really nothing short of criminal. There is no accountability at the highest level where these unilateral decisions are being made for the benefit of a few conglomerates and many politicians who are profiting at our collective expense.
Absolutely unbelievable. Before the MSA and regulation, summer flounder was a viable, healthy year in year out fishery which sustained itself. Since the adoption of MSA and the massive uptick of commercial landings, this fishery has been trending in the wrong direction and we're paying the dues of decisions being made for money and greed as opposed to efficient management of the resource.