Fluke Regulation Update 2-1-17

[Angler Paul]

Fluke Regulation Update 2-1-17


I participated in a conference call hosted by DEP Commissioner Bob Martin today regarding what could happen regarding the fluke regulations. Most of the major groups were on this call and all agreed that we were going to fight the options that the MAFMC/ASMFC is trying to force upon us via Addendum XXIII. We are steadfastly saying we are going to maintain status quo and we are not compromising. We need all of our groups and individual fishermen to support that position despite what the consequences might be.
The Commissioner will be testifying on our behalf at the ASMFC meeting tomorrow, 2/2 beginning at 8 AM. He is requesting our support at the meeting so if any of you can make it, please do so. The meeting is in Alexandria, VA. Details are included in the link below. You may also listen in on this meeting via the webinar by visiting this site and registering under the "live streaming" section. http://www.asmfc.org/home/2017-winter-meeting
There is reasonable chance that representatives from other states will choose one of the options in the addendum. Each state or region would then have approximately two months to develop regulations that would comply with this mandate. Though NJ has already decided to go out of compliance, I don't believe that we could actually be found out of compliance until the deadline to enact regulations has passed. Then, I believe at the ASMFC meeting in May we could be found out of compliance and our state would probably be given a warning notice with 30 days to comply. If we fail to comply, it would then be sent to the Secretary of Commerce who would then have to show that our regulations were hurting the fishery and if so we could possibly be shut down or have the default measures enacted upon us. That would be 2 fish at 20" with a season of 7/1 - 8/31. However, all this would take time and there is also a chance the Secretary of Commerce could give a favorable ruling. If it goes this route, a decision will probably not be made until mid-summer. This is a big risk we are taking but we have now drawn a line in the sand. As the Commissioner stated, "Enough is enough". Please continue to contact your legislative representatives and ask for their support.

Paul Haertel - JCAA Past President

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks Paul. Things are certainly going to get interesting over the next few months and I think most would agree, it is risky but time we made a stand.

[dales529]

Regardless of the risk I really like the stand we are taking. About time we stop just accepting scraps and bad data! . If we are found out of compliance so be it. Then I hope the protests get louder and stronger until we get some real change to the system.

[hartattack]

. . . . If we are found out of compliance so be it. Then I hope the protests get louder and stronger until we get some real change to the system.

Here, here !! It looks like NJ will be standing alone tomorrow. I hope I am wrong. But given the silence I've received when posting about this on a NY fishing board, I am not optimistic.

When the other Atlantic States get one of the Draconian options and we get found out-of-compliance, the shtuff will really hit the fan. But getting deemed out-of-compliance and getting punished for being out-of-compliance may be 2 different things . . .

Go Bob Martin, you make us NJ anglers proud (& privileged) that you are leading the charge !!

[dakota560]

Paul thanks for the update! I give credit to the position NJMFC is taking as well as NJDEP Commissioner Martin. For twenty or thirty years we've all made significant sacrifices to rebuild the summer flounder biomass. That's been accomplished to the point NMFS declared it rebuilt 5 or 6 years ago. And today while the biomass still remains at historical highs, they want to enact regulations which will essentially close the fishery. We always clung to the hope that the cuts we made over all those years would result in a more promising future and a less regulated fishery. THAT HOPE IS GONE. Not only should regulations remain status quo, NMFS should be completely broken up and restructured based on their epic failure managing this extremely important resource. Bad science equates to no science and decisions are being made that impact business owners and all our rights to enjoy a public resource they don't own, just as our fathers, grand fathers and great grand fathers enjoyed it. I applaud all the elected officials who finally grew a set of balls to stand up for their convictions and turn their backs on political agendas. It's at a point where literally the recreational community in NJ has nothing to lose by being out of compliance because two or three fish at 19" is like the winter flounder fishery, it doesn't pay to cast the dock lines. The fishery will experience a down turn like it's never seen before. If we agree, we get either 2 or 3 fish in '17 at 19" with another cut planned in '18. If we reject, we get maybe 2 fish at 20" or a closure. Really what's the difference! As I said months ago it's time for a Tea Party if the people who oversee this resource continue to ignore the concerns of the people who are entitled to harvest and enjoy that resource and continue tightening the screws based on data that is questionable at best.

Not to mention what will be the residual impact on other species when people can't fish for fluke? Can you imagine what the striper fleet will look like in June! That'll be the next fishery to collapse.....again!

[Rocky]

If a business was managed as poorly as our fishery is being managed someone would be fired...plain and simple.

[dakota560]

If a business was managed as poorly as our fishery is being managed someone would be fired...plain and simple.

Rocky you hit the nail on the head. I'll take it one step further, everyone would be let go because they would have been forced to close their doors many years ago. There's an often used saying in business "Responsibility without authority" meaning someone being in a precarious position where they have responsibility for results but no authority to make decisions in that pursuit. NOAA / NMFS / ASMFC are just the opposite. "Authority without responsibility"! They have to a large degree ultimate authority but for 25 years or more have made decisions based on faulty data and in doing so mandated everyone else other than themselves to live with the consequences of those decisions. It's criminal how mismanaged this fishery has been over too many years.

[Capt. Lou]

Amen to that , they created a situation for rod n reel anglers that worsened due in part to our inaction & their flawed data that was being forced down our throat!
We stood by idly as year after year the fluke fishery was reduced & rod n reel anglers & anyone involved in this fishery took it on the chin .
Those people are paid by our taxes , yet they must be the most uniformed regulators in the world .
It seems they haven't a clue or care much about anglers so we now take a stand,we're cornered & have to fight to survive, how the hell did this all happen?
EASY NO ACTION by us the anglers for years , looks to be changing just in time!

[NoLimit]

Make Fluke Fishing Great Again - No fish over 18", 4 fish under. Also clamp down on the draggers and their by catch.