Reason I'll be the first to admit I've never read or heard anything along the lines of your post. Please provide source. And I'm including in that all the material I've read from Winter Flounder Stock Assessments. The Winter Flounder fishery is broken into three separate regions, I initially posted two erroneously. There's Gulf of Maine (GOM), Georges Banks stock and our stock referred to as Southern New England / Mid-Atlantic or SNEMA and not one publication I've read mentions anything along the lines of what your post suggests. Like I said, please post your source.

Playing devil's advocate, if what you say is true why did the fishery thrive for years? There is an east / west or inshore / offshore migration which has been happening for decades if not centuries, not sure where you heard there's no migration. The fishery was over-harvested by commercials in the early 80's killing SSB and destroying recruitment. Look at the statistics. If the fishery is as sensitive as you suggest, why are commercials still allowed to essentially exclusively harvest it in the condition it's in? SSB down over 90%, egg production down even more and commercial harvest is still allowed.............why? Still allowed when recreational for all practical purposes was shut down in 2010 with the 2-fish possession limit.

This fishery like so many others when commercial pressure wasn't where it's at today and ex-vessel prices weren't close to where they are today thrived EVERY YEAR. This is a classic case of over-harvest by commercial operations of a resource and destroying the reproductive strength of the fishery in the process. No magic, no smoke and mirrors, this is failed fisheries management 101. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. In my opinion the group responsible for the decimation of the stock shouldn't be the only group still benefiting from it......why do you think that is? That's a question everyone would like the Council to answer. Almost 40 years ago SSB and R tanked, bottom fell out and in 2017 the powers to be are still trying to understand why. This is as tragic a story regarding the flaws in the current process as you could provide. In my opinion, the fishery should be shut down for as long as it takes until SSB and recruitment numbers return to where they were in the 70's and early 80's and the stock is considered stable. As my position has been all along, every one should have access to the resource but no one groups interest should be at the expense of all others. Well commercial harvest and fisheries mismanagement cost recreational anglers this resource no matter how you read the tea leaves.

When's the last time anyone went on a party boat for winter flounder? How many party boats today sail for winter flounder? It's probably sometime in the early 2000's. We're headed in exactly the same direction for exactly the same reasons with summer flounder and it's entirely because the fishery is being managed for commerce and not for the health of the fishery and all related interested parties. 1% of the '13 winter flounder harvest was recreational and 99% commercial. How is legislation passed where that is even remotely possible. That just brought the definition of "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" to an entirely new level.

Recreational and commercial need to come together for every fishery to survive in today's world of growing demand. If the above allocation of winter flounder is the definition of coming together then recreational anglers should figure out how to go out of compliance and shut the entire fishery down for commercial as well if that's what it's going to take for us to have a voice. I've seen too many fisheries in my life lost to mismanagement, greed, illicit fishing practices and failed political oversight to last a lifetime. Don't want to see two more added to that list. If this is the corner recreational anglers, party boats and for hire operators are being backed into, shut the fishery down until we have a seat at the table and a voice which is recognized.