Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski
I think it would be great if people were allowed to keep 1 slot Fluke say between 16 and 18. Problem is the way that would get figured into our regs. I would think plugging a slot fish into their calculations would increase assumed landings against our quota which would likely lead to a shorter season.
As for me and I think most, we want the longest season possible so we have the ability to fish as many days as possible.
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Problem is with the current regulations and options on the table, the recreational sector is boxed in. Introduction of a slot, the recreational sector is penalized for additional landings with no consideration given to the benefits associated with harvesting proportionately more males than females, positive impact of lower discard mortality rates a slot would insure and most importantly the positive impact it will have on annual recruitment levels. Additionally, the Committee and Counsel has to come to grips with the commercial sector harvesting during the spawn. If you extend the season, even by only three days, the sector will be penalized for increased fishing effort. Don't think for a second that won't be factored into the 2022 regulations.
I also believe that 10% to 20% of anglers fill a vast majority of the recreational harvest quota. A large majority of recreational anglers, especially party boat patrons and shore based anglers, I'd venture to bet would prefer a slot and be able to take home a meal after spending $200 to $300 for a day of fishing only to go home with an empty cooler as opposed to an extended season.
Until fisheries management starts taking into consideration gender composition of the annual harvest (precisely what SSFFF was trying to accomplish), this fishery will continue it's decline. There's no reason whatsoever to think otherwise. Managing a fishery simply by cutting catch and not addressing the devastating 20 year decline in recruitment levels is no different than trying to manage a business with a revenue problem by cutting costs every year. It's not a long-term strategy to remediate this fishery.
If they introduced a slot for the striper fishery, there's absolutely no reason why they can't introduce a slot for the fluke fishery for exactly the same reasons. Protect young of the year, harvest select age groups with a more proportionate gender composition while providing protection for the breeders. Not a difficult concept to understand, one common sense should tell you without the need for science. It's politics and a separate agenda that's driving this fishery, not the data.
