This Thursday03/07 NJMFC Meeting in Manahawkin

[dales529]

Let me start by saying that I NEVER would discourage anyone from attending a meeting. Having said that IF you are going to this meeting to make public comment or hear about 2019 Summer Flounder / Seabass options this meeting may be a disappointment . Its too early in the process for those discussions and I would hate to see you take the time and energy out only to be frustrated.
They may discuss the monitoring committee recommendations but I wouldnt expect much more than that.

The meeting most interesting to us this week is the joint MAMFC and ASMFC meeting Wednesday 03/06 and Thursday 03/07 in Alexandria VA.

http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/3/2019...-Sea-Bass/1354

This is where the Summer Flounder/ Seabass potential options for 2019 and future WILL be discussed and i encourage you to join the webinar/ phone conference and listen IN.

IF the ASMFC votes for status quo rec measures, then the NJ Council may take action to finalize NJ measures also as status quo, possibly moving around a day or two around weekends, but the changes would be very limited in scope. If any liberalization is allowed, then NJ will likely schedule another meeting to discuss these options in April or early May . Will keep you posted.



Just trying to maximize your time and involvement in the right direction and again NOT discouraging anyone from going to Thursdays NJ meeting which will inform you of how the process works but will be focused more on commercial Tog and Menhaden as well as better tagging methodology to better track landings. Just dont expect a lot of recreational regulation discussions.
Thanks

[CadiShackFishing]

Thanks for the info Dave.

[dales529]

Ok in this ever evolving process I edited my original post to include just in updated news below:

If the ASMFC votes for status quo rec measures, then the NJ Council may take action to finalize NJ measures also as status quo, possibly moving around a day or two around weekends, but the changes would be very limited in scope. If any liberalization is allowed, then NJ will likely schedule another meeting to discuss these options in April or early May . Will keep you posted.

This means IF on Wednesday 03/06 ASMFC votes for status quo measures than the above applies and NJ MAY take action at Thursdays NJ Manahawkin Meeting
so its up to YOU after Wednesday to decide to go or not.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by dales529

Ok in this ever evolving process I edited my original post to include just in updated news below:

If the ASMFC votes for status quo rec measures, then the NJ Council may take action to finalize NJ measures also as status quo, possibly moving around a day or two around weekends, but the changes would be very limited in scope. If any liberalization is allowed, then NJ will likely schedule another meeting to discuss these options in April or early May . Will keep you posted.

This means IF on Wednesday 03/06 ASMFC votes for status quo measures than the above applies and NJ MAY take action at Thursdays NJ Manahawkin Meeting
so its up to YOU after Wednesday to decide to go or not.

Maybe they can do better managing our resource by doing Rock, Paper, Scissors or, just flipping a coin.

[hartattack]

Dakota Tom's comments last week to MAFMC are now part of the documentation if you follow the link that Dales provided above:
" . . Some of the public expressed concern regarding the recent low recruitment levels for summer flounder and asked questions regarding how this relates to spawning stock biomass (SSB) trends and management regulations over the time series.
* One public speaker felt that despite regulations that now set harvest levels at a lower percentage of SSB than seen in the past, biomass is still declining and recruitment is still low. He went on to offer his feeling that the increased size limits and the corresponding increased harvest of larger females has harmed recruitment, and needs to be addressed.
• A question was asked regarding whether studies have been done on the impact of commercial fishing on spawning fish aggregations especially given that they appear to be increasingly concentrated in the northern region. The speaker felt that measures to protect fall/winter spawning aggregations of summer flounder should be considered.
• One individual asked what happened to the liberalization in the recreational fishery that was expected as the result of the interim 2019 RHLs increasing over the 2018 RHL. Staff noted that while the 2019 RHL is proposed to increase, revisions to the MRIP data increased the recreational catch estimates in a way that used up all of the increase in the RHL, which is why the MC is recommending status quo measures for 2019.
https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...2019_final.pdf

And then Tom presents this info to ASFMC last Friday: https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...1-19_final.pdf
" . .
• One member of the public commented on the trends over time in the stock assessment for recruitment and spawning stock biomass, specifically trends in recruitment (R) relative to Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB). He noted that he would assume that when spawning stock biomass increases, relative R should increase with it. From 1982 through the early 2000s, R was reasonably high compared to SSB. Since 2003 when SSB started decline, R as a percentage of SSB has declined at a greater rate. He believes this is the biggest issue underlying this fishery. In addition, he commented that size regulations appeared to work up through 2003 until reaching a point where the larger size limits and started taking more larger females out of the population. SSB appeared to have drastically increased during a period of time when catch levels relative to SSB were higher and when more of the fish harvested were immature. Now, the fisheries are taking larger females with larger egg capacity and recruitment relative to SSB has been sliding. Managers need to adjust size limits and get back to regulations that were in place between 1989 and 2003. Size limits play a major role in the fishery's current recruitment problem.
• Another member of the public expressed concern about the high recreational discard rates and questioned what he is supposed to tell the children on his boats when they have to throw back most summer flounder they catch.

Although the NJMFC meeting on 7-March is in-person only, please dial into the 6-March ASMFC meeting that will dictate what NJ will be facing in 2019. It is great that Tom's input is now Public Record, hopefully it does not fall on deaf ears on Thurs in Virginia. Here is the link --> http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/march2019