public comment on winter flounder

[joshpio]

http://www.app.com/article/20130311/...nclick_check=1

Read this today and wanted to share.

[Capt Sal]

Sad!Growing up on Raritan Bay the spring flounder started off our season.March we would start flounder fishing on my charter boat and then switch to stripers later in the spring.At two fish there is no interest.Losing 15 to 20 flounder trips puts a hurting on the for hire boats.Weakfish limits are worst.There goes another forty charter trips.Do the math?Tough to make a living with these limits!If it weren't for stripers i don't think we would have any charter boats left in the Sandy Hook or Raritan Bay area.All the Party Boats target other speices early spring.I don't like change but this is what we have to live with.

[coltsfan61]

My nightmare is retiring in 15 years, and seeing charters and party boats advertiseing fishing for bergals in the summer and eel and dogfish in the winter. Commercial fishing should be only limited to hook line and sinker! This would save a lot of the potential breeders, and with a close season during the breeding season would help a lot too.

[tautog]

No lack of flounder around, just a lack of sensible limits. Mid June to mid July, a partyboat could catch 200 flounder averaging 2 3/4lbs in the deep with a good bycatch of ling if they were allowed to.

[mako28]

Originally Posted by tautog

No lack of flounder around, just a lack of sensible limits. Mid June to mid July, a partyboat could catch 200 flounder averaging 2 3/4lbs in the deep with a good bycatch of ling if they were allowed to.

110% correct, the cost vs. reward isn't worth it. So when all these beauties round the hook, the draggers mop them up. Not to mention the unlit ones in the bay at night.