Fluke Regs this year

[Billfish715]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

This will never work... Although the commercials have dates when they can start fishing, their season ends not on a date, it's when what they've weighed in meets their quota. So say an example they meet their quota on 8/1... Now the the party and charter boat guys have to stop fishing on 8/1 because the commercial quota is filled??

That and what are you going to do to figure out what the party and charter boats catch to add to what the commercials catch? Are you going to force them to weigh their catch when they come back in each day like the commercials have to??

Unless I'm missing something here, your suggestion makes no sense at all!!

Don't be too quick to dismiss the idea. There are six commercial "seasons" of approximately two month each. Seldom has a season been closed so prematurely as to severely affect the number of days on the water. Once the season is closed, there is always the provision for by-catch and then the anticipated opening for the next season which is usually a short time afterwards.

Ask the "for hire" captains if they would like to fish throughout the year for fluke. Ask if they would mind reporting their catches online or if their customers would like to take home some smaller fluke. Other states have regulations that require their commercial fishermen to report their catches. The striiped bass fishery in the states south of us is regulated to include hook and line fishermen who are considered commercial fishermen.

It seems to me that the people who are being hurt the most in all of the recreational regulatory management plans are the party and charter boat captains. They have more skin in the game than those of us who fish only a few days or less per week on our own boats. Their needs should be considered more urgently than the rest of us. They should be in a different category. Maybe they should be able to share the seasonal allotments differently than they do now. Their total catch affects our total catch quotas and none of our combined quotas affects the commercial draggers limits.

Give the small charter businessmen a better shot at making a living. Think outside the box. Don't be too quick to say that it doesn't make sense. True, it does have to be "fleshed out" but they stand the most to lose by maintaining the status quo. In fact, they are already losing. When you think about it, the fact that the party boats and small charters are lumped in with the rest of the recreational fishermen means that the "recs" are actually helping to over fish our seasonal quotas and visa versa. Perhaps it's time for the party and charter boats to have their own seasons and limits.

Consider it. A captain whose livelihood depends on fishing and catching should be given a voice and it should be heard. My idea might be a bit radical to some but I haven't heard it discussed before. I think it's an option that has some merit.