NOAA sets fluke reduction harvest for 2016:

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by 1captainron

The commercial size is 14 inches......
The 3 year study funded by SSFFF and done by Rutgers, proved that over 90% of 18 inch fish were female.
Unfortunately, all that data and hard work was tossed because it was an independent Study!! Now it is going to be done all over again "WITH" the blessing and credit going to you know who!

Funny, isn't in Ron? Here is a Federal Agency, NOAA with a 5 billion dollar budget with almost 1 billion dedicated to National Marine Fisheries Service and we need to pay for the research?

Not saying this isn't the right approach, but you'd think that a billion dollars would buy us the best science.

For those of you not in the loop, let me try and explain what is going on here.
- Our quotas for fluke are determined by the stock assessment studies done by the National Marine Fisheries Service branch of NOAA.
- We think the science behind these studies is flawed.
- NMFS agrees the science could be better but say they can't afford it.
- Last time around SSFFF paid for a study which indicated the science was flawed. They tried to present the study info at the NMFS meeting and were treated like outsiders because it was not "their" study.
- We've changed our tact to work on the inside now. Rather then do an independent study, we and others are giving them monies targeted to improve the science of their studies of stock assessments.

It's important to note that the SSFFF monies are going directly to science and not to buy political influence or favor. No one at the SSFFF is paid a salary or getting reimbursed for their expenses. It's a 100% volunteer organization 100% dedicated to the Fluke Fishery.

It's also important to note that there is no guarantee that the studies we are supporting will get us more favorable regulations. That is dependent on what the study findings are. So, this is not an exercise to try and get more quota. Rather, it's an exercise to get better science to assess the stocks which will lead to the proper quotas.

I hope you will all consider supporting the SSFFF and thanks to the generosity of everyone who supported our fund raising activities at the Christmas party, we will be sending the SSFFF a check for $870.

More funds are needed for the study so please visit www.ssfff.net to learn more and consider contributing to this important fund.

Thanks for listening to my long rant and lets muster all the support we can to support the SSFFF and the future of a healthy Fluke fishery for us and the generations to come.