Petition to Change Summer Flounder Regulations

Started an on-line petition using Change.org to send a message to Washington that the current regulations in place intended to safeguard and grow the stock are in fact based on their own data causing the stock to decline substantially. If we want this fishery to survive and be available to future generations as its been to us, I'd ask every Member of this site along with Sponsors to please take a minute to sign. The link is as follows:

https://chng.it/JVwdktvr

As previously mentioned, I'll have a document ready to send in about a week to Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce with copy to NOAA, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, all state members of the Commission and Council as well as State and Congressional Representatives associated with the shore based districts for states of the Mid-Atlantic and New England Regions who share in this fishery and have the most to lose if this fishery continues it's decline.

The current regulations are killing this fishery. Size minimums went too far causing substantial declines in the spawning stock population, mature female population, recruitment statistics accompanied by levels of discard mortality never before seen. We're harvesting the wrong age classes, killing younger age classes in the process and without changes to the regulations this fishery will in fact continue declining.

If donations to groups fighting to preserve access rights and protect this extremely important fishery isn't your thing, I can understand that. I'm asking everyone to take 5 minutes of your time to sign an on-line petition which can be sent to Washington and our elected officials to demonstrate our resolve and send a clear and unequivocal message voicing our concerns about how this fishery is being managed and the immediate need to change todays regulations back to the regulations in place in the nineties that promoted unprecedented growth in this stock.

I appreciate your understanding and support in advance. We need to get the word out and get as many people as possible to sign this petition. We're at the time of year when 2022 regulations will be discussed and decided on so now is the time to act. To sign, simply click on the above link and go to the bottom of the page and fill in reason for signing and then hit post. Example of reason for posting can be "Population has declined by over 70 million fish in a ten year span due to the current regulations. We're harvesting exclusively fish comprising the spawning stock, killing younger age class fish in the process, killing a disproportionate number of females causing a 50% decline in the female population which in turn has decimated yearly recruitment". Or simply" Fisheries management replaced regulations which promoted the most explosive growth in the fishery during the nineties with higher recreational size minimums causing the stock to decline every year over the last decade." NMFS replaced regulations which worked with regulation that don't, they need to change otherwise there will continue to be catastrophic social and economic consequences to small businesses, the commercial and recreational sectors, the fishery itself and the economies of shore based communities as well as the many businesses dependent on the health of this stock.

Gerry I'd appreciate it if you pin this to the top of the saltwater forum. It needs everyone's immediate attention.

[tjd24]

Done

[Skolmann]

Signed & shared

[Quin T Rex]

Done

Gentlemen,

Thanks for those who have signed and for those who've posted they signed on this thread. Would like a hundred more signatures by end of day and thousands of signatures within a few weeks to send a message to Washington. Truthfully with the amount of people engaged in this fishery and businesses dependent on it's health, the number of signatures should be substantial.

I'm not doing this for my health, I'm doing it because I care about this fishery and all fisheries and have seen too many disappear in my lifetime. I care about the small businesses dependent on the survival of these fisheries, the sponsors here who depend on the same health to support their livelihoods and I care about the commercial sector that carves a living, a very difficult living, from the seas resources. I want my kids and their children to experience the same pleasure fishing for fluke I experienced with my parents and family growing up.

I'm asking everyone to sign not just for this stock but all stocks and to demonstrate we can be unified in our efforts and have a common voice. We all said, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" and I believed it then and still do today. Time to show it by taking 5 minutes to sign the petition. Between this, the analysis I've spent four years of my life developing which is headed to Washington and efforts by organization like RFA, we have a honest chance in my opinion to contribute to and influence policy decisions for the good of the fishery and everyone involved. Please don't take that opportunity for granted, we're better than that and the fishery and all it's constituents deserve better than that.

If people belong to other fishing clubs, send them my post and link. Talk to your friends and ask them to join NJF and show their support by signing. Post the link on other web sites if necessary.
Gerry and Dave, I'd ask each of you to get RFA on board. If every member from RFA and NJF signed, imagine how many names would be on the petition. Politicians and the management of this fishery would be hard pressed not to listen and acknowledge the current regulations are harming the fishery. This isn't just for recreational anglers or commercial operators, this is a situation where if one loses, we all lose. The stock lost 70 million fish between 2010 and 2017 based on the latest stock assessment. 50% or more than 36 million mature females were removed from the fishery over the same time frame. If the regulations governing this fishery don't change by promoting or causing changes in harvest composition, bolstering recruitment levels and reducing absurd levels of discard mortality, this fishery will disappear. We can collectively prevent that and NOW is the time to act.

[dales529]

Done

[krob8979]

Done

Thanks to everyone who has already signed the online petition. Just changed the name of the link to something more in line with the cause.

https://www.change.org/SafeguardSummerFlounder

The new link or original link posted will both take you to the same online petition.

In a few short hours, we've managed over 60 signatures with a lot more work to do. The biggest contribution all of us can make at this time is getting the word out and letting people know there's a platform available to voice their displeasure and concerns with the management of this fishery which will only take a few minutes of time to sign.

The analysis has been done, the problems facing the fishery are documented and indisputable and what's needed most is your voice to deliver the message. Every one on this site has the ability to contribute to changes we've long been asking for to nurse this fishery back to health and insure it's future. Please take advantage of that opportunity before further regulatory decisions are made at the expense of the fishery.

[hartattack]

Done, thx Tom

[Jim C]

Done