2013 Fluke Regulations Set

[Angler Paul]

The NJMFC voted unanimously in favor of a recreational fluke season that will begin on May 18th and end on September 16th, with a 17 1/2" size limit and a five fish bag limit. The groups I represented at the meeting supported a longer season or at least one that extended the season further into the fall. However, the vast majority of those who spoke favored the option that was chosen. However, there is still a little ray of hope that the season might be extended further. After all states have set their regulations, the ASMFC will review them. If they determine that the regulations are likely to result in a coastwide underage of the quota they may allow New Jersey and New York to liberalize their regulations somewhat. New Jersey and New York were the only two states who were forced to take a reduction due to overfishing their quotas last year. If the ASMFC does allow us to liberalize somewhat the NJMFC may do so by adding a few days to the end of our season. However, there was some concern by council members that doing so could cause us to exceed our quota. I pointed out that we are more likely to underfish our quota this year because there will be far less participation. This is due to all the marinas, boats and coastal homes that were damaged or lost due to Hurricane Sandy. If we are given the option to liberalize further, the NJMFC will consider doing so at their next meeting on May 2nd.
The NJBMF is still working on the sea bass options for this year. They are expected to be ready sometime in the near future. The regulations will then be set at the NJMFC meeting on May 2nd.

Paul Haertel