Fluke and Sea Bass Regs to be Set 0n 3/3

[Angler Paul]

JCAA Alert - Fluke and Sea Bass Regulations to be Set

The NJMFC will be meeting at 4PM on Thursday, March 3rd at the Galloway Township Public Library, 306 E Jimmie Leeds Rd, Galloway, NJ 08205. The regulations for fluke and sea bass are expected to be set at this meeting. Though public comment will be accepted, it appears that there will only be one regulatory option offered for each species. The NJ Bureau of Marine Fisheries worked hard to develop various options. They were tweaked a little at the advisors meeting and the end result was that a clear majority of advisors supported the following options.
Fluke – 5 fish at 18” with a season beginning on 5/21 and ending on 9/25 except for Delaware Bay where there will be a 4 fish limit at 17” and at Island Beach State Park where there will be a 2 fish limit at 16”.
Sea Bass – 10 fish at 12.5” from 5/23-6/19, 2 fish at 12.5” from 7/1-8/31 and 15 fish at 13” from 10/22-12/31.
Striped Bass – An overview of the 2015 fishery will be given but the regulations, including those for the bonus bass program are expected to remain the same.

Paul Haertel – JCAA board member, Past President

Paul thanks for posting this information and keeping the site up to date. What exactly is the logic behind a 2 fish fluke limit at IBSP at 16"? Are creel and size limits eventually going to be determined based on area codes. It's absolutely ridiculous. And the sea bass proposal compared to 2015 in the spring represents a 33.3% reduction in catch limit and almost a 20% reduction in days the season is opened before dropping down to a 2 fish limit thru 10/22. That's the time of year when most recreational fisherman have an honest chance of catching these fish without having to run 60 miles off shore on a party boat in the fall / winter. I never saw more sea bass in my life than last year and some of the schools we marked were staggering. I'm all for conservation BUT whoever it is that sets these regulations is absolutely out of their minds. As I've said before and hate to take the thread south, we will self impose regulations on our boat until the governing bodies making these regulations are representing the interests of the recreational fishing community. I understand commercial interests are equally important involving a public resource but the recreational community continues to get screwed to subsidize the fishery for everyone else's benefit. Time for another tea party. At this rate sea bass will be down to a 5 fish limit by next year. And with all the talk about harvesting less larger breeder fluke and allowing a smaller slot fish or two for the every day angler to keep for dinner, it stays at 5 at 18". Good to see it'll be another year where all the 17 3/4 inch fluke we release we can buy a few weeks later at Kings for 14.99 / lb. And that's after spending a few hundred dollars every trip releasing them to begin with. BS!

[SaltLife1980]

How are they going screw us this year. . .

[Angler Paul]

Dakota, I don't have the time to discuss all the points you made but the 2 fish at 16" was designed as a "shore enhanced fishing opportunity". The logic behind it is that it is much more difficult for people fishing from shore to catch an 18" fluke. The 16" size limit gives families, kids and less experiences anglers a chance to bring a fluke home to eat. The trade off is that they are only allowed to keep tow fish though.
The sea bass situation is a disaster. The real problem is that the MAFMC and ASMFC set quotas that are far too low considering all the sea bass that are out there. The hands of our Bureau of Marine Fisheries and the NJ Marine Fisheries Council are tied by these quotas. They do the best they can to develop the best regulations they can under the circumstances.

[tautog]

I have my Costco sized vaseline jar for the regulation announcement.

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by CCMPmonmouth

"shore enhanced fishing opportunity"? You mean" Revnue enhancement fishing opportunity" for NJ State Park!

Who is you? This is just information passed on.I think it is a great idea to allow families to bring home a few fish. Not everyone can afford to bring the whole family on a party boat. State parks in New Jersey give people an opportunity to fish and hunt.

[Jay]

It's a damn shame only 10 Seabass.

[bunker dunker]

no worries!!! I always fish with my two bestest friend,Dex Russell and Russ
Sharpener.just enjoy the seasons

[dales529]

Originally Posted by Angler Paul

Dakota, I don't have the time to discuss all the points you made but the 2 fish at 16" was designed as a "shore enhanced fishing opportunity". The logic behind it is that it is much more difficult for people fishing from shore to catch an 18" fluke. The 16" size limit gives families, kids and less experiences anglers a chance to bring a fluke home to eat. The trade off is that they are only allowed to keep tow fish though.
The sea bass situation is a disaster. The real problem is that the MAFMC and ASMFC set quotas that are far too low considering all the sea bass that are out there. The hands of our Bureau of Marine Fisheries and the NJ Marine Fisheries Council are tied by these quotas. They do the best they can to develop the best regulations they can under the circumstances.

Well said Paul. We ALL have to remember no matter how hard all the groups fight for better regulations too often our hands are tied by the poor data which leads to quotas being set below the reality bar. Thanks for your input and hopefully one day Magnuson will finally get revised.

[CCMPmonmouth]

Originally Posted by Capt Sal

Who is you? This is just information passed on.I think it is a great idea to allow families to bring home a few fish. Not everyone can afford to bring the whole family on a party boat. State parks in New Jersey give people an opportunity to fish and hunt.

Why just where the state gets $ 10 to park or $200.00 to ride on beach Hmmm.Why not anywhere from shore?