NOAA is both right and wrong about Fluke - NJFishing.com Your Best Online Source for Fishing Information in New Jersey

gnuisance · #1 07-09-2017, 07:14 PM

This will be unpopular here but it's time to face facts. This fluke year is very very poor. Too poor to be lumped in with other years that weren't that great. Is it possible that there will be a big push of bait after this moon or the deeper water temps will jump and turn on a good bite - maybe, but even that wouldn't salvage our season at this point. The season is basically halfway over. I've been out at least twice a week and have 5 keepers. I'm no fluke jesus but I'm not a noob either. I've been bouncing jigs, dragging bait. Have fished killies, squid, spearing, gulp, strip baits and some other things.

If you want to tell me I suck and that's why I'm not catching then please by all means go ahead. I was catching pretty easy 5 fish limits at this time last year in all the same spots.

So here is how NOAA is both right and wrong. They are right that the biomass is hurting and overfishing is occurring. They are wrong about how to manage the fishery in general. If we can get a consensus on both of these things and get some proper management then maybe this fishery can be saved. If not, it's going the way of other fisheries here in NJ that were woefully mismanaged.

I welcome your thoughts, insults and criticisms

Rich · #2 07-09-2017, 07:49 PM

No argument here. Been Fluke fishing for at least 50 years, this is by far the worst season I have ever seen. Been out with a buddy at least 5 times in the Keyport, Keansburg areas, only 2 keepers between us for all the trips, even short Fluke were not around. Did not see any other boats out there catching either. Commerical nets are killing off everything.

Sullivan · #3 07-09-2017, 07:51 PM

I agree , season sucks and I think everyone knows . Management has got to get better and I think it will . It is what it is , a bad year , and only a bad year , better fishing is ahead .

skate king · #4 07-09-2017, 07:59 PM

I enjoy reading the posts here but rarely respond but yours intrigued me. Mainly because you welcomed comments and criticism. Your last sentence was the reason I want to respond. I don't think fishing has been the same since Sandy. But I also strongly believe our current regs make little sense. When we do catch a keeper fluke it will most likely be a female breeder. But the biggest harm, in my opinion, is protecting dogfish and conger eels. Two very prolific and bottom feeding species. How many fish eggs and young fish do they destroy? Add in the bait fish and a lot if unfavorable fishing conditions and it adds up to poor fishing. I often wonder if the people that make our regulations have ever been on a boat much less ever fished. I also welcome any comments and/or criticism.

NoLimit · #5 07-09-2017, 08:30 PM

We sure as hell pay enough in taxes - why can't we get a PhD to determine fluke mortality...and then act on it. It sure as hell is not the 100 keepers recreational fisherman per day

Grady2 · #6 07-09-2017, 09:16 PM

I have to agree with skate on almost everything this year is the worst for me and my crew. Fluke fishing sucks this year. I've only been seriously fluke fishing for 5 years and have done very well in years past things aren't the same my buddy blames all south winds turning up cold water others blame draggers in the bay.what ever it may be we have to figure it out because this is not good.We need a NFA national fishing association.I enjoy reading and rarely respond because i can't work the computer to well and can't figure how to take my name off my post but i don't care anymore i said my piece.I hope everyone does better in the second half.

laketrout · #7 07-09-2017, 10:10 PM

I have been fluke fishing for 40 years. There is little doubt in my mind the commercial draggers wiped out the local population over the winter. Very little at all..

Don't believe me? Maybe your one that thinks the ling and whiting are still in demise due to recreational fishing also. The solution is real easy. Hold the commercials liable and account for their goddam bycatch....

gnuisance · #8 07-09-2017, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laketrout

I have been fluke fishing for 40 years. There is little doubt in my mind the commercial draggers wiped out the local population over the winter. Very little at all..

Don't believe me? Maybe your one that thinks the ling and whiting are still in demise due to recreational fishing also. The solution is real easy. Hold the commercials liable and account for their goddam bycatch....

How do we do that?

#9 07-10-2017, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnuisance

How do we do that?

Not that long ago there wasn't a winter off shore fluke fishery. Now these fish are harvested by commercials year round and worse if you've read any of my previous posts it coincides with the primary fluke spawning season. These fish are pounded when they're concentrated in large schools during their offshore migration. Does anyone here believe the commercial guys cast their lines, steam 50 - 100 miles off shore and keep the smaller fluke which could fetch 40 - 50% less in value back at the docks? The larger females are targeted, smaller fluke tossed back dead and God only knows what impact this has on the spawn and survival rates of eggs. For starters, NMFS should close the season until this fishery is figured out. It's closed to recreational anglers, close it from September to at minimum the end of November to commercial dragging if not longer.

FMP needs to address the significantly higher prices larger fluke fetch wholesale. If all fluke were valued the same at the docks, hygrading at sea would effectively be eliminated since the economic benefit no longer exists.

There's a reason everyone is complaining about this fluke seasons, NMFS regulations have annihilated the female population of this stock. Reproduction has been obliterated. There is no right to how NOAA / NMFS is managing this fishery. If the biomass exploded exponentially between 1989 and 2002 by 600% when catch averaged more than 50% every year of SSB, why is it tanking today when annual catch has been reduced to ~15% of SSB? And why at that same time when recreational anglers were allowed 8 fish at 14 inches was the stock flourishing? By default, we were harvesting less breeders and recruitmentt numbers were significantly higher. The data is there for everyone to see. it's being ignored because of politics.

There's no good ending to this story as long as NMFS maintains their current ideology of managing catch through size increases. The fishery using that management philosophy is doomed.

Capt. Debbie · #10 07-10-2017, 09:54 AM

GOOD POINT.

Why can't they track catches of Commercial guys and publicly post results? We can see tear to yea, month to month, state to state if they are having a banner year, or screwed like us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich

No argument here. Been Fluke fishing for at least 50 years, this is by far the worst season I have ever seen. Been out with a buddy at least 5 times in the Keyport, Keansburg areas, only 2 keepers between us for all the trips, even short Fluke were not around. Did not see any other boats out there catching either. Commerical nets are killing off everything.