August 26, 2010 – Last week, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) voted to increase the total allowable catch of summer flounder for 2011 to 33.95 million pounds.
While specific size, season and bag limits for recreational anglers won't be determined until sometime in November, the increase is obviously good news for the local fishing community and a sure sign that the stock is on its way to being rebuilt.
This positive development is due in part to the fact that when the Magnuson-Stevens Act was reauthorized by Congress in 2006, lawmakers from New Jersey and New York successfully fought to include a provision to extend the rebuilding timeframe for summer flounder by an additional three years. Initially, the deadline was 2010. It also showed that the fishery could be put on the path to recovery without shutting it down.
Read the complete story form The Asbury Park Press.