December 13th, 2016 — Before I get into any recent fishing catches, I want to cover some very distressing news concerning next year’s fluke regulations. To say that the reports I have gotten are negative is being kind.
NOAA Fisheries has announced that their flounder assessment from last summer shows the summer flounder population is declining, and anglers are catching too many fish.
To address this problem, the federal government is proposing a 30 percent reduction from catch limits already determined for 2017, and then the next year another 16 percent reduction from current 2018 allocations.
According to predictions from “The Fisherman” magazine, the result of this could very possibly be something like a two-fish per day daily catch limit, a 19-inch minimum keeper size, and a three month long season during the summer months. I told you that you would not like this news!
The only positive thing that I can tell you is that these cuts have not yet been made, but are in the works. According to “The Fisherman,” there are a couple of things that we as concerned anglers can do.
First, we can send a note to NOAA Fisheries expressing our opposition to these cuts. Try to keep your comments within the bounds of polite discourse, and be sure to include your contact information.