April 16, 2013 — New Jersey’s summer flounder season is set to end Sept. 16 this year, but the state still has a chance to get unused quota from states not using their full share and thus extend the season.
“There is still hope,” said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a compact of East Coast states that regulates migratory fish, has proposed an addendum to the summer flounder plan that allows states to give unused quota to states that need it. New Jersey and New York, which both overfished their 2012 quota and face reductions, both need it. The commission is making the proposal partly to help New Jersey and New York.
New Jersey was given a quota of 1,090,407 flounder last year, but anglers caught 1,153,975 fish. While many argue about the veracity of recreational angler surveys used to come up with this catch data, those are the numbers the commission is going by.
The New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council was told to come up with regulations this year to reduce the harvest about 10 percent, and the council, at a meeting in March, voted to reduce the season by 25 days.
Last year, the season ran from May 5 to Sept. 28, and this year it is set to run from May 18 to Sept. 16. Fluke anglers, and the businesses that rely on them, typically want the season to include both Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. New Jersey did not change the bag limit of five fish per day and the minimum fish size of 17.5 inches.
With damages from Hurricane Sandy affecting marinas, bait & tackle shops, and other shore businesses, some are concerned about losing a big chunk of the flounder season.
Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City