Saving Seafood

Feds threaten shutdown of N.J. fishery as showdown escalates

June 2, 2017 — Call it the Great Flounder War of 2017.

A simmering battle between New Jersey recreational fisherman and the federal agency governing fishing along the Atlantic Coast has now escalated — with potentially disastrous consequences for the fishermen.

In a teleconference on Thursday morning, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) officially found New Jersey to be out of compliance with federal regulations. The decision follows months of wrangling between the two sides, casting shadow over the opening of summer flounder (sometimes called fluke) fishing season.

The matter is now headed to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross for a final decision. If Ross agrees with the recommendation, both recreational and commercial fluke fishing could end up banned altogether in the Garden State.

The clash began in February, when the ASMFC announced stricter rules for fishing fluke coast-wide in order to address overfishing worries. The ASMFC called for a a 19-inch minimum on fishes caught, with a three fish limit per trip over a 128-day season.

New Jersey’s Marine Fisheries Council immediately pushed back and created its own rules as a compromise: a shorter fishing season (104 days from May 25 to Sept. 5 — 24 fewer days than were allowed in 2016), but an 18-inch minimum.

Read the full story at NJ.com

ISFMP Policy Board & Business Session Schedule June 1 Conference Call to Consider a Noncompliance Recommendation

May 26, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Policy (ISFMP) Board and Business Session will meet via conference call on Thursday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m. to consider a recommendation from the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) to find New Jersey out of compliance regarding the state’s 2017 summer flounder recreational measures.  

On May 22, the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board considered New Jersey’s Conservation Equivalency Proposal for 2017 summer flounder recreational measures. The Board found the proposal’s measures were not conservationally-equivalent to Addendum XXVIII’s measures. As a result, the Board recommended to the ISFMP Policy Board that New Jersey be found out of compliance for not fully and effectively implementing and enforcing the measures of Addendum XXVIII.  The ISFMP Policy Board will consider this recommendation on June 1.  If the Policy Board agrees with the recommendation, the Business Session will meet immediately following the Policy Board, on the same call, to consider any recommendations from the ISFMP Policy Board.

Addendum XXVIII, approved by the Board in February 2017, requires a one‐inch increase in size limit and a reduction in possession limits to no more than four fish to constrain coastwide harvest to the 2017 recreational harvest limit (RHL). These measures are broadly applied across all states to reduce harvest and provide for more coastwide consistency in regulations. The measures approved in the Addendum seek to achieve the 2017 RHL.

The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (888.394.8197; passcode 499811) and view the webinar using the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8790318770047891969. The meeting agenda and materials are available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ISFMPpolicyBoardMaterials_June2017.pdf.

Time permitting, there will be a limited opportunity to provide comments at the end of the agenda. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. We ask the public and other nonparticipating attendees to please mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Board’s deliberations.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.         

New Jersey’s flounder season starts Thursday with 18-inch limit

May 26, 2017 — The state’s summer flounder season will begin Thursday as scheduled despite an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission board motion Monday to not accept New Jersey’s new rules.

Recreational anglers in state waters will get to keep up to three summer flounder per day that meet the 18-inch minimum-length requirement. The season will run through Sept. 5.

The state Marine Fisheries Council last week adopted the regulations, which they believe achieve the conservation equivalency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service requested.

“We are going forward with the regulations, because we strongly believe that we have passed regulations that meet the conservation equivalency of the Commission’s proposed quota limits,” state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said Wednesday.

Last year, anglers in the state were allowed to keep five fish at 18 inches in the ocean and four fish at 17 inches in the bay.

In February, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved reductions that would have limited New Jersey recreational fishermen to three fish at 19 inches in the ocean and three at 18 inches in the Delaware Bay.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

NEW JERSEY: The rules to know for the 2017 fluke & sea bass seasons

May 23, 2017 — After an offseason filled with heated public debate, it’s time for the summer flounder fishing season to actually begin.

At an emergency session last Wednesday the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council made its recommendation for this year’s regulations, which were approved the following day by Bob Martin, N.J. Department of Environmental Protection commissioner.

The season starts Thursday. The regulations are as follows:

For all N.J. coastal waters

  • 18-inch minimum size limit
  • 3-fish possession limit
  • Open season May 25 – Sept. 5

Delaware Bay and tributaries

  • 17-inch minimum size limit
  • 3-fish possession limit
  • Open season May 25 – Sept. 5

Island Beach State Park (shore fishing only)

  • 16-inch minimum size limit
  • 2-fish possession limit
  • Open season May 25 – Sept. 5

On Friday fishermen can also target black sea bass season. It will be another season of starts and stops. The regulations are as follows:

  • 10-fish possession limit, 12.5-inch minimum size limit, May 26 – June 18
  • 2-fish possession limit, 12.5-inch minimum size limit,  July 1 – Aug. 31
  • 15 fish possession limit, 12.5-inch minimum size limit, Oct. 22 – Dec. 31   

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

N.J.’s summer flounder regulations rejected by fishery commission

May 23, 2017 — Four days before New Jersey was set to open its recreational summer flounder season, a regional fisheries management board did not approve the state’s regulations, which were adopted by emergency action last Thursday.

However, it appears fishermen will still be able to fish on opening day, according to state spokespeople, as the issue gets worked out.

Toni Kerns, the director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s summer flounder interstate fisheries management plan, said the regulations would not meet the harvest reductions voted on by the commission.

In February the commission voted for a nearly 30-percent reduction in the total coastwide harvest of summer flounder from Massachusetts to North Carolina.

To meet the reduction the commission voted on an option that would give New Jersey’s recreational summer flounder fishery a 19-inch size limit, a three-fish bag limit and a 128 day season.

The state put forth a compromise on an 18-inch fish size limit, three-fish bag limit and a shortened season from May 25 to Sept. 5. The state’s Marine Fisheries Council adopted that regulation last week.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board Schedules Conference Call to Consider New Jersey Conservation-Equivalency Proposal for the 2017 Summer Flounder Recreational Fishery

May 18, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board will meet via conference call on Monday, May 22 at 12:30 p.m. to review the Technical Committee’s report on New Jersey’s 2017 summer flounder recreational fishery proposal and consider final action on New Jersey’s measures.

 The Board tasked the Technical Committee with reviewing the technical merits of the New Jersey’s proposal in meeting both the objectives of the proposal and the objectives of Addendum XXVIII. Addendum XXVIII, approved by the Board in February 2017, requires a one‐inch increase in size limit and a reduction in possession limits to no more than four fish to constrain coastwide harvest to the 2017 recreational harvest limit (RHL). These measures are broadly applied across all states to reduce harvest and provide for more coastwide consistency in regulations. The measures approved in the Addendum seek to achieve the 2017 RHL.

The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (888.394.8197; passcode 815277) and view the webinar using the following link – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/499991200830679809.

The meeting agenda and materials are available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFLScBSB_BoardConfCallMaterials_May22_2017.pdf.  

The Technical Committee report on New Jersey’s proposal will be posted, no later than 5 PM on May 19th, at http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/5/2017/Summer-Flounder,-Scup-and-Black-Sea-Bass-Board-Conf-Call/1052.

Time permitting, there will be a limited opportunity to provide comments at the end of the agenda. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. We ask the public and other nonparticipating attendees to please mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Board’s deliberations.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.                

Request for Proposals: Evaluation of F-Based Management for the Recreational Summer Flounder Fishery

May 2, 2017 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council seeks a highly-qualified contractor to evaluate the feasibility of developing a fishing mortality (F) based management approach for the recreational summer flounder fishery that is consistent with and meets the Council’s requirements to implement Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (AMs) as mandated under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA).

Please review the Request for Proposals for complete details and instructions for proposal submission.

Proposals are due by June 19, 2017.

Flounder season uncertain as New Jersey continues to fight cuts

April 14, 2017 — New Jersey’s fight against approved summer flounder measures hangs in the balance, and a meeting next month could prove critical for flounder fishermen.

The state’s Marine Fisheries Council met Thursday evening at the Galloway Township branch of the Atlantic County Library in part to discuss its strategy in opposing a federal regulatory commission’s decision to cut this year’s summer flounder catch by 30 percent.

“I’m getting questions every day,” said Dick Herb, the council’s chairman. “We just don’t know what’s going to happen there.”

“There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes,” he added.

Earlier this year, the state council voted to go out of compliance with the federal measures, which could trigger a pivotal decision by new Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross following a federal regulatory meeting in May, Herb said.

Ross could decide to shut down recreational and commercial flounder fishing in New Jersey, or he could study the issue and allow fishing to continue, among other options, according to Herb.

“He can do what he wants to do,” Herb said. “I think we’re going to have to move awfully quickly when we get some movement on this.”

In February, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved the new reductions, which would limit New Jersey recreational fishermen to three fish at 19 inches in the Atlantic Ocean and three at 18 inches in the Delaware Bay.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

New Jersey asks feds to drop limits on a prize catch at the Shore — summer flounder

April 10, 2017 — With their rows of sharp buck teeth, their downturned mouths, and both eyes on one side of their curiously flat bodies, summer flounder might seem beautiful only to one another.

But this delicately flavored flatfish is the pinup girl, the heart’s desire, of thousands of New Jersey’s recreational fishermen — and has long been the source of many millions of dollars in tourism revenue each summer. For that reason the state has petitioned a federal commission to reverse its new restrictions on catching summer flounder in state waters in 2017.

“If you talk to any recreational angler they’ll tell you how important flounder is in New Jersey,” explained Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.  He said summer flounder, also called fluke, is one of the top draws to the state’s $1.5 billion recreational fishing industry.

Flounder’s popularity is no secret, however, to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission based in Arlington, Va. Its website describes the species as “highly prized in the recreational  fishery” because they are easily caught with hook and line from beaches, piers, and boats.

But this federal body, which monitors and protects commercial fish populations from Maine to Florida, has determined that the species has been drastically overfished in recent years and needs a chance to repopulate.  Recreational landings that were 38 million pounds in 1980 fell to 3 million in 1989, according to the website, and were 7.4 million pounds in 2014.

The commission, a subsidiary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration composed of three representatives from each state on the Atlantic coast, in February ordered a 34 percent reduction in catches for 2017, even after a 27 percent reduction in 2016.

Read the full story at The Philadelphia Inquirer 

New Jersey appeals fluke vote, says regs will create fishery waste

March 31, 2017 — New Jersey’s three commissioners to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are trying to reel some fluke back in that could be lost to anglers due to federally approved reductions.

Their latest effort to keep summer flounder regulations at status quo, is an appeal to ASMFC chairman Douglas E. Grout asking for a reversal of the commission’s vote approving a 30-percent cut to the coastwide harvest of fluke, also known as summer flounder.

The appeal cites technical, scientific and procedural flaws as reasons for reconsideration of the vote.

The season is in a couple of months and usually the state’s Marine Fisheries Council approves fluke seaon measures by early spring. The agenda for the council’s next hearing April 13 is not yet posted.

In January it made it clear that its position was to keep fluke regulations at status quo — that is to keep it at last year’s 18-inch size and five-fish bag limit.

The ASMFC did not share that view. Its position was the fluke population is declining and anglers overfished the 2016 quota.

That was supported by most states on the Atlantic seaboard as seen by the 7-3 vote in favor of Option 5 of the addendum to the Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass fishery management plan that reduced the harvest.

For New Jersey’s recreational fluke fishery that option calls for a 19-inch size limit, a three-fish bag limit this year.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press