NJ Fisheries Reg News Update – Blackfish, Porgy, Fluke, Sea Bass

On March 18, 2018 the NJ Marine Fisheries Council met in Manahawkin. Here’s some great information provided by Paul Haertel at the Jersey Coast Anglers Association. Anyone looking to join and/or support a great group should take a look at the JCAA.

The Jersey Coast Anglers Association is a non-profit charitable 501(3)c organization that works on behalf of the saltwater recreational fishermen of New Jersey. Since 1981 the JCAA protects the rights of New Jersey’s recreational fishermen by seeking fair and equitable fisheries management.

More info at www.JCAA.org

NJ Fisheries Regulatory News Update – Blackfish, Porgy, Fluke, Sea Bass

By Paul Haertel, JCAA Board Member/Past President

At the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council (NJMFC) meeting on 3/15/18, regulations for blackfish and porgies were set. For blackfish, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) required our state to reduce our harvest by 2%. Our council accomplished this by shortening our one day season by two weeks and reducing our bag limit from six fish to five fish for our late fall/early winter season. The adopted regulations set the minimum size at 15”, with a four fish bag limit from 1/1 – 2/28 and from 4/1-4/30. There will be a one fish bag limit from 8/1-11/15 and then a five fish bag limit from 11/16-12/31. Some people questioned why we did not just eliminate the one day season but the reason is the NJFMC wanted to keep it open for divers and shore based fishermen at a time when the water is warm and the fish are still inshore.

There was better news on porgies as the ASMFC allowed us to increase our harvest by 59%. This will result in New Jersey having a year-round season. Previously our season was closed from March 1st to June 30th. The bag and size limits will remain the same, 50 fish at 9”. The council voted in favor of this new regulation but it will not become effective until DEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe signs off on it.

The regulations for fluke and sea bass will not be set until a special council meeting on 4/5 that will be held at 5PM at the Bay Avenue Community Center located at 775 E. Bay Av. in Manahawkin. The delay is due to decisions made at the recent Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) meeting regarding Addendum XXX for sea bass. Several positive changes in the way sea bass are managed were made at that meeting. One is that New Jersey will be its own region. Another is that a smoothing over approach can be used to adjust MRIP numbers that appear to be way out of line. For example, the MRIP numbers for Wave 3 (May-June) in 2017 showed that New Jersey harvested an extraordinarily high number of sea bass. We will now be able to smooth over that number based on what was harvested during that period in prior years. This is a good thing as it should allow us to significantly liberalize our regulations this year. Our Bureau of Marine Fisheries worked diligently on this issue but must first have their methodology approved by the ASMFC management board when it meets via conference call on Tuesday, March 20th at 11 AM. The board will consider approving the proposals of all three regions at that time. The three management regions are: (1) Massachusetts through New York, (2) New Jersey, and (3) Delaware through North Carolina. The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (866.214.0726, followed by pass code: 993961) and view the webinar using the following link register.gotowebinar.com/regist…/6931931919817605123. The meeting agenda can be found at www.asmfc.org/…/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardAgenda_3_20_18…; meeting materials will be available March 15 at www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive. Time permitting; there will be a limited opportunity for the public to provide comments. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. The public and other nonparticipating attendees are requested to mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Board’s deliberations. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Regarding fluke, our council is seeking to close or eliminate the gap from when fluke season closes until when sea bass season opens so they have elected to wait until the special meeting in April to set the regulations for both species. The options for fluke are expected to all have an 18” size limit and a bag limit of 3 fish. The seasons could either be from 5/15-9/16, 5/22-9/20 or 5/25-9/22. It is possible that these options could be tweaked a little or other new ones developed but that is unlikely. (The special regulations of 3 fish at 17” for Delaware Bay and 2 fish at 16” for Island Beach are expected to remain the same)

JCAA will keep you posted as to specific options as they become available via our newsletter and on our Facebook page. Please “like” our page when you visit it.

NJ Files Formal Appeal of Fluke Quota Reductions

Here’s some break news on the fluke fishing front!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2017

NEW JERSEY FILES FORMAL APPEAL OF SUMMER FLOUNDER QUOTA REDUCTIONS
STATE’S REPRESENTATIVES ARGUE ASMFC DECISION WILL CAUSE ADVERSE IMPACTS TO FISHERY AND INDUSTRY


(Photo: Scott Simpson with one of many nice fluke caught off the LBI surf in late July)

(17/P25) TRENTON – New Jersey representatives to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission have filed an appeal requesting the commission reconsider its vote significantly reducing the state’s recreational-fishing quota for summer flounder this year, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin announced today.

JohnDebonaThe 34-percent quota reduction ASMFC approved in February will have a devastating impact on the state’s fishing industry and tourism economy while paradoxically harming the long-term health of the state’s summer flounder stocks, Commissioner Martin said.

“We are appealing the ASFMC decision because of the numerous process, data, policy and regulatory issues that will significantly impact New Jersey’s fishing industry,” Commissioner Martin said. “The ASFMC decision will actually result in anglers in New Jersey having to throw more dead fish back into the water than they can keep to eat, and the fish they can keep overwhelmingly will be reproductive females. This is not sound fishery management.”

Recreational and commercial fishing employs 65,000 people and generates some $2.5 billion in annual economic benefits to the state. Summer flounder, also known as fluke, is one of the state’s most sought-after recreational fish species, prized for its delicate flavor and easily found close to beaches and in bays and creeks.

To achieve the 34-percent reduction, New Jersey faces increasing the minimum size limit for summer flounder from 18 inches in most state waters to 19 inches, making legally sized fish more difficult to keep. Additionally, the number of fish that could be kept under the new restrictions would be reduced from five to three.

The petition from New Jersey’s three representatives to ASMFC Chairman Douglas E. Grout cites technical, scientific and procedural flaws as reasons for reconsideration of the vote. The commission was formed by compact to manage nearshore fisheries from Maine to Florida.

A DEP analysis of the quota reduction determined that the number of undersized, or discarded, fish that die after being returned to the water will be greater than the number of fish that will be harvested. This would be the first-ever such imbalance for the state. Flounder, like all fish, are susceptible to mortality from hook wounds and stress.

“Discard mortality that exceeds harvest is not acceptable from a fishery management standpoint and will not be well received by the recreational fishing sector,” the state’s representatives wrote, adding that such waste would be inconsistent with goals established by federal law. New Jersey representatives to ASMFC are New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Larry Herrighty, Governor’s appointee Thomas P. Fote of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association, and Legislative Commissioner Assemblyman Bob Andrejczak (District 1).

They noted that summer flounder in New Jersey tend to be smaller than in states to the north due to the species’ biological needs and migration patterns. Moreover, more than 90 percent of summer flounder in New Jersey waters that are greater than 19 inches in length are females, meaning an increase in size limits would encourage higher harvests of reproductive fish, which would also be counterproductive to sound fishery management.

In their letter, the representatives argue that ASMFC did not properly consider comments made by the public opposing the reduction during a Jan. 5 hearing in Galloway Township, Atlantic County. They further state that ASFMC staff found numerous mathematical calculation errors after the hearing that resulted in substantive revisions to the draft quota-reduction plan and did not provide the public an opportunity to review the changes and provide additional comments.

In addition, ASMFC did not properly apply technical information gathered through the federal Marine Recreational Informational Program, which surveys anglers and members of the fishing industry to provide more complete assessments of the health of fisheries, the representatives wrote.

Commissioner Martin testified before ASMFC in opposition to the quota reduction and recently sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross requesting that 2016’s quotas remain in effect pending development of a benchmark stock assessment to better understand and manage the resource. Any quota reduction this year would be on top of a 27 percent quota reduction in 2016.

For a copy of the appeal filed with ASFMC, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/docs/asmfc-appeal-letter-20170324.pdf For a copy of Commissioner Martin’s letter to Commerce Secretary Ross, visit: www.njfishandwildlife.com/pdf/2017/flndrletter02-28-17.pdf