02-27-2009, 10:36 AM
[indent]Floundering rule
The third issue is another touchy subject.
Almost every year for nearly three decades, our state’s summer flounder (fluke) regulations have had to be changed, always ratcheted tighter in order to comply to federal fluke management plan requirements.
We all are aware of the environmental damage and tremendous waste of this species by commercial trawling operations. The negative effect from heavy commercial harvesting, combined with inaccurate recreational statistics (which could be improved through a saltwater license) has created many of the problems we’ve observed in the management of fluke and other important commercial and recreational marine species including scup, blackfish and striped bass.
This year, yet once again, marine sport fishermen (more importantly the small shops that they support) are going to take another huge hit when it comes to fluke fishing.
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s “best available statistics,” Connecticut marine anglers overfished the recreational quota yet once again, this time by 35 percent.
Whether or not this number seems possible or is even accurate, is a moot point. Because, like it or not, in order for Connecticut to be in compliance with requirements of The Magnesun Act of 1986, reauthorized in 2006, our biologists are bound by law to reduce Connecticut’s fluke catch by that 35 percent or risk having our fluke fishery shut down by the Federal Government.
Our biologists are in a very unenviable position in having to come up with methods to demonstrate this 35 percent catch reduction, half of which must be done using seasonal restrictions, according to DEP Biologist Dave Simpson. This entails fitting our state’s catch statistics into a matrix type of formula that is provided by the fluke management plan.
It’s not pretty. No one is going to like the options for the 2009 fluke season.
Bear in mind, that after talking with biologists about such matters for many years, they have constraints on them through the various management plans. The No. 1 priority for biologists as seasons continue to be shaved ever thinner, is to have open fishing from Memorial Day through Labor Day, if possible. Then based on public hearing, various bag and minimum length limits are worked out from there.
For instance, one group of fluke options for 2009 is to have a 20-inch minimum length (a half inch increase over last year) and a five fish per day bag limit. For this length fluke, open seasons for this summer would be July 4 to Sept. 8; July 12 to Dec. 31; or May 25 to Aug. 3.
If the length limit is dropped to about 191⁄2 inches, these seasons would all be reduced by two weeks or more depending on which way the season beginning or ending date is adjusted.
For example with only three fish 191⁄2 inches long, the July 4 starting date would run through Labor Day. While the same July 4 starting date with only two 191⁄2-inch fluke in the live well per person would run through Sept. 17.
The state’s 12 options will be presented at a public hearing at DEP Marine Headquarters, 333 Ferry Road in Lyme at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3. For more information, call the DEP Marine Headquarters at 860-434-6043 or write-in constructive suggestions to P.O. Box 719, Old Lyme 06371.
Bob Sampson Jr. writes an outdoors column that appears each Thursday. Reach him at [url "mailto
ports@norwichbulletin.com"]sports@norwichbulletin.com[/url] and go to [url "http://www.bobsampson.com/"]www.bobsampson.com[/url] to listen to his podcast.
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The third issue is another touchy subject.
Almost every year for nearly three decades, our state’s summer flounder (fluke) regulations have had to be changed, always ratcheted tighter in order to comply to federal fluke management plan requirements.
We all are aware of the environmental damage and tremendous waste of this species by commercial trawling operations. The negative effect from heavy commercial harvesting, combined with inaccurate recreational statistics (which could be improved through a saltwater license) has created many of the problems we’ve observed in the management of fluke and other important commercial and recreational marine species including scup, blackfish and striped bass.
This year, yet once again, marine sport fishermen (more importantly the small shops that they support) are going to take another huge hit when it comes to fluke fishing.
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s “best available statistics,” Connecticut marine anglers overfished the recreational quota yet once again, this time by 35 percent.
Whether or not this number seems possible or is even accurate, is a moot point. Because, like it or not, in order for Connecticut to be in compliance with requirements of The Magnesun Act of 1986, reauthorized in 2006, our biologists are bound by law to reduce Connecticut’s fluke catch by that 35 percent or risk having our fluke fishery shut down by the Federal Government.
Our biologists are in a very unenviable position in having to come up with methods to demonstrate this 35 percent catch reduction, half of which must be done using seasonal restrictions, according to DEP Biologist Dave Simpson. This entails fitting our state’s catch statistics into a matrix type of formula that is provided by the fluke management plan.
It’s not pretty. No one is going to like the options for the 2009 fluke season.
Bear in mind, that after talking with biologists about such matters for many years, they have constraints on them through the various management plans. The No. 1 priority for biologists as seasons continue to be shaved ever thinner, is to have open fishing from Memorial Day through Labor Day, if possible. Then based on public hearing, various bag and minimum length limits are worked out from there.
For instance, one group of fluke options for 2009 is to have a 20-inch minimum length (a half inch increase over last year) and a five fish per day bag limit. For this length fluke, open seasons for this summer would be July 4 to Sept. 8; July 12 to Dec. 31; or May 25 to Aug. 3.
If the length limit is dropped to about 191⁄2 inches, these seasons would all be reduced by two weeks or more depending on which way the season beginning or ending date is adjusted.
For example with only three fish 191⁄2 inches long, the July 4 starting date would run through Labor Day. While the same July 4 starting date with only two 191⁄2-inch fluke in the live well per person would run through Sept. 17.
The state’s 12 options will be presented at a public hearing at DEP Marine Headquarters, 333 Ferry Road in Lyme at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3. For more information, call the DEP Marine Headquarters at 860-434-6043 or write-in constructive suggestions to P.O. Box 719, Old Lyme 06371.
Bob Sampson Jr. writes an outdoors column that appears each Thursday. Reach him at [url "mailto
ports@norwichbulletin.com"]sports@norwichbulletin.com[/url] and go to [url "http://www.bobsampson.com/"]www.bobsampson.com[/url] to listen to his podcast. [/indent]
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