Fluke Wars
- Details
- Published: Sunday, 18 July 2010 17:31
- Written by Ron Nuzzolo
- Hits: 15352
Rules and regulations divide anglers in neighboring states.
The Raritan
bay is shared by NewYork and New Jersey anglers; however they do not
share the same rules of fishery management. In fact regulations on fluke
have New York anglers giving up on a summer flounder season. The New
York side is fed up and throwing its arms up in frustration over the
politics involved in a fishery management rule. New York anglers are
steadily catching hundreds of fish only to release them back to New
Jersey angler?s .New York is currently at a 21 inch 2 fish limit per day
while New Jersey recreational possession limit and minimum size remain
at 6 fish per day and 18 inches. This is a major problem not only for
the management of the species but also for New York businesses owners
that count on a bountiful summer flounder season.
New York and
New Jersey anglers are fishing the same bay for the same species. The
difference is New York will never bag a keeper limit if the fish needs
to be 21 inches and New Jersey only 18 inches. New York doesn?t have a
chance at a fillet of flounder dinner. Fluke or Summer flounder are
currently managed under an interstate plan that uses out dated
information leaving the NYS DEC to manage the rules as they stand.
Unfortunately the stale data is unfair and critically damaging fluke
stocks in the bay. The NY DEC is currently in federal court fighting for
fairness in this fishery........
