Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Division of Marine Fisheries
251 Causeway Street, Suite 400
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 626.1520
Fax (617) 626.1509

NOTICE OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
Under the provisions of M.G.L. Ch 30A ss. 3 and pursuant to the authority found in M.G.L. Ch. 130 ss. 17A, 80
and 104, Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has established a public comment period on a recently enacted
emergency action affecting the January 1 – April 22 period commercial summer flounder fishery (322 CMR
6.22).

On January 9, 2004 MarineFisheries enacted an emergency regulation to increase the winter
period commercial summer flounder (fluke) trip limit from 1,000 pounds to 2,500 pounds.

MarineFisheries proposes enacting this regulation on a permanent basis. Monitoring and analysis
of previous years' landings showed that total landings during the January 1 to April 22 period had fallen far short of the 30% quota target, thus the trip limit was increased to allow fishermen their full quota allocation as allowed under current state regulations.

macojoe, I hope you are starting to feel better.

Every year around this time they seem to increase the offshore quota, which upsets not only the rec. fisherman but also the inshore draggers and the pin hookers. The old saying: "might has right" seems to apply to commercial fishing as well.

If it makes you feel better, when I dragged the fluke trip limit was around 8,000 pounds. This was during the 90s.

Side note: Bragging board--my biggest fluke to date is a 12.5 pounder. I caught it on a massive squid strip in about 100' of water. This fish may not be a true trophy but it sure made me happy.
:)

My largest is just over that at 13.3# It was caught in 57 foot of water on a live Scup!! While I was bass fishing. I tryed a few more drifts that day and got a 11 and a 10.5 also on live scup. That was done this past Aug. and i never got another out of that hole for the rest of the season?? O well I have it marked and will try again this season.

I no the dragers have to eat also, and i don't mind the off shore dragging but to let them drag in a place like Vinyard sound is crazy!! They have runied the off shore fishery buy over fishing and now they will screw up the inshore area also!
You can feel it just a few weeks into the season when the draggers start draging out there. You will start off with a 200# day but 3 weks in they are starting to be short days unless you are staying out there 10 hours a day!
How can they say that they can get more and more fish when we have not been able to catch the qouta for the last 3 years in a row!! Every Aug. 31 the season closes with the qouta not being meet and the left over going to the winter fishery??

Ok don't get me going!! :laughs: to late!!

Yea I am feeling great!! I have 16 days to carry this IV bag around and I will be free to do what ever i want after that!! The hole in my neck should also be healed closed in about 7 more days.
I can't wait to fish again!!

Macjoe,
The insore and offshore fisheries are on the same fish, so why would you be O.K. with the offshore guys and have a problem with the inshore guys?

Well I am not going to get into a fight here. We all have are own belives.
I no that all the fish move in from off shore, but I feel that they have there own areas some how. How else do you explain that were there use to be tons of fish in a off shore area that was over fished and now there is none?? But they still come into the inshore areas??
How do the herrin no what river to come back to after a couple of years at sea??How do the fish no to come back to the same areas year after year?? So yes I belive that there is two fisherys and after one was destroyed, why destroy yet another fishery??
We should be learning by are mistakes!!
I am not just picking on the dragers!! All have to take some responsablity!!
The poor rec. guy puts more into the ecomany and gets 7 fish at 16 1/2". While the dragers and hook guys are allowed 300# and 200# a day at 14" fish.
By there own emission at a DMF hearing the dragers tryed to get the hook and line guys cut down to 10% of the quota stating that over the years that is all they had caught.
By doing this they admit to catching 90% and take the blame IMO to making the fishery what it is today!! \
We could go back and forth all day with who is to and who is not to blame!! Tghe only way to fix it is to all work toghter to make the fishery great again andfor are Kids and theres! And it isn't going to happen when everyone is pined against each other!!

Ok there is my rant!! I will quite now

I bet the rec's take a hit this season on fluke, scup and seabass ...That stupid survey they do to estimate what the rec catch is (which they admit is hugely inaccurate) is going to have an BIG effect in NY and Southern NE this season...but the comm catch is way under so they will get an increase. There is a blurb about it in the fisherman.