Guys,
As many of you know, I'm an advisor to the ASMFC for scup, sea bass and fluke. We have a meeting next week to discuss future managment options for all three species. Any input will be appreciated and maybe even acted on! :shocked:

No one has any suggestions? How do we reduce overfishing by commercials, the for-hire sector, other recreational fishermen? what are your preferred alternatives?

Mike - I'd hate to say it but give us a little more info (copy & paste) if you can. I will be the first to admit that I'm low on the knowledge quotient when it comes to those three species...

(I am a basssnob afterall)

MM, posted it once. Not here

Keep the fluke trawlers from inshore, such as between Padnarum and Quick's and New Bedford. They trawl longer and longer for thier 400 pounds, and there is nothing left for anyone else.

Basic questions: How do we cope with overcapitalization in the commercial fleet? In the party/charter fleet? in the recreational sector? How can we reduce regulatory discards? Shorter seasons? Lower bag limits? Are we overeliant on size limits?

Last year, I caught for 2 mos., May thru June more 16.5-17 inch fish than I have every seen. However, I can't keep them, but the commercial next to me can.

We don't seem to have as many fluke as we did 10 years ago, when the was a guy dragging in a 18' aluminun skiff at the mouth of the Westport River.
To me it is primarily as a migratory fish, that some how these fish are intercepted in their migratory routes from winter waters.

I also have seen gillnetters off of Sakannot, Brown's Ledge, reaping in all they can and no discard.

I would prefer to see size and bag limit to manage not season. The proposed rec season for fluke is June 15th to August 15th? We know there will be additional harvest beyond that period, legal or not. So I would prefer to see the season extended thru September if possible.

And I also would be more than willing to document my catch if need be to insure it. I am not at all comfortable with the accuracy of the recreational or commerical catch numbers. I see 1 person, in Sept. stop and ask me my catch numbers.

Anybody that has ever worked on or fished in a draggers wake has seen the devastation that floats behind it. I've never considered the issue of how much market sized fish thats caught being as serious as the issue of bycatch killed. If that bycatch survived to spawn I dont think our fisheries would be anywhere near the state of devastation it's now in.

I wrote this in 2003 and read it to the commission.

But before I post it let me say, there is a lot of talk about saltwater lic, what are we going to be paying for??
I use to go to the vineyard and catch all the fluke I wanted in no time flat!! Now go there and see what you get!!

Letting any dragger with in the 3 Mile limit, no matter what the fish may be is Criminal!!

And I for one will never pay for my god given right to fish in the free ocean! Just to stuff the pockets of the politician that have no way or no how to protect the fish!!

Leter 2003:

Well here we are again, still fighting over whom will be the king of the Fluke. It seems to me that this commission needs to %$%$%$%$ or get off the pot! Is the Commission the rule makers or not? When you have two children fighting over the same toy what do you do? Well if you are a good parent you make them share the toy equally. Giving each the same rules of play and the same shared responsibility that the toy will be treated well, and be taken care of. Well this fishery is much the same as those kids, and this Commission is much like the parents of those children. You don’t let the children run the show because they can’t. Well you don’t let the fisherman run this council. It is up to the commission to act in a responsible manner and distubute the fishery in a fashion that will protect the fishery not the fisherman. This is your responsibility. And as with the children you must make the rules, and see that the fisherman follows the rule. They may not like it but this is the way it needs to be. As the Commission you no the state of the fishery and you should no how to fix it. Never mind worrying about stepping on other people’s toes, just do what’s best for the fishery.

So let’s see, let’s try to some it up. A good parent will sit down with there children and try to work things out in a sensible way. Not giving one child, or in this case one group of fisherman more then the other. And if one is not following the rules, then they need to be reprimanded.

So let’s sum this up :

Draggers:
90% of the catch by there own omission over the years
Hook:
10% of the catch
Draggers:
20% of the quota is saved for a winter fishery.
Hook:
0% of the saved winter fishery
Draggers:
100 lbs. during the squid season
Hook:
0 lbs. During the squid season
Draggers:
300 lbs. per day during the season
Hook:
200 lbs. Per day during the season
Draggers:
Dragging the ocean bottoms destroying the habitat and count less other juvenile and other fish speciales.
Hook and liners:
Fish without harming juvenile fish or other species. And with out harming the environment.

I don’t think that this is a fair arrangement, do you? Now they the Draggers want to change the rules again to suite there needs. Is this fair? As with the children do you let one change the rules when they want? Simply because one is older and stronger or do you look at the whole picture, and as a parent makes them stick to the rules so no one of them abuse that toy. The same goes for this fishery. The Draggers have been doing this for generations and by there own omission they have played the proment role in this fishery. Which is on the brink of disaster? Because they are the older of the two fisheries and the stronger does not give them the right to tell the smaller one what to do. It is the commission place as the parent, or in this case the rule maker, to see that it is shared equally and not abused by the other.
So why is it that, that has been the way this fishery is being run? Why are the Draggers getting what they want? When the fluke season was in June they wanted it changed to July. This was to push otherwise fluke fisherman to the stripers. Giving the draggers more of the fish. Now that did not work so they want to put it back to June, so that the small boats who season really don’t get going till July won’t be able to get as many days out because of weather, ect. This will get them more of the catch. Change the no fish days to Sat and Sun instead of Fri and Sat. so that the small fisherman, who have other jobs, and can only fish Sat and Sun. Will not have a day on the water giving yet another share to the draggers. All this is giving the bully more and more fish all the time. And the commission isn’t acting as a good parent because they let the bully keep on changing the rules to fit their own needs.

It does not take a genius, or a scientist, to see what’s going on in the ocean, and to see the adverse affects of the fish stocks, after years of Dragging.

When Hooks catch fish they are handled with care and are released to live and grow for another day, with the environment the same way as they found it
When Draggers finish their drag it not only destroyed the habitat but how many other species and juvenile fish did it pick up and drag over? After they have been dragged over and dragged for a few miles, pulled up to the boat’ dumped on the deck to be sorted threw’ how many of them will live when released?
Commissioners look at the facts, the history, and the numbers of fish out there. All the studies have been done! You no what needs to be done! Don’t worry about who feelings get hurt! Do the right thing for the fishery not the fisherman! The fisherman did not do the right thing for the fish, and this is why we have these debates today.
Be the parent and these two groups following the rule that are best for the fishery not the individual groups.

I wrote this in 2003 and read it to the commission.


Did you wrote that letter to the ASMFC? It sounds like it should have been directed to the MA fish authorities. None of what you mentioned falls under the jurisdiction of the ASMFC it all flls under the jurisdiction of the state fihery agency. The license issue is a done deal for federal (not ASMFC) purposes. What if anything the states do about it is a state (not ASMFC) issue.

Anybody that has ever worked on or fished in a draggers wake has seen the devastation that floats behind it. I've never considered the issue of how much market sized fish thats caught being as serious as the issue of bycatch killed. If that bycatch survived to spawn I dont think our fisheries would be anywhere near the state of devastation it's now in.

Bycatch is a big issue, as is regulatory discards. Reducing regulatory discards will be discussed at this meeting, but I don't expect that the brader bycatch issue will be discussed. FWIW, the newly reenacted M/S bill does focus on the bycatch issue and I would expect the federal councils to be pursuing that issue in the not-too-distant future. What would you suggest to reduce regulatory discards?

Sorry, I guess I was just on a rant there!!

No I have never read that letter to ASMFC I was at a DMF meeting back then.

I will go back to my corner now :o