ASMFC scup landing reduction 40%

[Mr. Sandman]

April 27, 2004




CHANGES TO RECREATIONAL SCUP MEASURES TO ACHIEVE ASMFC MANDATED 40% REDUCTION IN LANDINGS



At its March meeting, the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board mandated that Massachusetts reduce its recreational scup landings by 40% relative to 2003. Other states are required to reduce landings by variable amounts due to overages in the 2003 fishery. Due to the Board’s delayed decision, MarineFisheries is enacting the following changes through emergency action to recreational scup minimum size and possession limits to comply with the 40% cut in landings effective Tuesday, April 27, 2004:



For all recreational fishermen:

Recreational scup minimum size is increased from 9 to 10-inches.
Open season remains January 1 through October 6.

For recreational fishermen fishing aboard a private vessel or from shore:

· Possession limit is reduced from 50 to 40 fish during the open season.

· Private vessels with two or more people aboard are prohibited from possessing more than 80 fish.



For recreational fishermen fishing aboard a for-hire vessel:

Possession limit of 100 fish is retained through June 30.
Possession limit is reduced from 100 fish to 40 fish from July 1 through October 6.


Personally I don't have too much of a problem with this..I would like to see it stay at 9" (for bait reasons) but I still think 80 scup is too much. Hell I think 80 of anything is too much!

I am worried about FLuke!! NY state is in BAD shape. They may go out of compliance with the ASMFC and sue them. They say NY took an amazing number of fluke (which evern the asmfc has a hard time understanding but given the poor weather last year and the lower sales at every charterboat and tackle store in the state...they want to cut the fluke limit to 3.) I hope they go out of compliance and sue them because MA is next. "The fishermen" has the details.

This management stuff is comming to a head. They keep claiming what a good job they are doing but it is so comm weighed and they really have done a poor job IMO. The SB is a different story...there was no "management" there was a SHUT DOWN and an clean up. This is not management. Groundfish even Pogies and herring are managed...look at the shape they are in.

FIRE THEM ALL and lets start all over with a clean sheet of paper.