2007 fluke season

[MakoMike]

I have the Figures for the preliminary estimates of 2006 landings (waves 1-4 actual and 3 and 6 estimated and the reductions required in order to achieve the NMFS' approx. 12.9 million pound 2007 TAC (5.04 million pounds to recreational fishermen)

Based on these numbers, if we assume a year long season and if we were to go to castwide measures without conservational equivalancy, the coast wise limit would be one fish per angler a day over 19 inches! But the good news is, that once the figures are finalized we might be able to make that 1 fish per sngler per day over 18.5 inches!

On a state by state basis the states have to adjust their seasons, bag and size limits to achieve the following percentage reductions from their 2006 landings:

MA 43.3%
RI 63.9%
CT 36.7%
NY 62.7%
NJ 56.2%

Ct seems to be in the best shape, they only have to reduce landings by a little over 1/3, NY and RI have to reduce landings by almost 2/3! How are we gonna do that? Seems to me that the only way to accomplish those goals without tremendously increasing regulatory discards, and their associate mortality is going to be by dramatically shortening the season.

Comments?