NJ 2017 Fluke Reductions... AGAIN
 

Well, the powers that be (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission) have reduced the NJ Fluke limits for 2017 from 5 to 3 fish and raised the minimum size to 19", up from the 2016 size of 18". This is a 30% reduction from last years (2016's) legal limits (which was a 27% reduction from 2015's limits) It is now estimated that the mortality rate (from hook wounds, exhaustion and infections) of undersized fish returned to the water will exceed the states total yearly legal catch. Further, most fish in the 18" and up size are female, so by raising the size it will target the reproductive rate for the species.
Honest to God, do these people that are "supposedly" protecting our fisheries have ANY idea what they are doing??? (Or do they just have their collective heads up their a$$es while they accept bribe money from the commercial fishing industry)!!! :cen: :cen: :cen: :cen: :cen: :cen:

They know exactly what they're doing, that's the problem.

In the long haul, it's to stop all recreational fishing!!!!

DING DING DING, we have a winner. They want to control and oversee every fish that leaves the water, and probably swim's to. There is no common sense taken into account, just greed.

In time .....the rules may allow 1/2 of one fish ! ....:(

They've already gone to boat limits on somefish down here. You can keep say 3 per boat or 1 per person, whichever is less.

In NJ, fluke (summer flounder) is THE major business for party boats (head boats).
People won't pay to go for less than 5 fish, even if the chance of catching five 18" fish is next to zero.
That makes it impossible for them to accept fewer fish at a smaller size. The party boat guys will lobby for bigger sizes in order to keep higher limits and longer seasons.
As a boat owner, if it would actually help, I would rather have as low as 1 per person/per day at 16". That would pretty much guaranty fresh fillets for dinner any time I spend money on bait and gas. Spending a whole summer trying to stretch out a handful of keepers is bullcrab.
Same goes for stripers. Would rather keep a 24" fish over a 43" fish any day.
And BFT. Every one of those "Wicked Tuna" kills costs me a shot at 100,000 schoolies next year, and the next year and the next year.......

The data shows we need to keep more smaller fish and fewer big ones but the politics of it gives us the opposite regs.

Also, the draggers hammer our summer throwbacks all winter and shovel the dead small ones over the side to make their quota with all nice fish.