Environment DEC
From the May 2007 issue
Revisions Made to 2007 Recreational Marine Fishing Regulations
Changes have been made to the 2007 recreational fishing regulations for summer flounder, also known as fluke. Effective immediately, the season for fluke will be open year-round, and the size limit has been increased to 19.5 inches total length. These changes are expected to achieve a federally required reduction in the number of summer flounder harvested by recreational anglers in New York State. The daily possession limit will remain at four fish per angler.
The revised regulations will help to sustain the recreational fishing opportunities and positive economic impacts that fluke fishing provides, while also meeting federal requirements to protect the fishery. These changes reflect input from anglers, party and charter boat associations, other stakeholder organizations and the Marine Resources Advisory Council.
Fisheries Management Plans
Flounder are popular sport and commercial fish
New York State participates in the cooperative management of migratory marine fisheries under the Interstate Fishery Management Program of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). ASMFC adopts interstate fisheries management plans (FMPs) for individual species or groups of fish and determines whether states have implemented provisions of FMPs in a timely manner.
If the ASMFC determines a state to be in non-compliance with an FMP, it notifies the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. If the secretary concurs with the non-compliance determination, he or she may declare and enforce a complete prohibition on all fishing for the species in the waters of the non-compliant state until it complies with the FMP.
Fluke Quota
Under the FMPs for fluke, ASMFC assigns each state an annual harvest target or "quota." The state's harvest for the upcoming year is projected, assuming regulations remain the same and harvest patterns and rates remain the same as the previous year. If the projected harvest exceeds a state's assigned quota, the state must-as an FMP compliance requirement-make its harvest regulations sufficiently more restrictive to prevent the state from exceeding its assigned quota. ASMFC reviews and must approve each state's regulations as compliant with the FMP.
Without the regulatory change, New York's projected fluke harvest for 2007 would exceed its assigned quota by 49 percent. The regulatory changes are projected to achieve a harvest reduction of approximately 56 percent for fluke, keeping the state in compliance with the FMP. New York's commercial quota also has been significantly reduced in 2007 to 619,123 pounds, down from 935,943 pounds of fluke in 2006.
More Information
For additional information about the regulations, contact DEC's Marine Resources Division at 631-444-0435.
Public Comments
DEC is proposing to adopt the emergency rule as a permanent rule. Written public comments on the proposed rulemaking may be sent for consideration to: Fishing Regulations, DEC Marine Resources, 205 N. Belle Mead Rd., Ste. 1, E. Setauket, NY 11733-3400, or by email at fwmarine@gw.dec.state.ny.us. The public comment period on the proposed regulation ends on June 25, 2007.
