First of all NICE POST. I did not make the hearing due to work but I'm the CT Recreational Rep. for tog. The tog management plan is unique because it does not allow an increase in size to achieve reductions in fishing mortality. The short story is that this is just the road they took with this fishery (if they did this with fluke think of the implications.)
NY will no longer have a 10 fish limit for 2008 - everyone has to reduce by the same percentage (approx. 25%).
As to the "why" of a 10 fish limit in NY and a 4 fish limit in CT. When the ASMFC originally established limits they used historic landing data (not sure what the reference years are) that showed much higher landings for tog in NY. Of course the data is suspect and from my perspective is one of the worst aspects or recreational fishing management in the Northeast.
We need more common regulations amoung the states but with the exception of scup, the states just can't look at the bigger picture.
Overall, I think CT has a better tog fishery than NY, and its partly because of our more restrictive limits. Back in the 80's and even 90's I never saw a NY party boat off Clinton - but its fairly common these days (tog, scup fishing) - my only guess is that our tog population is in better shape. |