[quote=tunaless;45556]Capt,
I agree the size was set to fall in line with the fed regs, but my question is, Has the 14 inch federal commercial fluke size limit of 14 inches come up for any review or vote, since it was originally enacted?
Yes as I understand it. States constantly petition to have changes made to their own allowances, comm along with rec. are reviewed yearly in some instances
Here is just one example, from one year:
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries| Federal Register Environmental Documents | USEPA
This is a very long read, but will answer your questions better than I can. The entire fishery, both recreational and commercial, is dealt with yearly by these commissions and agencies that are obviously hated by both sides of the coin because their data is so flawed.
The federal recreational size limit used to be right in line with the federal, like 15 inches in the late 1990's. There are many years at the bottom if you feel like reading anymore on this subject( I know I wouldn't)
They explain in that above link why they began increasing the size limits and bag limits, as they felt it was the only way to restrict the rec sector and control the harvest to be in line with the allocated TAC.(total allowable catch)
The commercial sector plain and simply put has much easier data to disseminate and understand, due to the VTrs I mentione dabove. Yes there are many flaws and issues, but it is what we have been bdealing with, and will continue to do so.
The problem of the poaching you describe exists everywhere, and is the real reason we are in such a sorry state of affairs. The comms are monitored and penalized heavily and with supreme auhtority and swiftness, while the recreational side is virtually unchecked. The commercial operators look for better, more efficient methods to fish with, reducing bycatch when possible, and fishing as quickly and efficiently as possible for obvious economic reasons(read fuel fiasco). It just isn't likely for a dragger to go around indiscriminately killing evrything in its path, nor is it even close to the reality of the issue.
The only guys who even target the 14 inch size are the inshore pinhookers, minimal harvest in the overall TAC given the comm side yearly. Peanuts even, and therefore not a real big issue as many recs would think. There is a alot more money paid for jumbos than tiny 14 inch fish as I am sure you know(most commercial catches are graded by size and catch method), and thus the real heavy hitting comm operations, not the minority pin hookers only target the big ones....
BTW, do you guys(scup and tunaless) fish in commercial waters? I take by your comments(especially about the discards not being reported) that you guys do not posess the federal permits allowing you to commercially fish in the EEZ for flounder...but maybe I am wrong
Effort needs to be curtailed to even have a chance to get to the numbers the ASMFC has mandated through the processes, and it is being felt on both sides, but moreso on the comm side.....Lets face it, it is supposed to be a sport, while these comms you want out of the fishery are making a living....just playing devils advocate here....