Bob & Mag

Received this today from CT DEP:

The DEP Marine Fisheries Division is holding an informational meeting to hear public input on proposed approaches to meet mandatory harvest target reductions for the 2008 recreational summer flounder fishery.

Connecticut must implement a reduction in harvest of 30% in 2008 to comply with mandatory provisions of the Summer Flounder Fishery Management Plan of the Mid - Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The Department is seeking input on various options that include changes to the open season, creel limit and/or minimum size.

The meeting will be held at:


Take I-95 to Exit 70 to Route 156 south, turn right onto Ferry Road, follow to the end.
The Education Center located at the rear of the property.


For further information, contact the


or by telephone at

860.434.6043 between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm, Monday thru Friday.


To receive Marine Fisheries Division notices electronically, send an email to
imailsrv@list.state.ct.us
In the body of the email, type: subscribe DEP-marine-fisheries,
Your Name (leave the subject line blank).

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Possum

So that puts us, potentially, at a 2 fish limit for Fluke. Thank God I usually have 4 on my boat (the family). Gonna be tough for the charters.

Special K

wouldn't that put ct rec fishermen @ 4 keepers per angler or is my math too simplistic? 6 x 30%= 1.8

my paying clients already protest the few fish they can keep for the price of a trip.....even including the captains share!

ReelCrazySportfishing

Last season we had to target 2-3 differant types of fish per trip to put enough fish in the boat.
what they did to the blackfish is going to hurt in 08 and I was thinking of just making it up with fluke but it looks like that Idea is out the window

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Bob & Mag

Actually last year was 5 fish at 18". So this year would be 3 or 4 fish depending on how the season length and size limit gets adjusted.
My opinion would be to get as long a season as possible and adjust the bag and the size limit. Let's hope we don't end up with a short season or we'll need to take it out on the bass/blues.

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Andy

They will keep cutting it back until its closed ,if you get into a good mess of fluke it doesnt take long to reach a bag limit of 3 or 4 fish guess we will have to play the catch and release game .........

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flounderpounder

if you ask me something needs to be done on the commercial level and not the recreational level. the draggers probably throw more dead flats back in one pass than i keep in a season.

JackC

I've been chatting with the DEP over this issue since I'm the "public representative" for CT on the ASMFC for fluke.

The agenda of the public hearing is 2008 options - the "open season" is the major discussion point. Slight increase in size limit appears likely and it looks like a 4 fish bag.

Bottom line is that if we have a July 1 opening the season stays open for the rest of the year for 2008 (my response to that is that participation is why down after August and the fishing also goes downhill for almost the entire state - so a July 1 opening does not make much sense to me). A June opening will result in the fishery being shut down at the end of August.

If you want your input considered go the public hearing OR send Email or Snail Mail - the input via mail is also factored into their decision. The last public hearing and several anglers who wanted a late season, this desire seemed to have made an impression on the DEP, so if you don't like the late opening make your voice heard - email is easy and effective.

Regulations for NY are also very restrictive - the traditional May fishery will most likely be lost in NY waters (not a good thing).

Note - commercial fisherman have the same cut backs (its not just us). Not defending their industry but want to point it out.

Jack

Scup

Every year, it seems to me that the decent fluking trips do not start in CT waters. I am out of Southeastern CT. For whatever reason, the first decent catch reports of Fluke usually comes from the far side of Fisher's Island, the Block Island area, or the distant Rhode Island beaches. Eventually the fluke do seem to work their way around into CT waters, but not until our neighboring States have had, and usually continue to have decent Fluke trips. Not sure if there is anyone to blame for this type of fish movement, but I do not ever remember CT as being what most recreational or commercial fishermen would consider to be as hot for Fluking as RI or NY. If one were to fish only in CT waters, I am not too sure there would be too many complaints about a late start as we normally start late anyway. Likely the main reason why Southeastern CT folks want an early start is because of the DEP's regulation/enforcement of "if checked, the fish on board were caught where you are at when checked". It is not too far a ride for us to head out to decent fishing grounds but the early opening of the season is needed since we do eventually have to return to our home state. I have given up on the idea of traveling out of CT waters to catch a few Fluke due to the high cost of fuel. However, it is quite understandable that if one would go out with several people aboard their craft, it just might be worth it to them to have at it. Somehow, it seems to me that everyone (both commercial and recreational) is allowed to get their Fluke licks in before we do. It is sort of feeling like the herd is being thinned out before it ever gets to us. Again, I am not pointing the finger at any aspect of this since is has been pretty obvious this is exactly what has been happening for several years now. I thought much about this lately, but really do not see what can be done about it one way or another. While I am not a charterer boat captain, the above is probably going to give them a lot of disproportionate grief.

Bob & Mag

I really wish the DEP would send out the viable options with the notice of the public meeting. This rather than slides we see for the first time at the meeting and try to decipher, select what we would prefer. That said, at last year's meeting there was a large crowd and the vast majority selecting two of the 6 or 8 options. Neither of which was what we got last year. DEP went with an option no one at the meeting wanted.
Sometimes I think it's already been decided and the public meeting is done because they have too. I'm for the longest season period as I can get out quite often and have caught fluke May-October. I'd prefer they lower the limit to three and/or raise the size limit.

Jack, You mention a June opening would result in season close the end of August and I say it doesn't have too. There are more variables (size limit) (bag limit) that can offset season length. As far as the season going until the end of the year, that's like tautog beginning Jan 1st. Meaningless as there would be virtually no catch.

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