Bob & Mag

October 3, 2007


Connecticut Recreational Fishery Proposed Options



As agreed by the Technical Committee, closures must be a minimum of 14 consecutive days and catch rates are assumed to be consistent throughout a wave. Based on calculations using these assumptions and the tables above, the following options are proposed to mett the 25.6% reduction in annual recreational harvest in Connecticut.

• Option 1 :
Open season from Jan 01 – Apr 30 with 4 fish bag limit and
Open season from Jun 15 – Aug 31 with 4 fish bag limit
Open season from Oct 15 – Dec 13 with 4 fish bag limit

Retain the current 4 fish bag limit , close the rest of September plus the first 14 days in October(parts of wave 5)…This option yields an estimated 26.1% reduction in harvest.

• Option 2 :
Open season from Jan 01 – Apr 30 with 4 fish bag limit and
Open season from Jun 15 – Aug 31 with 4 fish bag limit

Open season from Oct 02 – Nov 30 with 4 fish bag limit

Retain the current 4 fish bag limit, close rest of September, the first day of October, plus first 13 days of December (estends Wave 6 closure). Maintain the Wave 3 closure as is. This yields an estimated 26.4% reduction in harvest.

• Option 3 :
Open season from Jan 01 – Apr 30 with 3 fish bag limit and
Open season from Jun 15 – Aug 31 with 3 fish bag limit
Open season from Oct 04 – Dec 13 with 3 fish bag limit

Reduce the bag limit to 3 fish and close the remaining 16 day in September plus 3 days in October…. 26.2% reduction in harvest.

• Option 4 :
Open season from Jan 01 – Apr 30 with 3 fish bag limit and
Open season from Sep 17 – Dec 13 with 3 fish bag limit

Reduce bag limit to 3 fish …25.9% reduction in harvest

• Option 5 :
Open season from Jan 01 – Apr 30 with 3 fish bag limit
Open season from Jun 15 – Sep 07 with 1 fish bag limit
Open season from Oct 01 – Dec 13 with 3 fish bag limit

….26.0% reduction in harvest.

• Option 6 :
Open season from Jan 01 – Apr 30 with 4 fish bag limit and
Open season from Sep 30 – Dec 13 with 4 fish bag limit

….26.5% reduction in harvest.


• Option 7 :
Open season from Jan 01 – Apr 30 with 4 fish bag limit
Open season from Jun 15 – Sep 07 with 4 fish bag limit
Open season from Sep 22 – Dec 13 with 2 fish bag limit

…29.6% reduction in harvest.

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Smoke free 5+ Months!

vrc-rods

Thanks for staying on top of this stuff, it's greatly appreciated.

What do you guys think about option #6?

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Bob & Mag

There were not many at the meeting but the consensus was to go with Option 6.
Of course at the fluke meeting the consensus was options 3 or 4 and the state selected 5 so who knows what will happen.
I still don't get it that we will have a limit of 4 or maybe even 3 and New York gets 10...

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Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of food, electricity, gas, and oil, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

Smoke free 5+ Months!

Possum

I would be alright with Option 6 as well, but hey, they usually pick what they want anyway, regardless of the hearings.

Keep the info coming Bob.

As for the commercial proposals, I would be interested in them.

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Bob & Mag

Okay. The commercial data was very little in the hand outs. Most of it was on slides.
You'll see in the data that all but "trawls", limits remain the same but what it doesn't show is a much shortened season. The reason the trawls take a hit on the limit, as explained by DEP, was that their normal catch times don't fall into the closed season times, so the only way for them to get a reduction was in the limit.
There was some complaining from some comm. guys about "why is the reduction 50/50 rec/comm while NY it's 90/10. Response from DEP was "this ain't NY"!!

================================================== =======
Gear Group Current Proposed
Limit Limit
• Hook, fish pot, trap net, fyke net, gill net...25......................25
• Lobster pot...........................................10.. ....................10
• Pound net.............................................12 ......................12
• Trawl............................................. ......75......................50
================================================== =======
Closed Seasons -

Current Closed Season Proposed Closed Seasons
...May 01 – June 14.....................May 01 – June 14
...............................................Sep 01 – Oct 14
...............................................Dec 14 – Dec 31
“Proposed changes are in bold”


On a side note, we asked why fish length was not considered and the response from DEP was that "it would not generate a reduction in the catch".

__________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of food, electricity, gas, and oil, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

Smoke free 5+ Months!

Possum

Thanks Bob.

I can't say I get that logic, but oh well.

The major problem with the Tautog fishery is the damn black market for livey's. Figure out a way to get after that sector, and the ol' Blackfish will rise again.

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Bob & Mag

That was a hot topic brought up by a number of people. Seems CT, NY and Feds don't want to discuss it, at least not with us.

__________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of food, electricity, gas, and oil, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

Smoke free 5+ Months!

JackC

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.

Bob & Mag

Thanks for the input. Curious, Jack what is your choice of the available options?
6 seemed to be the pick at the meeting but as mentioned not sure if any weight to that vote at all.
Do you know where I can get info on commercial limits and sizes, currently in effect for Connecticut and New York?
Thanks,
Bob

__________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of food, electricity, gas, and oil, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

Smoke free 5+ Months!

JackC

If you go on the ASMFC website there should be plenty of information on commercial regulations for all the states. (I'm a bit burnt out from fishing 3 days in a row or I would look them up for you.) If you don't find them I'll see what I have from ASMFC.

The other thing I forgot to mention is that the "regulators" are very aware of the black market/live market fishery and there has been some enforcement in NY city. I'm not saying that the effort will generate great results but at least there is an effort. NY seems to be taking the lead since the live fish market in NY City seems to be a big problem (I have not seen it first hand.)

Somewhat funny story - during the last conference call on tog the issue of black market commercial fishing was brought up by me - the commercial reps on the call quickly "corrected me" - don't you mean "illegal recreational fishing" - that's not commercial fishing. (Interesting point.)

I don't see what I would call "poaching" for the live market, but I have definately seen guys keeping way over their limit.

The other interesting thing (kind of supporting some of the discussion on this site). Was that the ASMFC askes the advisory council "what do you want to do with tog?" (reduce, or keep the regulations just like they presently are) - the universal comment back was "status quo" (no change) - it was ignored by ASMFC. (They have a clear mandate to rebuild fisheries, so that is what is driving change.)

Option 6 - works for me.

Jack