Mr. Gordon Colvin, DEC's Director of Marine Resources, provided an overview of the latest developments likely to affect fluke management and fluke management regulations.

At the last Council meeting, it was reported that the determination of the coastwide fluke quota for 2007 would be done differently than it had been in the past because of the obligation to hit the fluke stock rebuilding target within 10 years (i.e., by 2010), as required by the federal Sustainable Fisheries Act.  The actual target fishing mortality rate for fluke will be lowered to the Frebuild, or the fishing mortality rate necessary to rebuild the stock by 2010.  To hit the fluke stock rebuilding target by 2010, the 2007 coastwide quota would have to be 12.9 million pounds.  However, in recently re-authorizing the federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Congress included an exemption for summer flounder to the normal 10-year stock rebuilding requirement.  Specifically, the re-authorized law provided that that the 10-year rebuilding requirement for fluke could be extended by 3 years, provided that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce certified certain technical issues, on which basis the Frebuild could be recalculated (likely to a higher level); this would result in an increase in the 2007 harvest quota.  The Secretary has made the appropriate certifications and the final coastwide fluke quota for 2007 is 17.11 million pounds. Mr. Colvin noted that the good news for fluke fishermen is that there is now an additional 3-year time frame to rebuild the stock and a higher 2007 quota than was original forecast.  However, he noted that Congress's exemption to the 10-year period in which a stock must be rebuilt to its target biomass is for fluke only; this requirement remains in place for other federally-regulated species.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has voted to follow the state-by-state conservation equivalency approach in implementing the coastwide fluke quota among the states.  17.11 million pounds represents a 42% reduction in the 2006 coastwide fluke quota.  New York's required reduction in 2007 is 50%, because New York exceeded its fluke quota in 2006.  Mr. Colvin reported that DEC has communicated with other states in the region to solicit their interest in a unified, cooperative approach to developing regulations to implement the 2007 fluke quota.  Only Connecticut and Rhode Island have indicated an interest in looking a plan over but they have not committed to anything.

Councilor John Davi, Jr. asked how long the 17.11 million pound quota will be in place.  Mr. Colvin replied that, as long as the new fishing mortality rate target is not exceeded, and harvests remain within the quotas, the coastwide quota should increase as the fluke biomass starts to increase.  Conversely, the fluke fishing mortality rate continues to be exceeded, the coastwide quota will decline and state management measures will become even more stringent. 

Councilor Sima Freierman pointed out that there are both private and public groups who are looking into the way fluke harvest statistics are gathered.  Not everyone thinks that things are as bleak with fluke as are being pictured and, specifically, that the fluke biomass is actually much higher than is estimated and that, accordingly, the biological reference points that guide management of this species should be reviewed and revised.  Commenting on Ms. Freierman's remarks, Mr. Colvin stated that there has been some discussion whether there should be a supplemental review or a completely independent peer review of the fluke assessment work that was done by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) work that was done last year.  At the ASMFC meeting earlier this month, The Fluke Management Board passed a motion expressing a desire to see an additional review done.

Councilor Robert Danielson asked if there had been any talk by the ASMFC on changing the basis on which individual state fluke quotas are made.  Mr. Colvin responded; a motion was made a recent joint meeting of ASMFC and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) to change the basis of the state recreational fluke shares from their respective 1998 fluke landings to an average of the most recent years' landings.  The motion did not pass, but a draft addendum to the summer flounder (fluke), scup and black sea bass interstate fishery management plan will be developed that will describe, among other things, several alternative bases on which individual state fluke quotas might be set.

Mr. Colvin distributed a table showing different combinations of minimum size limits, possession (bag) limits and season limits that would appear to achieve the necessary reduction in New York's recreational fluke fishery for 2007.  Messrs.Dennis Kanyuk, Neil Delanoy, and James Schneider, all associated with the "for hire" industry in New York, spoke on behalf of an approach that would leave the recreational fluke season open as long as possible, even if this meant raising the minimum size limit.  In their view, they will be very hard-pressed for fares during that portion of the year when fluke are present in New York's waters but the recreational season is closed.

Mr. Pat Augustine, one of New York's ASMFC Commissioners, suggested the possibility of having a split recreational fluke season.  Councilor Danielson suggested reducing the minimum size limit for recreationally-harvested fluke.  In his view, a smaller fish weighs less and this would allow a higher bag limit.  Mr. Colvin replied that this doesn't work; lowering the minimum size limit results is much larger numbers of fish caught and makes it very easy to exceed the quota.

 

Page last modified Tuesday, February 27, 2006 by George E. Carroll