Chairman Wise reported on the activities of the Winter Flounder Work Group. This group is charged with developing and undertaking a series of discussions with commercial and recreational fishing about the continued poor performance of winter flounder stocks in New York, the possible reasons for this state of affairs, and management measures that might be considered to deal with the problem. Mr. Wise stated that the Work Group (himself, Councilors Mason and Somma, DEC’s Alice Weber and Ann Mooney) had agreed upon a general approach to its task. The results of a written survey on winter flounder management and management issues released in The Long Island Fisherman several years ago will be given to the Work Group. Two separate discussion groups of about 15 members each will be formed for recreational and commercial fishermen. These groups will work independently to produce a summary analysis of the winter flounder situation and these analyses will be presented to and discussed at larger meetings in January and February, e.g., Commercial Fishermen’s Forum and Annual Meeting of New York Sport Fishing Federation. Based on this feedback, the two groups may revise their assessments, which the Work Group will eventually combine into a single assessment and present to the Council at its April 2001 meeting. Mr. Wise invited him to join the work group. Mr. Wise emphasized that both the commercial and recreational groups needed to be as inclusive as possible.