From Al Ristori’s NJ.com blog published on Published: Friday, February 24, 2012, 5:00 AM
The Marine Fisheries Council will make decisions on regulations for the upcoming fluke and sea bass seasons at their meeting on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Toms River Township Municipal Building at 33 Washington St.
Five alternatives for fluke have been provided, most of which provide a longer season than last year’s May 7 to Sept. 25. By staying at 18 inches and eight fluke, we could have a spring to fall season lasting as long as to Oct. 28. Opting for a 17.5-inch minimum would drop the season to just May 5 to Sept. 28 with five fish — and with a 17-inch minimum the season would be only from May 29 to Sept. 1 with three fish.
Rich Johnson, of the Fishing Line, reports the New York Department of Environmental Conservation is favoring four fluke at a 19½-inch minimum for their waters in order to get a season from May 3 to Sept. 30. Dropping back to 19 inches would considerably shorten that season.
Check my blog entry at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing for all the New Jersey summer flounder and sea bass alternatives, as well as Mid-Atlantic Council quotas on bluefish that must be commented upon by Thursday. The Council doesn’t appear to be aware of how poor last year’s bluefishing was in New York/New Jersey Bight, and supports a transfer of recreational quota to commercial interests.
In the case of sea bass, we have only two options, with B providing a few more days (210) of a split season running May 19 to Oct. 14 and resuming from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 with the same 25 sea bass at a 12.5-inch minimum as last year. The winter season would also remain open from Jan.1 to Feb. 28, 2013, with a 15-fish bag, under proposed federal waters regulations.
The Marine Fisheries Council will make decisions on regulations for the upcoming fluke and sea bass seasons at their meeting on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Toms River Township Municipal Building at 33 Washington St.
Five alternatives for fluke have been provided, most of which provide a longer season than last year’s May 7 to Sept. 25. By staying at 18 inches and eight fluke, we could have a spring to fall season lasting as long as to Oct. 28. Opting for a 17.5-inch minimum would drop the season to just May 5 to Sept. 28 with five fish — and with a 17-inch minimum the season would be only from May 29 to Sept. 1 with three fish.
Rich Johnson, of the Fishing Line, reports the New York Department of Environmental Conservation is favoring four fluke at a 19½-inch minimum for their waters in order to get a season from May 3 to Sept. 30. Dropping back to 19 inches would considerably shorten that season.
Check out my blog entry at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing for all the New Jersey summer flounder and sea bass alternatives, as well as Mid-Atlantic Council quotas on bluefish that must be commented upon by Thursday. The Council doesn’t appear to be aware of how poor last year’s bluefishing was in New York/New Jersey Bight, and supports a transfer of recreational quota to commercial interests.
In the case of sea bass, we have only two options, with B providing a few more days (210) of a split season running May 19 to Oct. 14 and resuming from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 with the same 25 sea bass at a 12.5-inch minimum as last year. The winter season would also remain open from Jan.1 to Feb. 28, 2013, with a 15-fish bag, under proposed federal waters regulations.
