[WaterAye]

What conservation equivalencies have been considered to meet the target recreational summer flounder quota in NY?

Are we limited to:
size limits
season limits
bag limits

For example, can we get some additional quota for mandating circle hooks, barbless hooks? eliminating night fishing? five day weeks? one rod per angler?.....

 

[MakoMike]

Not sure what the question is. What has NY DEC and the ASMFC technical committee considered? I have no idea.

What are "we limited to:" if we means the states then there are no limits, anything and everything should be evalutated and weighed. As I said before closed seasons are the most effective way to limit catch from a conservational equivalncy point of view, but even that has to be weighted. Closing the fluke season in Jan. & Feb isn't going to get you anything. Closing it at the beginning or end of the natural season will get you a little. Closing it in the middle of the natural season will get you a lot.

Bag limts are the next most effective method of limiting the catch and get the second highest rating in term of conservational squivalancy. Size limits are the least effective of the "big three" and get the least amount of conservational equivancy "points."

I dobt that any of the other alternatives would have much effect on the conservational equivancy score, except for the one limiting fishing to five days a week. That might earn big points, depending on the days of the week selected. Obviously closing fishing on Sat & Sun is going to get you more points than closing it on Tuesday & Thursday.

I hope that was responsive to your question.

 

[Seajay2]

"eliminating night fishing?"

I wouldn't think there is a whole lot of fluke fishing going on at night in these parts.

 

[CaptPaul]

WaterAye,

Those options, and others, are available to help reduce landings (Increase season, bag, or decrease size). However, most are insignificant or unproven. Eliminating days of the week would be effective, but that is not really acceptable for insutry- We all (Boats and tackle trade, etc.) would rather give up three days of poor revenue on one end of the season rahter than one day of potentially strong revenues during the season. As for using certain hooks, compliance is factored in, so the savings may be minimal. I do beleive that it is already illegal to use more than one rod in NY. Back to hooks, it was, in fact, recommended at the December meeting that Kahle, or wide gap, hooks be mandated in the fishery to provide a something-teen percent savings. Funny, but those things are, in my experience (and I see ALL hooks used frequently) the most devastating hook on a bigger fluke. They do have more of a mouth-hooking incidence, but when the do get even a bit deeper, you need a shotgun to get them out.

Also, NY has conveniently submitted their options to ASFMC and they have been approved, so I am not sure if there can be any alterations w/o going out of compliance. Mike would know better.

Paul

 

[WaterAye]

Thanks MakoMike, I understand now.

Seajay2, I wonder if night fluking w/ rod and reel is done anywhere. I know gigging or firelighting is done and that fluke are actively predators at night. I wonder why it isn't done? I have caught them at night while bass fishing, but never targeted them at night.

Capt.Paul wrote:
Ido beleive that it is already illegal to use more than one rod in NY. Back to hooks, it was, in fact, recommended at the December meeting that Kahle, or wide gap, hooks be mandated in the fishery to provide a something-teen percent savings. Funny, but those things are, in my experience (and I see ALL hooks used frequently) the most devastating hook on a bigger fluke. They do have more of a mouth-hooking incidence, but when the do get even a bit deeper, you need a shotgun to get them out.

I did not know about the one rod per angler law. One more thing I'm guilty of, oops.

I had a discussion with the big cheese at NY DEC about hooks and fluke. He believes that barb-less hooks will actually be lodged deeper in the digestive tract then the barbed hooks. I don't know. Seems like a great idea for an ACCSP grant.

 

[MakoMike]

CaptPaul wrote:
Also, NY has conveniently submitted their options to ASFMC and they have been approved, so I am not sure if there can be any alterations w/o going out of compliance. Mike would know better.

Paul

Paul,
I think, but I am not sure, that you are correct. Once the options are submitted they are cast in stone. It may be possible to submit an amendment beofre the season actually starts, but I'm really not sure about that.