[655825]

I attended the DEC meeting. In My opinion it was a joke. They put us in a room to small and then tell us we are probably going to over fish the fluke again. People,People,People!!!!!!!!!!
We better wake up soon and get involved or it's going to be by by for fluke and alot of families livelihood. We the recreational fisherman put alot of $$$$$ into the states kitty nevermind the feds kitty.
There are alternatives I believe that can be offered. Slot the fish. Not only fluke but striped bass also. Get real numbers not rely on hourly employees to fill out forms so they can get paid.
We have to make a stand.

Captain Layne

 

[pequa1]

Captain Layne,
Thank you for attending. Sounds like DEC tried to pull the same stunt they tried by having the Donald Trump hearing upstate, off the island. I have supported a slot limit all along on most fish. Trophy fish simply spawn far greater numbers than "plate size." I will never limit out on four at 20 1/2 and most who think they will in the southwest of LI are dreaming. Besides, one 20 inch fish feeds the four of us. I have only been surveyed once, and only on a weekend, and that was three years ago. Although the guy seemed to take it seriously, I noticed he ignored two other boats with fishing poles, and I was ALONE that day.
Are you a comm or headboat skipper ? If so, would a slot be a nightmare for you ?

 

[655825]

Pequa1,
I'm a charter boat skipper and ex-headboat captain. I also guide in the Keys.
I believe in slotting fish. It wouldn't hurt any headboat, it should add to the keeper ratio. In the longrun it will streghten the fishery because it keeps the big fish gene around instead of all of us taking them out of the equation.
Especially in the striped bass fishery. There's plenty of fish out there, we have to make sure their there for our children. Not like the winter flounder and blowfish that hardly exist any more.

Captain Layne

 

[CaptPaul]

A slot size would have been beneficial to the fishery and the industry ten years ago. Now, it's too late. The slot would be 15" to 15 1/8" at this point in the process.

Paul

 

[bucktail]

I have been fishing on eastern Long Island for 41 of my 46 years, both surf and private boat, inshore and offshore and I have NEVER been surveyed.If the powers that be are actually doing the job that they are supposed to be doing, I should have run across one of these jokers at least once IMHO. If this is the only way that data is collected, it's no wonder they can't get the numbers right. Last year was tougher for fluke, but all but 2 trips out of approximately 40 resulted in at least 1 keeper per man, and we had a bunch of limits. The data sucks gentlemen!

 

[guest]

bucktail wrote:
but all but 2 trips out of approximately 40 resulted in at least 1 keeper per man, and we had a bunch of limits. The data sucks gentlemen!

Which is why they think NY went over the rec quota.

 

[655825]

Paul,
If that's the case what else is there? I don't see how those should be the numbers anyway. But shuting it down isn't the answer either?

Captain Layne

 

[loligo]

bucktail wrote:
I have been fishing on eastern Long Island for 41 of my 46 years, both surf and private boat, inshore and offshore and I have NEVER been surveyed.If the powers that be are actually doing the job that they are supposed to be doing, I should have run across one of these jokers at least once IMHO. If this is the only way that data is collected, it's no wonder they can't get the numbers right. Last year was tougher for fluke, but all but 2 trips out of approximately 40 resulted in at least 1 keeper per man, and we had a bunch of limits. The data sucks gentlemen!

Times a couple million......I've never been surveyed either....

 

[WaterAye]

I have been surveyed once in person and almost every year via telephone.

I have mixed feelings about giving them data as it is voluntary and I do not believe in the data the survey provides. The same with returning tags.

When I started as a marine biologist one of my first jobs was as an enumerator doing dockside and telephone surveys. Back then things were much friendlier out there. I wouldn't like to do that job now.

 

[CaptPaul]

ljhawkone wrote:
Paul,
If that's the case what else is there? I don't see how those should be the numbers anyway. But shuting it down isn't the answer either?

Captain LayneWhat else there is, are complicated and/or expensive changes to the management procedure. As for shutting it down, if you are facced w/ attaining what is looking to become an impossible goal, and every time you step up your attempts, they have no effect, maybe shutting it down is the only answer- the answer to covering your ass when people ask why you aren't being successful. The answer to others, when the shut down has little effect on biomass. The answer to running into similar problems w/ other species, when the shut-down causes massive political outcry to adopt a system that is more interactive w/ the environment and responsive to managers thoughts. did anyone ever think that they may be putting the fluke up as the sacrificial lamb, to incite a change in the system that will allow effective management, or at least managemnet that has a purpose.

Paul

 

[WaterAye]

CaptPaul wrote:
didanyone ever think that they may be putting the fluke up as the sacrificial lamb, to incite a change in the system that will allow effective management, or at least managemnet that has a purpose.

I did. I have seen NMFS do this before. The thinking being we can't fix it until it breaks. I would not be a bit surprised to see NMFS follow the letter of the law and shut fluke entirely in 2009.

 

[rydogg]

there was an ad in the local paper for a fisherman surveyer!!they want people to interview boaters and shore birds and to rides head boats and keep notes of fish #s.

 

[WaterAye]

That's it. If you feel like getting bitched at, it's the perfect job. When I did it, some 18 years ago, it was working for NMFS. Since Clinton (Bill) much of NMFS field work gets done by outside contractors who bid on the jobs. I think it was called "reinventing government".

 

[616223]

from my point of view it all comes down to the dollor that is why they keep playing with all the money fish specialy the fluke it is a fish that genarates the most money threw out the east cost the flounders need to be paid more attention to but they say stocks are good i think there is just no money in flounders so they say who cares but u no what what is the state going to do when they put every party boat tackle store local tackle suppliers and bay men out of work what is the state going to do for us guys now it is time to wake up and put the commercial vs rec bull*hit behind us and get some thing done or there is going to be alot of people out of work and in a world of trouble and that is just the rec side of the busness

 

[612404]

We all agree that the numbers are wrong. But the problem is how can we prove it to a point were our input can be use in the calculations.
WE JUST CAN SAY WE CAUGHT LESS FISH.
What if we start a forum on this board were we could input the number of keepers we catch.
All the information would be kept SIMPLE and hopefully HONEST, just the date and number of fluke taken home.
I don't know how many members this site has but if a good portion of us supply the numbers maybe we could come up with some data that could be used with the TAL calculations. I assume someone at the DEC looks at this site so it maybe helpful.
Who knows, maybe we are going over our quota then again maybe we are not.But we'll never know unless we can produce some useful numbers.

 

[loligo]

ibjjoe wrote:

Who knows, maybe we are going over our quota then again maybe we are not.But we'll never know unless we can produce some useful numbers.

Exactly

 

[MakoMike]

WaterAye wrote:
CaptPaul wrote:
didanyone ever think that they may be putting the fluke up as the sacrificial lamb, to incite a change in the system that will allow effective management, or at least managemnet that has a purpose.

I did. I have seen NMFS do this before. The thinking being we can't fix it until it breaks. I would not be a bit surprised to see NMFS follow the letter of the law and shut fluke entirely in 2009.

What other choice do they have? Sure they may know what's coming down the pike, but they are powerless to stop it.

As for everyone else complaining about the DEC, they have nothing to do with the situation, its entirely an NMFS/NOAA problem.

 

[655825]

We can start by writing letters to the following to at least let these people know that some of us are out here.

James W. Balsiger
Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
United States Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Springs,Maryland 20910

 

[guest]

ljhawkone wrote:
We can start by writing letters to the following to at least let these people know that some of us are out here.

James W. Balsiger
Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
United States Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Springs,Maryland 20910

I think they know people are out there. But they can't do much to change things

 

[MakoMike]

ljhawkone wrote:
We can start by writing letters to the following to at least let these people know that some of us are out here.

James W. Balsiger
Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
United States Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Springs,Maryland 20910

You may as well also write a letter to the commissioner of Internal revenue and tell him you don't like paying taxes. It will do about as much good. If you want to really do something write to your congressman and senators and tell them to support the Fisheries flexability act.