The clock is ticking on those who depend on recreational fishing & boating in Atlantic City, Margate, Brigantine and other Jersey shore towns. Small mom & pop businesses barely have 16 weekends each summer to make a living. Starting MAY 11, it’s gonna get worse.
The enemy (other states) will be voting YES to a take-home limit of 3 flounder @ 19 inches per day in New Jersey. This will put a serious hurting on a key summer business & popular family activity.
South Jersey has an amazing fishery. Other states are jealous. They want to grab/poach more of our Jersey flounder stock.
How do they accomplish that devious goal? Easy. The competing states collectively vote for onerous, foolish and harmful regulations targeted at NJ recreational anglers. That’s how.
And what do we do as NJ fishermen? We sit back and take it. Except for Robin Scott. She may be tiny, but she packs a punch.
LISTEN> Robin Scott of Margate. Her letter to President Trump.. about flounder regulation.
We ask: will our elected state officials (like Frank LoBiondo) step up and protect our Jersey stock of flounder? Will local South Jersey politicians step up to protect the 2nd largest industry in the state of New Jersey?
Most agree: saving the recreational fishing industry and the jobs connected with it, is far more important than building expensive, temporary, un-needed dunes along the South Jersey coast. (note: even Wildwood with their mile wide beaches are being forced to get dunes. WTF.)
Other Mid-Atlantic states pillage our NJ flounder fishing stocks….using their more favorable regulations. Those states have regs that allow for longer seasons and keeper sizes 17 inches and under. Those states are enemy of NJ fishing.
Margate’s Robin Scott often calls out the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council & Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission. These 2 organizations are not friendly to NJ voices. They will do a joint vote about the future of Jersey flounder fishing on MAY 11. The outcome will not be favorable to NJ.
Robin Scott is one of the FEW fishing advocates that is actively trying to overturn the forthcoming regulations. These rules are said to be based on flawed science & research. They were allegedly created to benefit other mid-Atlantic states that want to poach our South Jersey waters.
Robin Scott
23 yrs ago, Summer flounder had a 13 inch minimum. You could enjoy recreational fishing at anytime. There were no seasons. Fish were plenty. But over the years, size limits increased.
When flounder keeper sizes increased to 17 & 18 inches…growth of the flounder fishery stalled. As keeper size increased, it actually started to hurt the stock.
18 & 19 inchers are mama flounder. The breeders.
Research shows that male flounder die off by time they are 17 inches. But NJ recreational fishermen have to throw then back. How foolish that we’re forced by flawed regulations…to only catch & keep spawning stock in their prime.
When we throw back all those flounder under 18 inches, many die. We call that a ‘mortality rate’.
True story: Last summer, a South Jersey fisherman reported 77 shorts (flounder under 18 inches) that he had to throw back…..in order to get one keeper (18 inches) flounder. That keeper flounder was an 18inch spawning female.
Can you see the obvious scam here? We must leave the prime breeders alone.
If you’re a South Jersey bait & tackle shop, it’s time to stop crying and complaining. It’s time to do something. If your seashore business relies on boating, fishing and crabbing, it’s time for serious action…or else. Because, whatever you’ve been doing to fight these bad regulations…..hasn’t been working. Time for a new, last minute game plan. A Hail Mary pass.
One suggestion: Light a fire under Congressman Frank LoBiondo’s you know what. He has the juice. Call me crazy, but the recreational fishing & boating industry is more important to South Jersey than expensive, temporary and un-needed dune building. You can quote us on that.
The post Countdown to Flounder Armageddon. New Rules Cripple Atlantic City Area Fishing appeared first on ACprimetime .
I am not a New Jersey resident but I do frequent the shore lines for fishing. I had no idea this problem existed until I read this post. Is there anything others can do to support this effort ? I believe our fish and waters are a very important to our environment and lives. Anything to save and to have the fish reproduce is what I’m about. Our water ways are a blessing and should always be well maintained to keep all species going forward.