Call for probe into federal fluke quota

Citing a longtime Captree fishing-boat family forced to shut down its business last year, Sen. Charles Schumer has called for a federal investigation into inequities in New York's share of the federal fluke quota.

In a letter Tuesday to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for a nonpartisan probe into fluke quotas, which he said were based on outdated data that is "scientifically flawed and economically unfair."

New York recreational anglers get 17 percent of the fluke allotment compared with 39 percent for New Jersey fishers. On the commercial side, the New York quota is just 7.6 percent federal allotment, compared with 27.4 percent for North Carolina, 21 percent for Virginia and 16 percent for New Jersey.

"Long Island anglers have been unfairly punished by inaccurate, unfair regulations that limit their ability to fish," Schumer said.

The call for a probe is the latest in a series of thus-far unsuccessful measures by lawmakers and local regulators to change the system that gives New York a smaller portion of the federal allocation for locally vital species such as fluke. Those inequalities exist, both for commercial and recreational fishermen, even though waters off New York are popular fishing grounds for out-of-state fishermen, and the fluke population is considered largely rebuilt, advocates say.

"What's so devastating about it is that there's more fluke out there than ever," said Kathy Heinlein, president of the Captree Boatmen's Association and former co-owner of the fluke party boat the Tradewinds II, which shut down last fall after 12 years in business.

New York regulators are trying to push through new rules that would lower the size of keeper fluke to 19 inches from a current 20.5 inches, a move recently advocated by Long Island Association chief Kevin Law.

But some say the call for an investigation doesn't go far enough for a fishing industry that is on the ropes. "It's the same old stuff," said Jim Donofrio, executive director of the New Jersey-based Recreational Fishing Alliance, which represents anglers, tackle shop owners and fishing boat captains. "Mr. Schumer should recognize his priority should be to fix the law to get us fishing. All this other stuff is window dressing."

A GAO spokesman said it was too early to tell whether the probe requested by Schumer would be opened.