DEC might shrink minimum fluke size limit
A rare bit of good news for the state's recreational fluke fishing could come next year, as regulators consider reducing the size limit of the popular groundfish by as much as 1.5 inches for next season.
Commercial fishermen, however, likely face a reduction in their allowable fluke quota because of a series of altered calculations from federal fishing regulators, a state official said.
If approved after meetings and analysis, the measures could be finalized by March.
The 2011 size limit for fluke caught on party boats and other recreational venues was 20.5 inches -- a limit that meant many fish went back in the water. The 2012 size limit could be reduced to possibly 19 inches, said Jim Gilmore, chief of marine resources for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
"We want to get it down to 19.5 or even 19 inches, just so there's more fish that people can keep," Gilmore said.
The easing would address widespread complaints by party boat captains, recreational boaters and dockside fishermen that the size limit was an unrealistically high bar, one that led many to simply abandon fluke fishing this year.
"That would be a big break for the [recreational] industry," said Joe McBride, legislative representative for the Montauk Boatman's & Captains Association. "It will allow more people to harvest the smaller ones. There really has been a paucity of 20.5-inch fish."
The recreational fluke fishing season would remain May 1 to Sept. 30, Gilmore said, and the daily catch limit is expected to remain three fish per person. A final decision on the data could come as soon as next week, he said.
The possible easing comes despite tightening of total fluke catch limits by federal regulators after a recent meeting in Virginia.
While the fluke population was recently declared 100 percent rebuilt, a series of recalculations in just how much the population is thriving led regulators to cut back on the total quota for 2012. That cutback will have its biggest impact on New York's commercial fishermen.
Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, said she is expecting a reduction in the commercial fluke quota of as much as 24 percent next year, a figure she called "ridiculous" given the rebuilt fluke fishery. Gilmore said precise figures are not yet available but could be next week.
Gilmore said the DEC continues to make a push for New York to have a greater share of federal fluke quotas, both recreationally and commercially.
As it stands, New York commercial fishermen receive only 8 percent of the total federal fluke limit, while states like North Carolina and Virginia have in excess of 20 percent -- even though the most robust fisheries remain in waters off the New York coast.
