JCAA

      

 

Highly Migratory Species Report

by John T. Koegler

(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association June 2001 Newsletter)

NMFS has not published their 2001-year recreational bluefin tuna rules, bag limits and season in the Federal Registry. However, expected but not yet official is the following:

 

1-      Bag limit - 4 bluefin per boat trip any size

2-      Season - Open early either June 1 or June 15- Likely will remain open until Oct. 15.

3-      Quota - a very large carry forward quota is equal to almost 3 years school allocation.

4-    Permit cost has increased to $27.00 from $25.00

      New procedure allows you to get a fax copy of the permit after payment.

      Stated time to get a permit by fax is 3 days after payment.

5-   The phone number for a permit is 1-888-USA-TUNA

Other Bluefin Tuna Issues:

There will be a shift in north/south management line from the middle of Delaware Bay to just north of Ocean City, NJ. This should increase the number of bluefin actually landed before the season is closed. New Jersey is over 130 miles long and has 10 inlets to the ocean. This resulted in a few bluefin tuna caught in Cape May ports being multiplied by the total number of permitted NJ boats. This over estimated the number of bluefin that were landed by a large amount.

North NJ has the majority of the permitted boats. However, they were the multiplier in the statistical system used to count angler landings. This statistical problem closed the angler’s season early when, in fact, very few tuna were actually landed. The new shift of the north south line should correct this problem.

Alaska ITQ's for Charterboats:

Alaska has huge commercial fisheries both in terms of dollars and landings. One of the hot commercial fisheries is Halibut. These flat fish grow to a huge size often exceeding 100 pounds.

The chance to land such huge fish has created a new Alaska charterboat fishery. The commercial fishermen have demanded limits on these landings. The solution chosen was an Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) for the charterboats BASED ON THEIR LANDING HISTORY. Their quota allocation would come from the current commercial quota. In the process there was no quota assigned to the recreational angler. Anglers presumably would not be allowed to keep Halibut if not caught commercially or from a charterboat.

Seasons, bag and size limits:

Charterboats and Headboats are having a tough time staying in business with new short seasons and smaller bag limits being upped every year by fishery managers. It has been documented that anglers compare the price of their fishing trip with the bag limit to determine if the trip on a charterboat or headboat is "worth the cost.”

The 2001 fluke season will close shortly after Labor Day.  The best fluke fishing for New Jersey anglers is September and October. This will become a real problem this year for all anglers. During the last three seasons the best surf fishing for fluke was between Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

Most anglers are willing to support tough management rules and they do their part to aid fish stock recovery. However, anglers have already gone from 13" fluke limit to 16" plus a three and 1/2 half-month season and now face a federal waters limit of 3 fish per person. This is not to reward anglers expected for their total support of fluke management plans, especially when it is known that anglers had not caused the problem with 99% of the fish stocks that are depleted. Where all this will end is unknown, but surely anglers must fight harder and make an issue of every decision with their politician, like the commercials do. The alternative is to be managed out of your own fisheries by poor fishery management choices.

If you do not think this is where this management is headed, just look at the fluke plan or, better, consider how totally absurd the past rules of 2 school bluefin tuna per boat really is.

Guys and Gals, it's time to go fishing. Fishing will be great this year despite the problems.