Limits placed on summer flounder01:00 AM EST on Sunday, February 10, 2008
Coastal fishing regulators have established a coast-wide limit for summer flounder. Now it’s up to state regulators to establish a recreational-fishing season and limits on fluke for 2008. Rhode Island faces a 52-percent cut.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, meeting in Virginia last week, decided to limit the recreational summer-flounder catch to 2.05 million fish this year.
Members from each coastal state issued guidelines to each state that would meet the overall goal.
Each state has some flexibility in establishing its own rules within the guidelines. If a state fails to conform to the guidelines, its anglers automatically will be limited to two-fish possession limit.
The minimum size will be 20 inches, and the season will run from July 4 to Sept. 1.
In Rhode Island, the Department of Environmental Management will hold a public hearing Feb. 26 on proposed amendments to the state’s marine fisheries regulations.
The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus Corless Auditorium on South Ferry Road in Narragansett.
Last year, a Rhode Island fisherman was allowed to keep seven fluke a day.
The minimum size was 19 inches, and the season ran from May 18 to Sept. 16.
The target limit was 138,174 fish, but 221,141 were caught, according to the ASMFC.
As a result, this year’s target limit is 116,043 fish — a 52-percent reduction.
That can mean a shorter season, a reduced bag limit or a more restrictive size limit.
In neighboring waters, regulators are aiming to cut Connecticut’s catch by 29 percent and New York’s by nearly 46 percent. Massachusetts faces no cuts, and regulators recommend maintaining the status quo there.
The coastal panel also approved scup recreational management measures for the waters from Massachusetts through New York.
The private and shore-based fishery will have a 10.5-inch minimum size, 10-fish bag limit, and an open season of May 24 through Sept. 25. Party and charter boats will have an 11-inch minimum size and a 10-fish bag limit for 81 consecutive days to be determined by each state.
They will also have a bonus season for 45 consecutive days with a 45-fish bag limit, according to Toni Kerns, senior fisheries management plan coordinator.
Stripers are strong
In another announcement, the marine fisheries commission said recreational fishermen are killing many more striped bass than commercial fishermen are killing.
A benchmark striper study, endorsed by an independent panel of scientists, concluded that striped bass are not over-fished, and over-fishing is not occurring.
The assessment estimates that the striper population remains at a high level.
The population of spawning female fish weighs an estimated 55 million pounds, well above the target of 38.6 million pounds.
Recreational fishermen took nearly three times more bass than commercial fishermen in 2006.
The total striped bass harvest (commercial and recreational) was estimated at 3.82 million fish, a 46-percent increase from 2002 when new regulations were enacted.
The commercial harvest of 1.05 million fish was dominated by Maryland’s commercial fleet, which made up 62 percent of the total commercial landings by number in 2006.
Coast-wide, recreational fishermen took 2.77 million bass.
Commercial discard deaths in 2006 were estimated at 216,753 fish.
Recreational discard deaths were estimated at 2.07 million fish.
Combined, the number of stripers killed intentionally and unintentionally by recreational fishermen accounted for 79 percent of the bass killed in 2006.
Based on advice from scientists, regulators from the coastal states recommended maintaining the status quo in fishing limits this season.
Tie one on in Coventry
David Porreca, owner of the fly shop, River & Riptide Anglers, has started a series of Saturday seminars.
The classes, for beginners and intermediate fly tiers, are scheduled to begin Saturday at 2 p.m.
Here’s the schedule:
Feb. 16: Porreca ties freshwater floating nymphs and emergers.
Feb. 23: Bob Hines ties bonefish flies and offers a short presentation.
March 1: Joe Cordeiro ties Rhody Flatwings.
March 8: Porreca ties mayfly duns and spinners.
March 15: John O’Meara stacks deer hair and ties flies.
March 22: Hines ties cinderworms and offers a short presentation.
Tuition is $20 per class with tools and materials provided.
The shop is located at 2435 Nooseneck Hill Rd. in Coventry at the Maple Root Center. For more information, call the store at 392-1919.
Addieville tying classes
Addieville East Farm in Burrillville is launching a series of winter fly-tying classes with fly-fishing instructor Ed Lombardo.
The classes will be held near the fireplace in the farm’s lodge.
Addieville East Farm, in the Mapleville village of Burrillville, is a 900-acre sporting estate, once named among the top 10 in the United States.
The classes will cover the best freshwater and saltwater flies for New England.
The classes are scheduled for six consecutive Mondays at 6:30 p.m., starting Feb. 18.
For the first five classes, there will be one table for beginners and another for advanced fly tiers. On the final evening, everyone will tie together, Lombardo said.
Tuition for all five classes is $150.
Materials and tools will be provided.
To register, call Addieville East Farm at 568-3185.
Dinner time for grouse
The Rhode Island Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) will hold its third annual Sportsmen’s Banquet March 8 at Ivy Garden, 272 Cowesett Ave., West Warwick, beginning with cocktails at 5 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for RGS members, $25 for a spouse, and $50 for new or renewing members. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit research and habitat improvements locally and nationally, said Ed McGovern, the event’s chairman.
Banquet tickets are available online at
www.ruffedgrousesociety.org or by calling McGovern at 539-3178.
tmeade@projo.com 