Editor's Note: The Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, at a joint meetiing December 9 in Montauk, approved a fluke or summer flounder harvest limit of 7.16-million pounds for 2009 for recreational anglers, compared with 6.21-million pounds in 2008.

Each state, including New Jersey, will now decide the state's own recommended recreational bag and size limit for fluke to meet the harvest limit, and submit the recommendation to the MAFMC and ASMFC for approval or rejection.

If the recommendation is rejected, those two federal agencies will impose a two-fish, 20-inch size limit on the state.

In a nutshell, although the harvest limit for 2009 is larger than the previous year's, the number is not large enough to significantly relax New Jersey's fluke bag limit that the recreational fishing industry generally believes is harsh, unnecessary, irresponsible and devastating to the fishing industry and to recreational anglers' fishing opportunities.

Anglers should consider supporting organizations such as the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund to correct the situation. Visit the SSFFF's web site to read about it.

Click here for a pdf from the MAFMC and ASMFC about the meeting and decision.

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