From the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, AUGUST 20, 2008
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER 202/289-6400

Alexandria, VA – The Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass has approved initiation of an addendum to explore the addition of maximum size limits as a potential management tool for the summer flounder recreational fishery. Maximum size limits may provide managers with a wider range of recreational management tools (for example, slot limits or trophy fish) as the stock continues to rebuild.

The Board’s action is taken in response to a preliminary review by the Summer Flounder Technical Committee on the use of slot limits in the recreational fishery. Given that the effectiveness of state-specific slot limits could not be evaluated due to the limited length frequency data at the state level, the Technical Committee recommended that slot limits should only be considered on a coastwide basis. The Technical Committee also cautioned that seasons and size limits associated with slot limits are likely to be more restrictive than current regulations given the greater availability of fish that could fall within the slot limit.

The Board directed the Technical Committee to determine whether the available data could be used to develop regional slot limits. The first draft of the addendum will be developed for Board review at the Commission’s Annual Meeting this October in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Senior Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator for Management, at (202)289-6400 or tkerns@asmfc.org.
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Tina Berger
Public Affairs Specialist
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1444 I Street. NW, Sixth Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202)289-6400
FAX: (202)289-6051
Email: tberger@asmfc.org
www.asmfc.org

ASMFC Vision: Healthy, self-sustaining populations of all Atlantic coast fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015.

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