Fluke Season 2026 Analysis

[MakoMatt]

Let's start with the allocation of quota then the disparity between size limit which change on an annual basis for recs but not comms..

Allocation…………. It is estimated that there are fewer then 5 million recreational anglers in the 11 Staes from Maine to North Carolina under NOAA’s allocation plan. 60% going to commercial interests, and 40% going to recreational.

The population of the United States is approximately 340 million. Fluke are a natural resource of the country. If there are 5 million recreational anglers in the 11 States that fall under the management we represent about 1.5% of the population.

What are your thoughts as to what would be a fair management allocation plan for both stakeholders, keeping in mind that these fish are a natural resource.

 

[OVERBORED]

What is the economic impact of that 1.5% of the population chasing Fluke up and down the east coast?

How much of an impact on just Long Island if those fish were left alone all winter and suddenly seeing 10lbers would be routine?

You keep saying Natural resource..well...Giant tuna are a natural resource but I can't keep one. I need a commercial license. Why?

Because quotas have always favored the commercial sector.

 

[MakoMatt]

What is the economic impact of that 1.5% of the population chasing Fluke up and down the east coast?

How much of an impact on just Long Island if those fish were left alone all winter and suddenly seeing 10lbers would be routine?

You keep saying Natural resource..well...Giant tuna are a natural resource but I can't keep one. I need a commercial license. Why?

Because quotas have always favored the commercial sector.

Incorrect, there is a recreational catch limit for giant BFT known as a “Trophy Fish”

What the heck are you going to do with a large giant BFT?

You haven’t answered the question.

How much of an economic impact does the commercial Fluke fishery contribute to the economy? Make sure you follow the money trail down all avenues including restaurants, etc.

 

[longcast]

Incorrect, there is a recreational catch limit for giant BFT known as a “Trophy Fish”

What the heck are you going to do with a large giant BFT?

You haven’t answered the question.

How much of an economic impact does the commercial Fluke fishery contribute to the economy? Make sure you follow the money trail down all avenues including restaurants, etc.

A blip.........................

 

[longcast]

Incorrect, there is a recreational catch limit for giant BFT known as a “Trophy Fish”

What the heck are you going to do with a large giant BFT?

You haven’t answered the question.

How much of an economic impact does the commercial Fluke fishery contribute to the economy? Make sure you follow the money trail down all avenues including restaurants, etc.

Incorrect, there is a recreational catch limit for giant BFT known as a “Trophy Fish” - Can I keep one every trip every day?

What the heck are you going to do with a large giant BFT? - None of your concern.

 

[MakoMatt]

Incorrect, there is a recreational catch limit for giant BFT known as a “Trophy Fish” - Can I keep one every trip every day?

What the heck are you going to do with a large giant BFT? - None of your concern.

As in most “hunting” of other species there are limits, quotas, etc. Nothing unusual about that.

What becomes and how the Nation’s natural resources are used is concern for all Americans. BFT doesn’t freeze very well for any length of time. One should be enough to feed any family.

But if you want to discuss the economic impact of the commercial giant BFT fishery. Vs the recreational one……. There’s no comparison.

 

[OVERBORED]

Keep drinking the regulatory Kool aide. Quotas are not about science. They're about special interests that the commercial sector has in abundance.

 

[longcast]

As in most “hunting” of other species there are limits, quotas, etc. Nothing unusual about that.

What becomes and how the Nation’s natural resources are used is concern for all Americans. BFT doesn’t freeze very well for any length of time. One should be enough to feed any family.

But if you want to discuss the economic impact of the commercial giant BFT fishery. Vs the recreational one……. There’s no comparison.

Nothing but a blip in all reality. The world will go on...............................................

 

[MakoMatt]

Yes, this rock will continue revolving around the sun.

Without regulations many species would most likely be extinct, and many near extinction. Not saying the regulations are correct but this is an evolving science.

At the end of the day the science is really all we have to work with.

 

[longcast]

Yes, this rock will continue revolving around the sun.

Without regulations many species would most likely be extinct, and many near extinction. Not saying the regulations are correct but this is an evolving science.

At the end of the day the science is really all we have to work with.

I fully understand what you are saying, but the recs need a better bite of the apple. I do find it appalling that the fluke fleet can maul them on the spawning grounds when they all come together for the dance.

 

[MakoMatt]

I fully understand what you are saying, but the recs need a better bite of the apple. I do find it appalling that the fluke fleet can maul them on the spawning grounds when they all come together for the dance.

I do not have any knowledge as to the effect of the deeper water winter trawl that takes place. I have to ASS-ume that, right or wrong, the science indicates that given the allotment the commercial fishermen have been given the fishery would remain healthy and not categorized as “overfished”

I do know that when commercial fishing becomes too effective, too devastating to the stock, that regulations, even outright bans, have been implemented. One such example that hits home was the banning of pair trawling in the canyons. They could wipe out an entire school of tuna.

 

[OVERBORED]

Yes, this rock will continue revolving around the sun.

Without regulations many species would most likely be extinct, and many near extinction. Not saying the regulations are correct but this is an evolving science.

At the end of the day the science is really all we have to work with.

Do you mean "best available science" or actual data that the gentleman from NJ so eloquently put together?

What we see on the water and in our coolers does not add up to what regulators are trying to accomplish. There's alot of fluke being landed and killed. Unfortunately not by rod and reel and definitely not in NY!

 

[MakoMatt]

Do you mean "best available science" or actual data that the gentleman from NJ so eloquently put together?

What we see on the water and in our coolers does not add up to what regulators are trying to accomplish. There's alot of fluke being landed and killed. Unfortunately not by rod and reel and definitely not in NY!

What you see in your coolers is antidotal information, and not science.

Some may recall that the Spiny Dogfish was listed as overfished in the 1990’s. There were many many fishermen that said its bullchit there are millions of them around. I remember shark fishing in the Fall when the water cooled down to a point you couldn’t keep a bait in the water. The dogfish were so thick they would swarm the boat. That does mean they weren’t overfished.

Two things cans be true at the same time.

 

[longcast]

What you see in your coolers is antidotal information, and not science.

Some may recall that the Spiny Dogfish was listed as overfished in the 1990’s. There were many many fishermen that said its bullchit there are millions of them around. I remember shark fishing in the Fall when the water cooled down to a point you couldn’t keep a bait in the water. The dogfish were so thick they would swarm the boat. That does mean they weren’t overfished.

Two things cans be true at the same time.

What you see in your coolers is antidotal information, and not science.

Eh, if it is a couple coolers, maybe. But an entire island?? Bays and ocean??

That is a lot of recs providing data. Some of us have been fishing for many years, this season was pitiful. And it was not bad luck. They were not here. And if you want to claim climate change, I did not hear of a gangbuster fluke season north of us, actually the opposite.

Tell you what. Ban the winter spawning grounds fishery and let's see what happens. Markets will pivot. Nobody will go hungry.

 

[Kona]

What is the economic impact of that 1.5% of the population chasing Fluke up and down the east coast?

How much of an impact on just Long Island if those fish were left alone all winter and suddenly seeing 10lbers would be routine?

You keep saying Natural resource..well...Giant tuna are a natural resource but I can't keep one. I need a commercial license. Why?

Because quotas have always favored the commercial sector.

Not stripers, not even close. The rec sector gets 90% or so of the allowable harvest in NY.

 

[dsedy]

Nets.

100%

 

[dsedy]

Regulating mesh size is a joke!

Trip limits are a joke!

Size disparity between Recs and Comms is a joke!

Its not complicated. Draggers dont catch and release fish alive! Stop or limit the winter fishery.

common sense 100% agreed
not even debateable.

 

[dsedy]

Not stripers, not even close. The rec sector gets 90% or so of the allowable harvest in NY.

the only thing i had to see first hand to understand how the oceans and species are being raped.... was a tagging trip off Montauk for Stripers (hook and line) ...turned the corner west of the lighthouse up the beach and about 1000 of them stripers were dead and floating on the surface...caught up by the dragers the night before, dead, and discarded....they came in on the tide ...we netted as many as we could, but it was disgusting what an industrial operation can do inadvertently

 

[Kona]

Even if the captain has bass tags and each crew member has bass tags a dragger may only retain 12? Bass par trip! I’ve been out of the NY DEC. Fisheries management clusterfeck for a few years so that may not be a completely accurate number but it’s close. Other gear types are only limited by the number of tags held by people on the vessel, unfortunately a dragger targeting scup or squid may encounter a school of bass. Blame the regulators.