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Trenton, NJ --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement tonight through his legislative aide, Tim DelMonico, at a public hearing on a summer flounder, scup and black sea bass fishery management plan.
"I apologize that I am not here in person today to discuss this critical issue, but I would like my staff representative to make a statement because I know this is very important to the fishermen in my congressional district.
"I implore the members of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) to avoid making a drastic mistake in how they manage New Jersey's summer flounder.
"Summer flounder is one of the most important recreational fish to resident and non-resident anglers. On average, about one million recreational anglers take over 2.4 million fishing trips directed at summer flounder in New Jersey.
"Recreational fishing directed at summer flounder is a critical component of the state's economy. Anglers in New Jersey targeting summer flounder spend over $300 million in expenditures, support 2,800 full-time equivalent jobs and produce $18 million in sales tax income per year.
"Party boats out of Cape May, Margate, Barnegat Light, Point Pleasant, Brielle, Shark River, Keyport, and the Highlands specifically target summer flounder and derive a significant portion of their income from this species. They are dependant upon sufficient summer flounder quota to remain active in this fishery.
"This hearing will address Draft Addendum XIX to the summer flounder, scup and black sea bass fishery management plan which would modify the present system of conservation equivalency for fluke to allow for the formation of alternative state-by-state shares in the recreational fishery.
"It also proposes allowing the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to adjust biological reference points during the species' annual specification setting process, in lieu of the more protracted addendum or amendment process currently required.
"The result of this proposed modification is to redistribute New Jersey's annual catch limit to neighboring states, and I will forcefully oppose it. New York, Delaware, and other Mid-Atlantic states cannot increase their annual catch limits at the expense of New Jersey anglers. While I support the goal of creating more opportunities for fishermen, I cannot support a system that will negatively impact the state of New Jersey and our summer flounder economy.
"As I have said to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and National Marine Fisheries Service in the past, we need to be refocusing on the summer flounder biomass target. All of the issues that we are dealing with derive from the changes in the stock estimation models and from management decisions that are based on rebuilding the fluke stock to a target biomass of 215 million pounds.
"I would like to thank the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board for funding an independent review of the summer flounder stock assessment. Due to the great importance of summer flounder from North Carolina to Massachusetts we need to ensure that we have the most accurate data and analysis when creating a target for summer flounder stock.
"I was disappointed that the National Marine Fisheries Service did not support an independent peer review of the summer flounder stock assessment and voted against it at the May meeting of the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board.
"Just three years ago, we had a healthy quota of 30.3 million pounds. We had fought for a constant quota of 26 million pounds over three years, but we were rebuffed, and last year it was dropped to 23.6 million pounds. We are now at a mere 17.2 million pounds.
"Until the quota is increased considerably to meet the states' needs, a redistribution of annual catch limits from one state to another is totally unacceptable and will only exacerbate the problems. Therefore, without a significant increase in quota, the only course of action is option 1, which is to maintain the status quo.
"New Jersey's three commissioners voted against this amendment at the summer flounder board meeting in May, and I agree with their vote.
"All of us -- managers, elected officials, and fishermen -- need to work together in the future to find ways to produce more consistent quota numbers so that fishermen are not constantly on this roller coaster from year to year, wondering what their limits will be and which state is trying to take their fish.
"I hope we can go forward from here with more workable solutions that continue to rebuild the stock without dramatically cutting back on the ability of fishermen to earn a living."
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