Hello Everyone,

We now have our fluke season set.  I was at the meeting of the Marine Fisheries Council in Galloway Township last night. If you have not heard we were not given any choices that would help us in the fishing industries but the council had to pick one of the choices.  Many of the Party / Charter boat captain were their and all said that they would like to have a longer season but they know that that would put us over the quota for the season.  Many of the Captains did not want New Jersey to have the same results that happen to NY last year where they voted to have a longer season with a higher size limit and the season was closed because of over fishing and they did not get the extra 5 weeks of the season.  So here is the fluke season for 2008:

The size is 18” with a bag limit of 8 fish per day and the season running from Saturday, May 24 to Sunday, September 7

It looks like the reality has set in that we will probably have a closed season in 2009.  We as fishermen really have a fight on our hands to get some flexibility in that Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. 

Please, I urge you to help with this matter and donate to the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund.  For more information on the fund there web site is www.ssfff.net 

Thank you for your help,

Capt. Fran Verdi

www.fishthedropoff.com

www.cousinscharterfishing.com