| ASMFC Scuttles Recreational Payback Plan (Manhattan) The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commissions (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) voted 7-4 against implementing a recreational payback plan in the summer flounder fishery. A recreational payback plan could lead to drastically shorter seasons, higher minimum size limits and smaller bag limits for anglers. The recreational payback plan contained in the ASMFCs draft Addendum VIII could have required states perceived to have exceeded their annual quota to pay back the alleged overages by deducting from the next years summer flounder quota. There are too many issues at the foundation of the summer flounder management system that need to be addressed before the public is punished with a payback plan, commented Herb Moore, Jr., of the RFA to the Board at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. The two primary reasons the RFA is opposed to recreational paybacks are that 1) there is an inequitable 60/40 allocation of the Total Allowable Landings (TAL) the quota should be 50/50; and 2) recreational landings are determined by MRFSS which is unreliable and was never intended to be used to create recreational quotas. Another significant issue that must be addressed is counting the recreational catch in pounds rather than numbers of fish harvested, commented Capt. Tony Bogan of United Boatmen to the Board. While recreational fishermen have been allocated more pounds of summer flounder to harvest in recent years, the numbers of fish landed has actually decreased because of increasing minimum size limits. Recreational fishermen dont catch 6 or 8 pounds of fish, they catch 6 or 8 fish, said Capt. Bogan. In the summer flounder fishery, recreational minimum size limits have increased so the pounds of fish harvested has gone up but, the numbers of fish harvested has actually gone down. All the more reason why a payback plan is unjustified. Over the last nine months, the RFA has worked closely with United Boatmen, the New York Fishing Tackle Trade Association, and a broad coalition of supporters to articulate all the reasons why recreational paybacks should stay out of summer flounder management, said Jim Donofrio, RFA Executive Director. This plan really got the publics attention. A lot of recreational fishermen and party boat captains came out to voice their positions and hear what the Board members had to say. We are concerned that there is still significant support for a recreational payback plan with Rhode Island, Massachusetts and North Carolina voting in favor of paybacks, said Raymond D. Bogan, counsel for United Boatmen. However, we are pleased that the Board considered this plan very carefully and made the right decision in the end. The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national, grassroots political action organization representing recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our Nations saltwater fisheries. For more information, call 1-888-JOIN-RFA. United Boatmen is an organization which represents the largest charter and party boat businesses in New York and New Jersey, as well as tackle dealers, bait distributors, marinas and other associated members. For more information, call (732) 245-5392. |