From the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife's Facebook page on Feb. 2:

While we didn't win the day for status quo or postponement the fight will continue. See below for a statement from Commissioner Bob Martin on today’s vote by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in favor of Option 5 of the Summer Flounder Draft Addendum XXVIII for 2017 recreational measures for summer flounder:

We are outraged by the summer flounder quota reductions approved today by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and National Marine Fisheries Service. Today’s actions will disproportionately impact New Jersey more than any other state along the coast.

Combined with previous cuts to the commercial industry, today’s actions will result in extreme hardships to the thousands of small businesses up and down the coast – from party boat and bait-and-tackle shop operators, to hotel and restaurant owners – who have families to feed, bills to pay and employees who could lose their jobs with this option implemented.

We understand the long-term impacts of overfishing a species. But we also know for a fact that fluke are abundant and the population is stable off New Jersey.
We will use every legal and administrative tool available to stop these unfair cuts that will devastate our state’s fishing industry and have far-reaching impacts on the shore economy. We will work to ensure that sound science replaces the current outdated, whipsaw form of management that has harmed our fishing communities for far too long.

The State of New Jersey will also work with our Congressional delegation to make sorely needed changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Act that governs our marine fisheries to provide more flexibility and common sense in the decision-making process.

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