February 27, 2014 — Four Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council advisory panels met last week, and the results give us some indication of what recreational fishing regulations will likely be for 2014. Here are some highlights:
Summer flounder (fluke) has undergone a new regional management approach this year, in which Rhode Island and Massachusetts are combined into one region. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission engaged this regional approach that in essence grants more fish at smaller minimum sizes to states like New York that have historically overfished but related that they need more fish and lower minimum sizes to even things out among coastal states. However, others fear that the new regional plan will lead to overfishing in 2014.
The summer flounder advisory panel voted to recommend that the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council and DEM advocate to keep the regulations the same as last year: an 18-inch minimum size, with a bag limit of 8 fish per angler per day. This recommendation was approved unanimously in Rhode Island. However, regional partner Massachusetts was at 16 inches last year and will likely want to stay close to that minimum size.
Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council Chairman Robert Ballou said, “The [advisory panel] is coming down on the side of conservation here, not wanting a smaller size as they believe a smaller size would lead to overfishing in Rhode Island.”
Other summer flounder highlights included the discussion and approval, with no dissenting votes and one abstention, for 2014 of a summer flounder charter fishing pilot. The program is an example of cooperative research between fishermen and fish managers and employs a new strategy for management. In 2013 the cooperative reduced discards from 78.1 percent to 42.8 percent and reduced discard morality by 45 percent.