NEW BEDFORD — August 6, 2014 — As summer flounder, or fluke, migrate northward away from the past population center off North Carolina, fisheries regulators have taken the first steps toward reworking the rules to cope with industry and political pressure.
The Associated Press reported in June that while fluke stocks have fully recovered from overfishing in the 1980s, the fish have steadily moved northward. Now the population peaks off New Jersey, with North Carolina fishing boats chasing them all the way up and back.
The flatfish primarily are landed in North Carolina, which has abundant permits based on history, and North Carolina fishermen are adamant about keeping their permits.
Meanwhile, most recreational fishermen cannot chase the fluke that far. So in the south, annual catch last year was 67 percent short of the target despite loose rules, and 13 percent over targets off New Jersey, where the rules there are tougher.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times