Dr. William Karp, science and research director of NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, issued the following statement in response to the July 13 Fisheries Survival Fund letter sent to him regarding the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder assessment. The assessment was conducted a few weeks ago by the US-Canada Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee: "The poor condition of the stock over the past decade indeed confounds attempts to quantify current condition or make projections with confidence, although trends in some characteristics are strong and consistent. This uncertainty was widely discussed during the bilateral assessment meeting and will be reflected in the summary and final reports, which the US would not unilaterally revise. How this information will translate into management advice remains to be seen, but some admittedly tough decisions will have to be made by U.S. and Canadian fishery managers in the Fall in order to set 2013 quotas."
