EAST HAMPTON, NY (February 18, 2009) – East End fishermen could be caught in the net of a federal ban on winter flounder fishing that is set to go into effect in May. They fear the ban will make it impossible for trawler captains to harvest for other ground fish, which would paralyze Montauk’s fishing fleet.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed the ban for the Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic fisheries, which includes New York State. The regulatory agency stopped taking comments on the proposal on Tuesday, February 17.
The area, which is just to the east of Long Island, would be closed to fishing boats that have federal ground fish permits. Currently, there are about two dozen such boats berthed in Montauk.
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