February 1, 2017 –Starting in May, there could be more locally caught flounder available. A recent decision by fishing regulators doubled the permitted catch limit for witch flounder, also known as grey sole.
The move is considered a victory for the local inshore dayboat fleet and came at a New England Fishery Management Council meeting held in Portsmouth last week. When adjusted for management uncertainty, the decision will result in a 2017 annual catch limit of 839 metric tons, nearly twice the 2016 annual catch limit of 441 metric tons.
Seabrook’s Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative board member and Hampton commercial fisherman David Goethel argued at the meeting to raise the flounder catch limit even more, he said. Although the new limit is significantly lower than prior to what Goethel calls “draconian cuts” imposed by regulators after 2010, he said any increase is better than none.
“It is good news,” Goethel said. “Anything that has the numbers going up instead of down is good news.”
Read the full story at the Eagle-Tribune