WASHINGTON — November 6, 2013 — New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) yesterday expressing his concern over preliminary estimates of summer flounder catch made during the 2013 summer.
“There continues to be a troubling lack of confidence among fishermen and many fisheries managers in the data produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and these estimates may reinforce the criticisms weighed against NOAA’s data collection program.” said Pallone.
The preliminary estimates for recreational summer flounder landings were greater than 3 million pounds, higher than any other year for the same time period dating back to 2004. Pallone calls into question the reliability and accuracy of these estimates given the havoc wreaked on New Jersey by Superstorm Sandy and the difficulties faced by some fishermen in returning to normal fishing capacity.