RJ
03-25-2003, 09:36 AM
Transcripts from radio Show
I spent today going over the radio interview from Saturday for you folks and putting it into an article. It wil be inthe South Bay newspaper in a week or so, but will let you folks have first crack at it. Here it is:
Many of you readers tuned into last week’s radio show (3/22) in which I interviewed Byron Young of the DEC. Byron is 2nd chief of Marine Fish and Crustacean section and is responsible for making and carrying out fishery regulation policies for the state marine waters in our area. If you heard the interview you know we touched on as many questions as we could in the half hour Mr. Young spent with us on the air. What did we learn? Not much when you look at the whole picture as he was very non-committal on fluke and bass regulations, but if we read between the lines we did learn some valuable info. As for fluke…'
Why is the fluke fishery divided 60% commercial and 40% recreational? This split was devised by the federal government and the ASMFC board. There will be no closed season on the fluke and they are working on getting the season opened earlier. The full regulatory package has been published in the State Register and this is a normal rule-making package required by law to run a 45-day public comment period. Fluke scup and striped bass opening dates will be done on an “emergency” basis so they can get all three opened earlier than normal.
When asked if the state closes down commercial fluke fishing depending on current catches and projected overages, the answer was YES! I asked why can’t the same be done for recreational fluking. This way if we are under target, the DEC can lower the size limit so we can catch our quota. His reply was we don't have trip level reporting from the rec’s as do from commercial fishermen. If we did, each recreational angler would have to send the DEC a report on his day’s activity. It can be done, but it would be expensive. I said I have no problem calling after each day’s trip to give this info. I would submit here…a saltwater license might cover this? Hmmm…I wonder and I should have asked him.
A question from Bob in Lynbrook asked why commercial anglers catch 14-inch fluke and we have to catch a 17 incher! Byron’s answer was they’re currently reviewing this and may be increasing the commercial size limit. The DEC recognizes this problem and are trying to get all the size limits to be the same as commercials. When I asked if raising the commercial size limits on fluke would allow the DEC lower the size limits on the rec’s he did say it was possible! The 2002 year class of juvenile fluke was not nearly as good as it was the consecutive years prior. He also said we’re about a year away from lowering size limits on fluke!
When asked why the recreational effort spent fishing and all involved with it are not accounted for by the state and federal governments in dollars, only as effort, but the commercial effort is put into $$$, he replied that Sea Grant just did a study showing the NY area recreational fishery is over a billion dollars for the marine industry and over several billions of dollars when you include freshwater. This covers everything from delis to gas to restaurants and everything.
When I suggested the commercial fishery was only 300 million, he tried to play it off that the difference wasn’t that large because the commercial fishing puts dollars in X amount of vessels, but does increase when you add the restaurants as well and that is not taken into account when they add these numbers up, but admitted the difference still favors the recreational anglers!
We did learn the state does not transfer “uncaught” percentages of unused quotas from one user group to another as the federal government does. This was good to hear, but they do receive transfers from other states who do not fill their quota. Example, if Jersey commercial fluke fishermen don't reach their quota, they will transfer it over to NY State for our commercial anglers. Why can’t they let the rec’s and commercials split this transfer? He had no real answer on that one other than to say we reach our quote just about every year so we don't need more. When put on the spot to give us his best answer to the fluke reg’s, he said it will be seven (7) fish at 17 inches and it looks like there’s a good chance the season will open April 15 or the day or two after with the emergency regulations getting that done.
Mr. Young said numbers now support going to 15 bluefish per man. When I asked why don't we do it then, his response was “no one has asked for it and why would someone need 15 bluefish.” My answer to that was, “why must we have to ask for everything? If it’s allowed by the biomass numbers and we can do it, just give up the opportunity. (Same thing with the phone company, they have a better plan for you, but why hell don’t they call you and tell you!) We’re not catching that many anyway. I also said it was not the DEC’s responsibility to assume why someone would need or want 15 bluefish. If someone does and we’re allowed to than we should be able to do so without explaining our reasons to the DEC!
He then brought up we’re allowed to go to two striped bass per man. Every time they bring it up, recreational anglers say they don't want it. I say B.S. because the only ones that don't want it are what I call tree-hugging fishermen who want to throw back everything they can. Your so-called representatives on the Marine Resources Advisory Council here on Long Island are saying that’s what you want! No one ever asked me what I want! If you want two striped bass you have to go and ask for it by attending these meetings or writing a letter for the record to the DEC stating you want two (2) striped bass per man!
The commercial’s got a 43% pay hike with their increase in striped bass harvest. I asked Byron if this measly three-week early opening period was our increase and he said absolutely not. We could have gone year round with striped like the other species, but NY State law written by the NY State Legislature puts the ECL (environmental conservation law) for the striped bass season from April 15th to December 15th. It has been May because of the reduction in harvest required over the years.
The DEC usually reaches out to anglers to get a reaction then decide on seasons and limits. This year they’re going to be more proactive to clubs and even those anglers not members of organizations and associations to get action and reaction to the season for bass and the one or two fish per man after they’ve established the season…and then see where anglers want to go with it.
It is not easier to change bass reg’s than other species as previously rumored. They all take legislative change, getting a member of the House and the Senate to put it forward and then have the Governor approve and sign it once on his desk. Byron also said the DEC does NOT give away fish like the second fish we’re allowed if we do not use it. In fact if the commercials do NOT reach their quote this year or any year, they do NOT get to carry the unused portion over to the next year. If they do go over, they DO get penalized and that overage is taken away from their following year’s quota.
__________________
I spent today going over the radio interview from Saturday for you folks and putting it into an article. It wil be inthe South Bay newspaper in a week or so, but will let you folks have first crack at it. Here it is:
Many of you readers tuned into last week’s radio show (3/22) in which I interviewed Byron Young of the DEC. Byron is 2nd chief of Marine Fish and Crustacean section and is responsible for making and carrying out fishery regulation policies for the state marine waters in our area. If you heard the interview you know we touched on as many questions as we could in the half hour Mr. Young spent with us on the air. What did we learn? Not much when you look at the whole picture as he was very non-committal on fluke and bass regulations, but if we read between the lines we did learn some valuable info. As for fluke…'
Why is the fluke fishery divided 60% commercial and 40% recreational? This split was devised by the federal government and the ASMFC board. There will be no closed season on the fluke and they are working on getting the season opened earlier. The full regulatory package has been published in the State Register and this is a normal rule-making package required by law to run a 45-day public comment period. Fluke scup and striped bass opening dates will be done on an “emergency” basis so they can get all three opened earlier than normal.
When asked if the state closes down commercial fluke fishing depending on current catches and projected overages, the answer was YES! I asked why can’t the same be done for recreational fluking. This way if we are under target, the DEC can lower the size limit so we can catch our quota. His reply was we don't have trip level reporting from the rec’s as do from commercial fishermen. If we did, each recreational angler would have to send the DEC a report on his day’s activity. It can be done, but it would be expensive. I said I have no problem calling after each day’s trip to give this info. I would submit here…a saltwater license might cover this? Hmmm…I wonder and I should have asked him.
A question from Bob in Lynbrook asked why commercial anglers catch 14-inch fluke and we have to catch a 17 incher! Byron’s answer was they’re currently reviewing this and may be increasing the commercial size limit. The DEC recognizes this problem and are trying to get all the size limits to be the same as commercials. When I asked if raising the commercial size limits on fluke would allow the DEC lower the size limits on the rec’s he did say it was possible! The 2002 year class of juvenile fluke was not nearly as good as it was the consecutive years prior. He also said we’re about a year away from lowering size limits on fluke!
When asked why the recreational effort spent fishing and all involved with it are not accounted for by the state and federal governments in dollars, only as effort, but the commercial effort is put into $$$, he replied that Sea Grant just did a study showing the NY area recreational fishery is over a billion dollars for the marine industry and over several billions of dollars when you include freshwater. This covers everything from delis to gas to restaurants and everything.
When I suggested the commercial fishery was only 300 million, he tried to play it off that the difference wasn’t that large because the commercial fishing puts dollars in X amount of vessels, but does increase when you add the restaurants as well and that is not taken into account when they add these numbers up, but admitted the difference still favors the recreational anglers!
We did learn the state does not transfer “uncaught” percentages of unused quotas from one user group to another as the federal government does. This was good to hear, but they do receive transfers from other states who do not fill their quota. Example, if Jersey commercial fluke fishermen don't reach their quota, they will transfer it over to NY State for our commercial anglers. Why can’t they let the rec’s and commercials split this transfer? He had no real answer on that one other than to say we reach our quote just about every year so we don't need more. When put on the spot to give us his best answer to the fluke reg’s, he said it will be seven (7) fish at 17 inches and it looks like there’s a good chance the season will open April 15 or the day or two after with the emergency regulations getting that done.
Mr. Young said numbers now support going to 15 bluefish per man. When I asked why don't we do it then, his response was “no one has asked for it and why would someone need 15 bluefish.” My answer to that was, “why must we have to ask for everything? If it’s allowed by the biomass numbers and we can do it, just give up the opportunity. (Same thing with the phone company, they have a better plan for you, but why hell don’t they call you and tell you!) We’re not catching that many anyway. I also said it was not the DEC’s responsibility to assume why someone would need or want 15 bluefish. If someone does and we’re allowed to than we should be able to do so without explaining our reasons to the DEC!
He then brought up we’re allowed to go to two striped bass per man. Every time they bring it up, recreational anglers say they don't want it. I say B.S. because the only ones that don't want it are what I call tree-hugging fishermen who want to throw back everything they can. Your so-called representatives on the Marine Resources Advisory Council here on Long Island are saying that’s what you want! No one ever asked me what I want! If you want two striped bass you have to go and ask for it by attending these meetings or writing a letter for the record to the DEC stating you want two (2) striped bass per man!
The commercial’s got a 43% pay hike with their increase in striped bass harvest. I asked Byron if this measly three-week early opening period was our increase and he said absolutely not. We could have gone year round with striped like the other species, but NY State law written by the NY State Legislature puts the ECL (environmental conservation law) for the striped bass season from April 15th to December 15th. It has been May because of the reduction in harvest required over the years.
The DEC usually reaches out to anglers to get a reaction then decide on seasons and limits. This year they’re going to be more proactive to clubs and even those anglers not members of organizations and associations to get action and reaction to the season for bass and the one or two fish per man after they’ve established the season…and then see where anglers want to go with it.
It is not easier to change bass reg’s than other species as previously rumored. They all take legislative change, getting a member of the House and the Senate to put it forward and then have the Governor approve and sign it once on his desk. Byron also said the DEC does NOT give away fish like the second fish we’re allowed if we do not use it. In fact if the commercials do NOT reach their quote this year or any year, they do NOT get to carry the unused portion over to the next year. If they do go over, they DO get penalized and that overage is taken away from their following year’s quota.
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