CCA NY ASKS STATE TO CLOSE WINTER FLOUNDER FISHERY
SAYS SPECIES COULD DISAPPEAR FROM STATE WATERS

West Babylon, NY—Coastal Conservation Association New York ("CCA NY"), in a letter addressed to Peter Grannis, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (the "DEC"), has asked the DEC to halt all recreational and commercial fishing for winter flounder in the waters of the State of New York.

"New York's winter flounder population has suffered a devastating collapse," asserts Brian O'Keefe, Chair of CCA NY's Government Relations Committee. "In 1987, New York's recreational anglers landed nearly five million winter flounder. Last year, they landed fewer than fifteen thousand. In just twenty years, recreational harvest has fallen by more than 99 percent."

Since the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Winter Flounder Technical Committee (the "Technical Committee") has determined that there is a very strong correlation between recreational flounder landings and the size of the winter flounder population, it is clear that New York's winter flounder are in deep trouble. Unfortunately, regulations still permit a substantial flounder harvest.

"Commercial landings of winter flounder are completely unrestricted," notes Bill Raab, CCA NY's President. "So long as fish meet the 12-inch minimum size, trawlers and other commercial fishers can land as many winter flounder as they can catch. There are no limits at all."

The regulations governing anglers' harvests of winter flounder appear rigorous, imposing a 10-fish bag limit, 12-inch minimum size and a 60-day season that runs from April 1 to May 30. However, CCA NY believes that the restrictions are illusory. "Except for the waters off Brooklyn and Staten Island, which for some reason still hold a few flounder, current regulations do little to constrain recreational harvest," says CCA NY's State Chair, Charles Witek. "For most of the season, along most of the state's coastline, today's angler would be thrilled to catch ten flounder in a single day. Most anglers are lucky if they land two or three."

It wasn't always that way. Through the 1980s and even into the 1990s, winter flounder were one of the mainstays of New York's recreational fishery. Although they were most abundant in spring and fall, they could be caught throughout the year, and were particularly important to youthful anglers and those who could only fish from piers, floating docks or the shoreline itself, who had few other species to fish for. Unfortunately, when the population began to decline, managers weren't willing to take the actions needed to avoid a collapse.

"The first regulations were all about doing as little as possible to inconvenience the fishing industry," claims O'Keefe. "After the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission ("ASMFC") first required reductions in harvest, commercial seasons were left open when the fish could most easily be caught, and only closed when the fish were unavailable anyway. The recreational size limit was set too small, and the bag limit set unrealistically high at the request of the angling industry, which insisted that anglers needed the ‘perception' that they could kill lots of fish or they wouldn't go fishing at all."

When initial attempts at regulation failed, tighter regulations were imposed, but it was always a matter of too little, too late. "I was at an ASMFC meeting about two years ago, when the current regulations were devised," says Witek. "The Technical Committee wanted greater restrictions, but there was strong opposition from the party boats and tackle shops, so ASMFC ultimately adopted a compromise measure. We're living with the consequences of that decision today."

Although every part of New York's coast has suffered from the winter flounder's collapse, some areas have been more severely impacted. The early spring runs in places such as Massapequa Cove, Shinnecock Canal and the North Shore bays no longer occur. New York's largest flounder, the "snowshoes" caught by boats sailing out of Montauk and the North Fork, have disappeared. But Raritan Bay and other areas near New York City still host viable fisheries.

The variations in abundance are due to the fact that winter flounder form local spawning subpopulations. ASMFC has warned that "there is the possibility for subpopulations of winter flounder that may be particularly susceptible to extinction—if you wipe out a breeding ground or spawning subpopulation, the stock may never rebuild." CCA NY fears that a number of New York's subpopulations could be facing such a fate.

CCA NY believes that there is no more room for half-measures that fail to stem the winter flounder's decline. It further maintains that, at current low levels, New York's winter flounder population cannot rebuild while also supporting viable recreational and commercial fisheries. Thus, it is asking New York to prohibit all winter flounder harvest in state waters until populations rebuild to healthy levels, while recognizing that any such proposed closure will meet with strong resistance.

"CCA NY has little doubt that elements within the recreational and commercial fishing industries will object to any attempt to further restrict the harvest of winter flounder," it stated in its letter to Grannis, "as there are always those persons who will try to squeeze the last drop of blood from a dry and crumbling stone. However, CCA NY is certain that the long-term benefits that would accrue from a restored winter flounder population would far outweigh any temporary disadvantages brought about by more restrictive management measures, even if such measures included a complete closure of the fishery for some period of time."

It points to the successful recovery of the striped bass population, which collapsed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as an example of what strict regulations can do. "No one in the fishing industry would want to see the striped bass fishery revert to what it was in the ‘80s," avers Raab, "but back then, no one wanted more regulation."

In the end, it all comes down to man's obligation to maintain healthy and intact marine ecosystems. "New York could lose the winter flounder in our lifetimes," says O'Keefe. "As anglers and as conservation advocates, we can't just sit back and see that happen on our watch." ###