Highlands / Sandy Hook, N.J.
07732
 | January 2002January 10, 2002
Monmouth University to host sportsman
seminar
George Poveromo is bringing the Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series back to New Jersey on Jan. 12 at Pollak Performing Arts Theatre at Monmouth University, 400 Cedar Ave., West Long Branch.
Guest experts include captains Scott Vigar, Terry Sullivan, Matt Muzslay and John T. Pirie, plus Dr. Mitchell Roffer and Gary Caputi. The $45 fee includes a new 122-page course textbook, a one-year subscription or extension to Salt Water Sportsman, a Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecast Analysis, six hours of fishing instruction and chances to win door prizes, including a reef or bonefishing excursion to Kamalame Cay Resort on Andros Island, Bahamas.
In addition, each participant is eligible for the grand prize of a Mako 171 center console with Honda 90 hp outboard and Float-On trailer, which is drawn from among all eight national seminars. For information, call (800) 448-7360, or go to the Web site at www.nationalseminarseries.com.
The 92nd New York National Boat Show opens at the Convention Center Jan. 5 and runs through the 12th. Hundreds of boats will be on display along with a large accessories section featuring most electronics manufacturers. Free daily fishing and boating seminars will be presented by The Fishing Line.
The 19th annual Garden State Outdoor Sportsman's Show, dedicated to the memory of the late Star-Ledger outdoors editor Howard Brant, returns to Raritan Center Expo Hall in Edison from Jan. 10-13. A full range of fishing seminars are featured along with personalized fly casting instructions at the casting pond by Bill Haldaman.
Butch Colvin, one of the Shore's top fly fishing pros, passed away Monday at the age of 63. The Wall resident was born in Trenton, but grew up in Seaside Park where his father, Cap Colvin, owned a tackle shop and gained fame by cultivating the art of saltwater fly fishing. NOAA FISHERIES ANNOUNCES 2002 CATCH LIMITS FOR ATLANTIC SUMMER FLOUNDER Coast-Wide Quota Increases by Thirty-six Percent as Fishery Rebounds When the fishing season for summer flounder opened Jan. 1, 2002, a 24.3 million pound quota went into effect on the Atlantic coast, announced the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), an agency of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The new quota, with 60 percent (14.58 million pounds) allocated to the commercial industry and 40 percent (9.72 million pounds) allocated to anglers, represents a 36 percent increase over the 2001 quota of 17.9 million pounds. "Summer Flounder is a fishery management success story, as the fishery continues to thrive while stock abundance is growing. This outcome is what we strive for in every fishery and is what can be accomplished with sound management rebuilding programs," said William Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries. "The commercial and recreational fishermen, in partnership with state and federal fishery managers and environmental groups, should be applauded for their efforts in helping the summer flounder fishery rebound. The hard work by all involved has allowed us to increase catch limits for the coming year." While the recreational allocation is coast-wide, each coastal state is given a percentage of the commercial quota. During 2001, commercial fishermen in both Maine and Delaware harvested more summer flounder than their share of the commercial quota. Therefore, commercial vessels may not land the species in these states during the 2002 calendar year. Under the direction of Dr. William Hogarth who was recently appointed to lead the Fisheries Service, NOAA Fisheries has strengthened its efforts to set annual catch limits as close as possible to the opening of fishing seasons. This will allow fishermen time to plan their fishing activities and learn about the new rules before they begin fishing for summer flounder. The summer flounder stock has been managed since 1989 and has been rebuilding under a quota system since 1993. Though fishery managers have been steadily rebuilding the fishery, it has encountered a bumpy road along the way. Lawsuits were filed right from the outset of quota management that challenged quota accuracy, late season adjustments and stock management targets. "Lawsuits are no longer distracting us from our primary responsibility of managing the resource," Hogarth said. "Summer flounder is showing significant signs of recovery. I believe our management partnerships and current regulations will allow the stock to continue rebuilding." One of the most important steps NOAA Fisheries has taken to reduce lawsuits is to improve its relationship with stakeholders in the fishery. During roundtable workshops last year, Hogarth listened to the concerns of stakeholders in the summer flounder fishery and began taking steps to improve the process of implementing regulations and communicating with fishermen, law enforcement and the environmental community. As part of Hogarth's initiative to improve constituent relations, NOAA Fisheries is publishing quotas for upcoming fishing seasons earlier than previous years and is working to improve summer flounder stock assessments so that everyone will have more faith in the status of the stock. The breakdown by state of the 2002 summer flounder commercial quota (in pounds) is as follows: ME, 0; NH, 67; MA, 938,765; RI, 2,286,310; CT, 329,044; NY, 1,114,800; NJ, 2,438,217; DE, 0; MD, 297,266; VA, 3,107,619; NC, 4,001,133. The new regulations were developed cooperatively with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. NOAA Fisheries, an agency of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources through scientific research, management, enforcement, and the conservation of marine mammals and other protected marine species and their habitat. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries, please visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov. The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) announced that Acting Gov. DiFrancesco signed the bunker bill Sunday. That legislation will keep reduction purse seiners out of state waters, though it doesn't affect bait purse seiners who can still work from .6 miles out along the Shore and in Raritan and Delaware bays. Congratulations to the sponsors, Assemblyman Steve Corodemus (R-Monmouth) and Senator Andy Ciesla (R-Ocean), and to the organizations which worked for years on this project -- including the RFA, Jersey Coast Angler's Assn., Len Fantasia's Menhaden Project, and the ad-hoc Salty Dogs |
