April 8,2008
New fishing regulations has got professional fisherman worried as fewer summer flounder are being caught. Restrictions from the State Department of Environmental Conservation were based on overfishing and fish stock data from the Nationoal Marine Fisheries Service. The new rules might hurt the flounder, or fluke popuation because new size requirements means that smaller fish would be thrown back into the water and die. Since most fluke larger than 18 inches long are female, the productivity of the water may also decrease. As more people are catching large flukes, which are relatively easy to catch, fishermen are worried that they will lose their business.
I think the government should reimburse or protect the fishermen. It is important for the fishermen to fish for a living, especially in the recession. If nothing is done to reduce the uneven catching of the fluke, the diversity of fish can change for the worse. I hope the fish and fishermen can be saved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/nyregion/long-island/12fishli.html
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This ties in nicely with the fishing reg topics we covered in the beginning of the year.
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