[Broad Bill]

Fluke season ends on the 25th but for all practical purposes after this blow it's over. Fish are on their way offshore, now the fate of the stock rests in the hands as it does every year of commercial netters and how much they pound the fishery between now and April of next year. North Carolina and all states commercially getting ready to wipe the bottom clean of females fully loaded with eggs and large male breeders. Sin how the stock is being managed by the federal and state fisheries agencies.

I invite anyone to go down to the fisherman's Den coops where the commercial fleet off loads and look at the size and quantity of fish being offloaded. And then envision the fish tossed back dead during that harvest process. They can talk about a moratorium on stripers because of stock and recruitment concerns yet Mark Terceiro, lead scientist from NEFSC for fluke, said for over a decade recruitment is way off BUT they don't know the reason while they allow the stock this time of year every year to be absolutely pounded during their spawn. Hundreds of thousands of breeders harvested, God only knows how many juvenile fish killed and trillions of eggs killed to harvest their Fall quotas. Why not a moratorium on commercial netting for fluke for the same reason the fall striper season is being considered. Because one is harvested at that time of year primarily by the recreational sector and one by the commercial sector.