Need Members Help

To all the Members on this Site,

Need your help. Like Captain Dave "MuskyNut" initiating a petition to preserve lake access on Greenwood like, I recently initiated a similar petition to change the regulation for the fluke (summer flounder) fishery which has experienced a substantial decline over the last ten years due to the regulations governing the fishery and essentially mismanagement of the stock. The post is as follows and Gerry was good enough to pin it in the salt water forum.

Started an on-line petition using Change.org to send a message to Washington that the current regulations in place intended to safeguard and grow the stock are in fact based on their own data causing the stock to decline substantially. If we want this fishery to survive and be available to future generations as its been to us, I'd ask every Member of this site along with Sponsors to please take a minute to sign. The link is as follows:

https://www.change.org/SafeguardSummerFlounder

As previously mentioned, I'll have a document ready to send in about a week to Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce with copy to NOAA, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, all state members of the Commission and Council as well as State and Congressional Representatives associated with the shore based districts for states of the Mid-Atlantic and New England Regions who share in this fishery and have the most to lose if this fishery continues it's decline.

The current regulations are killing this fishery. Size minimums went too far causing substantial declines in the spawning stock population, mature female population, recruitment statistics accompanied by levels of discard mortality never before seen. We're harvesting the wrong age classes, killing younger age classes in the process and without changes to the regulations this fishery will in fact continue declining.

If donations to groups fighting to preserve access rights and protect this extremely important fishery isn't your thing, I can understand that. I'm asking everyone to take 5 minutes of your time to sign an on-line petition which can be sent to Washington and our elected officials to demonstrate our resolve and send a clear and unequivocal message voicing our concerns about how this fishery is being managed and the immediate need to change todays regulations back to the regulations in place in the nineties that promoted unprecedented growth in this stock.

I appreciate your understanding and support in advance. We need to get the word out and get as many people as possible to sign this petition. We're at the time of year when 2022 regulations will be discussed and decided on so now is the time to act. To sign, simply click on the above link and go to the bottom of the page and fill in reason for signing and then hit post. Example of reason for posting can be "Population has declined by over 70 million fish in a ten year span due to the current regulations. We're harvesting exclusively fish comprising the spawning stock, killing younger age class fish in the process, killing a disproportionate number of females causing a 50% decline in the female population which in turn has decimated yearly recruitment". Or simply" Fisheries management replaced regulations which promoted the most explosive growth in the fishery during the nineties with higher recreational size minimums causing the stock to decline every year over the last decade." NMFS replaced regulations which worked with regulation that don't, they need to change otherwise there will continue to be catastrophic social and economic consequences to small businesses, the commercial and recreational sectors, the fishery itself and the economies of shore based communities as well as the many businesses dependent on the health of this stock.

I'm asking for your help signing the petition to preserve and protect this vitally important fishery, a legacy fishery as much the fabric of the Jersey Shore and many shore based communities up and down the eastern seaboard and vitally important to the fishing industry and recreational anglers. We're losing the stock and the regulations governing this fishery have to change.

I can use your help signing the petition and getting as many colleagues as you know who enjoy recreational fishing to do the same. This is all about preserving the resource and in Captain Dave's case preserving our rights to access these fisheries and impoundments.

It takes two minutes to click on the link, sign and post you signature. I'm asking people to get involved to create the unified voice we've always discussed but struggled to create. It doesn't get any easier than this, please help by signing the petition. Thanks in advance!

Tom

[gman]

Great cause. Done

[FASTEDDIE29]

Signed and shared! Shared and signed!!!

[NJSquatch]

signed and shared

[Mikey topaz]

Signed,shared,and got my buddy to sign 👍👍🎣

Guys thanks so much! Appreciate your support and involvement trying the right the ship with a fishery facing numerous challenges. Appreciate each of you, Gman, Eddie, Duane and Mikey taking time to make a difference.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving guys with family and friends!

[crewchief2]

Signed and shared. Happy Thanksgiving to all!