05-18-2005, 09:08 AM
[font "Times New Roman"]DEP Announces New Marine Recreational Fishery Management Measures[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced the adoption of new fishery management measures for the recreational fishery for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass. The new measures for summer flounder include a 17-½ inch minimum length and an open season from April 30 through December 31. The recreational possession limit will remain at 6 fish per angler. For scup, the minimum length remains at 10-½ inches, but there is a new open season from July 1 through October 31 and an increase in the possession limit to 25 fish. In addition, for passengers on party / charter fishing vessels, there will be a possession limit of 60 fish per person between September 1 and October 31. The open season for black sea bass will now extend from January 1 through November 30. The possession limit and minimum length remain unchanged at 25 fish and 12 inches. All of these measures will become effective Friday, May 27, 2005.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]These changes are necessary to meet the requirements of interstate fishery management plans for each species. Each state's recreational fishery is based on a harvest target (quota). Each winter, the landings are compared to the harvest target, and regulations may be relaxed if the harvest is below the target, or the measures made more protective if the target is exceeded. This year, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) allowed the four northeast states (Massachusetts through New York) to manage scup on a regional basis with common regulations throughout the region. Black sea bass have been managed on a coastwide basis for the past several years.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]"One of the things we tried to accomplish this year was to have similar rules with neighboring states," according to Ed Parker, Chief of the Bureau of Natural Resources. "Having consistent size and creel limits for marine fisheries makes sense from an enforcement standpoint as well as in helping to avoid confusion among anglers that often fish close to, or across the boundaries of, adjacent states during a trip. During our public hearings, anglers commonly recommend that the rules should be the same for adjoining states. The recreational rules for scup and black sea bass will now be the same as those in surrounding states and the rules for summer founder are as close as the fishery management plan will allow."[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The Department is adopting these changes using its regulatory authority to adjust, by declaration, closed seasons, length limits, creel limits, trip limits and trip limit adjustment values to maintain its compliance with the provisions of ASMFC fishery management plans. A public hearing will be held within the next four months to receive comment on these changes and on any alternatives that have equivalent or greater conservation value.[/font][font "Times New Roman"] [center][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/whatshap/press/pressrel.htm"]Press Releases[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/news.htm"]News[/url][/center] [font "Arial"][size 2][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/index.htm"]Home[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/aboutdep/contact/contact.htm"]Contact Us[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/search2.htm"]Search[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/survey/survey.htm"]Feedback[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/legal.htm"]Website Legal Info[/url][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Send comments or questions regarding this site to[/size][#800000][size 2] [url "mailto:dep.webmaster@po.state.ct.us"]dep.webmaster@po.state.ct.us[/url][/size][/#800000][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Copyright 1998-2004 Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection[/size][/font][/font]
[signature]
[font "Times New Roman"]The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced the adoption of new fishery management measures for the recreational fishery for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass. The new measures for summer flounder include a 17-½ inch minimum length and an open season from April 30 through December 31. The recreational possession limit will remain at 6 fish per angler. For scup, the minimum length remains at 10-½ inches, but there is a new open season from July 1 through October 31 and an increase in the possession limit to 25 fish. In addition, for passengers on party / charter fishing vessels, there will be a possession limit of 60 fish per person between September 1 and October 31. The open season for black sea bass will now extend from January 1 through November 30. The possession limit and minimum length remain unchanged at 25 fish and 12 inches. All of these measures will become effective Friday, May 27, 2005.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]These changes are necessary to meet the requirements of interstate fishery management plans for each species. Each state's recreational fishery is based on a harvest target (quota). Each winter, the landings are compared to the harvest target, and regulations may be relaxed if the harvest is below the target, or the measures made more protective if the target is exceeded. This year, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) allowed the four northeast states (Massachusetts through New York) to manage scup on a regional basis with common regulations throughout the region. Black sea bass have been managed on a coastwide basis for the past several years.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]"One of the things we tried to accomplish this year was to have similar rules with neighboring states," according to Ed Parker, Chief of the Bureau of Natural Resources. "Having consistent size and creel limits for marine fisheries makes sense from an enforcement standpoint as well as in helping to avoid confusion among anglers that often fish close to, or across the boundaries of, adjacent states during a trip. During our public hearings, anglers commonly recommend that the rules should be the same for adjoining states. The recreational rules for scup and black sea bass will now be the same as those in surrounding states and the rules for summer founder are as close as the fishery management plan will allow."[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]The Department is adopting these changes using its regulatory authority to adjust, by declaration, closed seasons, length limits, creel limits, trip limits and trip limit adjustment values to maintain its compliance with the provisions of ASMFC fishery management plans. A public hearing will be held within the next four months to receive comment on these changes and on any alternatives that have equivalent or greater conservation value.[/font][font "Times New Roman"] [center][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/whatshap/press/pressrel.htm"]Press Releases[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/news.htm"]News[/url][/center] [font "Arial"][size 2][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/index.htm"]Home[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/aboutdep/contact/contact.htm"]Contact Us[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/search2.htm"]Search[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/survey/survey.htm"]Feedback[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/legal.htm"]Website Legal Info[/url][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Send comments or questions regarding this site to[/size][#800000][size 2] [url "mailto:dep.webmaster@po.state.ct.us"]dep.webmaster@po.state.ct.us[/url][/size][/#800000][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Copyright 1998-2004 Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection[/size][/font][/font]
[signature]