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2015 Recreational Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Regulations – Update !!!

MRAC January 13, 2015

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI2014 Summary:

NY harvested 515,830 fish (preliminary estimate)

Coast-wide harvest in 2014 was 2,423,195 fish

2015 RHL: 2,438,863 fish (2014 harvest is 99.4% of this)

Addendum passes: Regional Management

Addendum fails to pass: State-by-state Conservation Equivalency (NY’s allocation = 429,240 fish)

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVIRegional Management:

• Status Quo• RI joins CT thru NJ• NJ is split in half and southern NJ joins DE thru VA*• NJ portion of DE Bay joins DE thru VA*• DE Bay (both NJ and DE) becomes its own “Region”*

* Last 3 Options all include sub-options that create a region that includes RI thru NJ

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVIThe ASMFC Board must vote to pass the Addendum.

The ASMFC Board would then vote and choose a Regional Option.

9 states, USFWS, NMFS = 11 votes (of which NY is one)

Meeting Date: February 5, 2015

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVIFollowing slides are EXAMPLES of regulations that are possible under each Option, given preliminary data.

Once a Regional Option has been chosen, different sets of regulations for that Option can be created.

At 99.4% of the 2015 RHL, there isn’t much “wiggle room” to get creative w/o taking fish from another region. • In 2014, Board voted for options that achieved

95% of the RHL

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI1. STATUS QUO PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 113,993 16.0 5 132 -20,144RHODE ISLAND 181,601 18.0 8 245 42,586CONNECTICUT 119,063 18.0 5 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) 28,825NEW YORK 515,830 18.0 5 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) 86,590NEW JERSEY 1,151,351 18.0 5 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) 197,755DELAWARE 86,347 16.0 4 365 10,742MARYLAND 70,806 16.0 4 365 -2,360VIRGINIA 138,242 16.0 4 365 -269,048NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,423,195RELATIVE TO 2015 RHL 99.4%

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

2. 4 REGIONS (RI-NJ) PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 88,623 17.0 4 132 -45,515RHODE ISLAND 135,022 18.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) -3,994CONNECTICUT 116,801 18.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) 26,563NEW YORK 511,188 18.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) 81,948NEW JERSEY 1,131,778 18.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) 178,183DELAWARE 86,347 16.0 4 365 10,742MARYLAND 70,806 16.0 4 365 -2,360VIRGINIA 138,242 16.0 4 365 -269,048NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,324,7682015 RHL 95.3%

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

4a. NJ SPLIT PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 88,801 17.0 5 132 -45,337RHODE ISLAND 145,099 19.0 8 245 6,084CONNECTICUT 80,725 19.0 5 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) -9,513NEW YORK 381,198 19.0 5 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) -48,042N NEW JERSEY 340,397 19.0 5 128 (Mx45d Wv 3)S NEW JERSEY 1,085,495 17.0 4 365DELAWARE 60,270 17.0 4 365 -15,335MARYLAND 42,554 17.0 4 365 -30,611VIRGINIA 102,299 17.0 4 365 -304,991NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,372,8002015 RHL 97.3%

472,296

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

4b. NJ SPLIT w/ RI-NJ PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 88,623 17.0 4 132 -45,515RHODE ISLAND 107,882 19.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) -31,133CONNECTICUT 79,191 19.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) -11,047NEW YORK 377,768 19.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3) -51,472N NEW JERSEY 334,610 19.0 4 128 (Mx45d Wv 3)S NEW JERSEY 1,085,495 17.0 4 365DELAWARE 60,270 17.0 4 365 -15,335MARYLAND 42,554 17.0 4 365 -30,611VIRGINIA 102,299 17.0 4 365 -304,991NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,324,6542015 RHL 95.3%

466,510

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

5a. DE Bay(NJ) joins South PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 113,993 16.0 5 132 -20,144RHODE ISLAND 162,533 18.5 8 245 23,518CONNECTICUT 107,850 18.5 5 145 (Mx53d Wv 3) 17,612NEW YORK 475,180 18.5 5 145 (Mx53d Wv 3) 45,940NEW JERSEY 901,376 18.5 5 145 (Mx53d Wv 3)DE BAY(NJ) 198,922 16.0 4 365DELAWARE 86,347 16.0 4 365 10,742MARYLAND 70,806 16.0 4 365 -2,360VIRGINIA 138,242 16.0 4 365 -269,048NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,301,2102015 RHL 94.4%

146,702

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

5b. DE Bay joins South w/ RI-NJ PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 113,993 16.0 5 132 -20,144RHODE ISLAND 147,882 18.5 5 148 (Mx56d Wv 3) 8,867CONNECTICUT 110,976 18.5 5 148 (Mx56d Wv 3) 20,738NEW YORK 483,920 18.5 5 148 (Mx56d Wv 3) 54,680NEW JERSEY 912,274 18.5 5 148 (Mx56d Wv 3)DE BAY(NJ) 198,922 16.0 4 365DELAWARE 86,347 16.0 4 365 10,742MARYLAND 70,806 16.0 4 365 -2,360VIRGINIA 138,242 16.0 4 365 -269,048NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,309,3242015 RHL 94.7%

157,600

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

6a. DE Bay Region PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 113,993 16.0 5 132 -20,144RHODE ISLAND 162,533 18.5 8 245 23,518CONNECTICUT 116,187 18.5 5 153 25,949NEW YORK 498,486 18.5 5 153 69,246NEW JERSEY 930,439 18.5 5 153DE BAY (NJ) 144,898 17.0 4 184DE BAY (DE) 26,287 17.0 4 184DELAWARE 47,054 16.0 4 365MARYLAND 70,806 16.0 4 365 -2,360VIRGINIA 138,242 16.0 4 365 -269,048NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,294,8872015 RHL 94.1%

121,741

-2,264

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Summer Flounder – Addendum XXVI

VS. 1998 = (-) if donating fish and (+) if receiving fish

6b. DE Bay Region w/ RI-NJ PROJ HARVEST SIZE POSS SEASON VS. 1998MASSACHUSETTS 113,765 16.0 5 132 -20,372RHODE ISLAND 157,229 18.5 5 153 18,214CONNECTICUT 116,187 18.5 5 153 25,949NEW YORK 498,486 18.5 5 153 69,246NEW JERSEY 930,439 18.5 5 153DE BAY (NJ) 144,898 17.0 4 184DE BAY (DE) 26,287 17.0 4 184DELAWARE 47,054 16.0 4 365MARYLAND 70,806 16.0 4 365 -2,360VIRGINIA 138,242 16.0 4 365 -269,048NORTH CAROLINA 45,962 15.0 6 365 -90,615TOTAL 2,289,3552015 RHL 93.9%

121,741

-2,264

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Black Sea Bass2014 Summary:

NY projected harvest 516,962 fish (preliminary estimate)

Coast-wide harvest in 2014 ~ 1,960,807 fish

2014 RHL: 1,189,474 (Coast is at 165% of the RHL)

2015 RHL: 1,326,124 fish • Northern states (MA thru NJ) must take a 32.8% reduction

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Black Sea BassChanges in Possession Limit (8)?

• 5 fish ~6%• 4 fish ~13%• 3 fish ~22%• 2 fish ~36%

Changes in Season (July 15 – Dec. 31)?• Days in Wave 4(July & Aug) ~1% per day• Days in Wave 5 (Sept and Oct) ~0.75% per day

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Black Sea BassChanges in Minimum Size Limit (13.0”)?

• 13.5” ~15%• 14.0” ~30%• Increasing minimum size increases discards and may have

greater impacts due to the life history of BSB.• NJ will probably maintain its minimum size of 12.5”

Use of minimum size to achieve the reduction is still being discussed by the technical committee and will ultimately be a

Board decision.

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Black Sea BassFishing in Wave 3 (May & June)?

• Adding days in Wave 3 costs ~0.9% per day

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Scup?Current regulations:

• 30 fish at 10” May 1 – December 31• 45 fish “bonus season” on for-hire vessels Sept. 1 – Oct. 31

NY harvested 1,135,220 scup

Atlantic Coast (99% from MA-NY) harvested 4,104,226 scup

This is 67.7% of the 2015 RHL by weight

2015 Federal Measures include year around season, 9” minimum size and a 50 fish possession limit