Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross sided with New Jersey and broke longstanding protocol on a regional approach to preservation of the summer flounder, one of the most-fished species in the Northeast, says the Boston Globe. By rejecting the recommendations of a commission that oversees fishing issues on the East Coast — an unprecedented step — Ross raised “deep concerns about political meddling” and effectively will allow New Jersey to harvest more flounder, it says.
New Jersey developed an alternative to the catch limits proposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and which other states have approved. The commission, created by Congress to manage migratory fisheries, estimates the summer flounder population is 42-percent below a sustainable level, and down by one-fourth since 2010. The commission’s plan would have required recreational anglers in New Jersey to throw back flounders that measure less than 19 inches, keep no more than three fish a day and limit fishing trips to 128 days a year. Ross supported the New Jersey plan to allow anglers to keep fish over 18 inches long, to catch up to four fish a day and limit fishing to 104 days a year.
A sportsman’s group applauded the Commerce secretary’s decision. “But fishing officials elsewhere worry that Ross’s decision could open a Pandora’s box, in which states feel free to reject the commission’s findings and appeal directly to federal authorities,” said the Globe. “Some also raised concerns that Ross’s decision may have been influenced by President Trump’s close relationship with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.”