Regulations
Fishing This Year Goes On A Little Longer
By TJ Clemente
If you live off the ocean in Montauk, you may have noticed
a lot of Draggers towing east to west and west to east very
close to shore. It is unusual for them to be doing this,
this time of year. That pattern of fishing is usually in
the spring during the spring fluke run. You watch the large
arms hold out huge nets with thousands of sea gulls in tow.
It is a sight that if you live in Montauk, you know well.
However, it is not fluke going into the nets but porgies
(scup). There are two major reasons they are out there now;
there is a new quota policy and the fact the fish are still
there.
The new quota system now in effect is allowing local fisherman
to fish to fulfill unused quotas from other seasons. Under
a new ruling, the local fisherman are allowed to harvest
up to 6000 lbs of porgies a day. The price of porgies at
this
time is around $.80 per pound. The beauty is that also at
this time the porgies are still plentiful in the area and
are helping
to produce a nice payday. On Jan. 1, 2007 the quota goes
up to 30,000 lbs per day but by then the fish will be out
of reach
of local, boats and more in reach or fishing vessels from
southern New Jersey to the Carolina’s.
Another caveat at this time is the 1500 lbs of bluefish and
1500 lbs of sea bass that can be caught. Although the blue
fish is yielding around $.25 to $.35 per pound, the medium
sea bass are bringing in around $2.50 per pound and the
jumbo sea bass are yielding $5.50 per pound. Sima Freierman
the
production manager of The Montauk Inlet Seafood Company
explained that
the jumbo sea bass is doing well. She also stressed how
lucky local fisherman are for both the efforts to extend
the porgies
season to Jan 1, and the fact they are so abundant in the
waters and so close to shore. A good combination with diesel
fuel
hovering around $2.50 per gallon these days. If one were
to catch 6000 lbs of porgies at $.80 and 1500 lbs of jumbo
sea
bass at $5.50 per pound and 1500 lbs of blues even at $.25
per pound the $13,425.00 gross might pay for expenses.
On another front, Ms. Freierman reported that Captain Hank
Lackner, the skipper of the newest and largest Montauk
dragger, Jason and Danielle, was out not landing fish
to bring to
the dock but taking scientists from Rutgers University
out to do "supplementary
surveys" of whiting. The National Fisheries Institute
is funding the surveys, which is an industry group. The surveys
are being done in conjunction and cooperation of the National
Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. The simple reason for
this is that the government vessels due to size and money constraints
cannot get to the depths at this time of year to get the results
that the Jason and Danielle can. The more accurate results
concerning ground fish and whiting will be more helpful to
the local fishing interest.
The New England Fisheries Management Council manages
both ground fish and whiting. Although New York fisherman
account
for a
third of ground fish and whiting harvested New York
State is not officially represented. Ms Freierman attends
the
meetings and acts as a liaison to overcome this situation.
So with the uncertain realities of fishing in the deep
waters off Montauk where you truly never know what
will end up in
the nets, some good news is always welcomed. As Jeff
Bline once said to me, "Fishing is fishing.” And in Montauk,
fishing is Montauk.
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