2008 Virginia Flounder Regulations
The following information relates to Virginia recreational summer flounder regulations for the 2008 fishing year.
2008 Virginia flounder regulations include:
A 19 inch minimum size limit with a 5 fish catch limit.
The season will open Saturday March 1st, 2008.
There is a season closure from July 21st thru July 30th, 2008.
* fishing regulations are subject to change. For the latest information see the VMRC website.
The Summer Flounder Rebuilding Plan
Since 1993, summer flounder has been under a rebuilding plan in order to reduce fishing mortality and continue rebuilding the stock. A 10-year rebuilding plan began in 2000 and was to have ended January 1, 2010. The recent re-authorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act extended the summer flounder rebuilding plan to January 1, 2013.
Federal and State Summer Flounder Regulating Agencies
Virginia summer flounder regulations continue to be a complex issue for anglers. Recreational and commercial summer flounder (P. dentatis) regulations are regulated by the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC). Several entities seek to affect Virginia and the overall Mid Atlantic region summer flounder regulations.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) sets summer flounder quotas for the region and each state based on scientific data from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) is responsible for management of fisheries in federal waters which occur predominantly off the mid-Atlantic coast. States with voting representation on the Council include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. (North Carolina is represented on both the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils.)
NMFS has approved a total allowable catch (TAL) of 15.77 million pounds for the 2008 summer flounder fishery, divided into a 9.46 million pound commercial quota and a 6.31 million pound recreational harvest limit.
Virginia will draft 2008 regulations that seek to stay within the federal limits. The exact regulations are based upon a variety of input, including input from the angling community via Ad Hoc committee meetings, letters and other communications.
Virginia’s share of the 2008 total allowable catch will include a cut of roughly 20% compared to 2007. The reduction of summer flounder recreational harvests can be accomplished by (1) increased minimum size limits, (2) lower creel limits, (3) seasonal closures or (4) some combination of options (1), (2) and/or (3).
Summer Flounder Recreational Landings Data Collection
In late 2007, the federal government began moving forward with plans mandated by Congress to overhaul its data collection systems for marine recreational fisheries by 2009. The NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology web site summarizes the joint State and Federal efforts to redesign the program. A significant component of the anticipated survey design changes call for the creation of a national registry of marine anglers by 2009 based on accepted state licensing programs or a new federal fishing permit. The new registry is anticipated to be a comprehensive, up to date listing of all active marine anglers and will be used to improve angler surveys.
Summer Flounder Lobbying Groups
The Save The Summer Flounder Fishery Fund (SSFFF) lobbies for recreational summer flounder fishing. SSFFF is a non-profit organization consisting of party boat and fishing charter boat owners, bait and tackle and store owners, tackle distributors, bait suppliers and other people that are involved in the recreational fishing industry.
The Virginia Council of Angling Clubs publishes up to the moment news concerning Virginia recreational fishing issues. Many of the member clubs work with VMRC to create the best possible summer flounder harvests for Virginia anglers while staying within the federally mandated yearly quota.
Both the PEW environmental group and the Marine Fish Conservation Network have called for a summer flounder moratorium. Both groups have published press releases and are actively seeking to restrict or eliminate recreational fishing for summer flounder.
2009 Summer Flounder Moratorium Possible
In a 2007 letter to W. Peter Jensen, chairman of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, then head of NMFS William T. Hogarth wrote “I urge you to consider new approaches for 2008 that will better ensure that the recreational targets will not be exceeded…” Hogarth noted that the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey indicated that all but two East Coast states exceeded their 2007 targets by the end of August. He went on to warn that “… if the measures implemented by the states to manage the 2008 recreational fishery are not effective to constraining harvest within the recreational harvest limit, NMFS is prepared to close the summer flounder recreational fishery in the Exclusive Economic Zone.”
Related Links
Virginia Council of Angling Clubs
National Marine Fisheries Service
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Virginia Marine Resource Commission
Updates
This article was last updated on February29, 2008.