The New Jersey Marine Fisheries council (NJMFC) will hold their March meeting at the Atlantic County library, 306 East Jimmie Leeds Rd., Galloway, NJ, 4:00 pm. This is historically the most attended meeting of the year,due to the NJ Summer flounder regulations being on the agenda. There will be a list of seasons/bag limit options, that are considered conservation equivalents , that have been handed down from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council. In the past the NJMFC has relied heavily on public comment when voting on the options,many times it will come down to a showing of hands from the people in attendance. Last year most fishermen were satisfied with the season option chosen. However this year may be different, due to a reduction in the NJ flounder allocation. The argument usually comes down to the start and end date. North verses South – North Jersey fishermen like a later start date and South Jersey prefers the earliest start date, with summer flounder. Weather has such an effect on the flounder fishing early (May) and later in the season (September) that it is a gamble either way.
Update: I just returned from the NJMFC meeting, the 2013 Summer flounder season will be May 18 to September 16, 2013, with a 5 fish bag limit and a 17.5″ minimum size.
Ken's Dock 