CNBNews

For fishermen in New Jersey, season with a larger 19-inch size limit, smaller three-fish daily bag limit and less days on the water. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin is among those speaking out against the new catch limits. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“This decision by the DEP to oppose the flounder catch limit changes is short-sited and part of the Christie Administration's anti-regulatory agenda. Instead of protecting the fisheries off our coats, they are trying to rollback limits put in place by the Marine Fisheries Commission. If we go back to the old limits, we’ll continue to see the depletion of flounder stocks. Some point, there won’t be any left to fish. The purpose of limiting harvest of summer flounder is to allow the stocks to restore themselves. The DEP and fishermen are being shortsighted in this battle and going against nature and federal regulations. They may end up destroying the fisheries that they live off. The rules are not a fluke, they're there to protect them.

“Instead of proposing a compromise of a slightly smaller compromise, Bob Martin is trying to go back to the old limits that weren’t; working. We’ve seen this happen recently in the Baltimore Canyon area. Fishermen lobbied to stop the area from becoming a national park. Now, instead of being protected from mining and oil drilling, it will be opened up and face decimation of their fisheries. We’ve lost other fisheries in our state such as cod and shrimp by overfishing in the past. Pollution and overfishing are now threatening flounder numbers and making stricter catch limits would keep the population healthier for the future. Instead, they’re fighting against the science. This is hypocrisy on the part of the Christie Administration since they have done nothing to protect our environment or coasts all along.”