Evaluating Catch, Effort, and Bag Limits on Directed Trips in the Recreational Summer Flounder Party Boat Fishery

The summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus is one of the most sought-after recreational fish along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. This fishery is primarily a consumptive fishery. The stock has been successfully rebuilding but remains below statutory rebuilding goals. Managers accordingly have restrained the annual quota primarily by increasing size limits, with a resulting increase in discard mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate new approaches to bag and size limits that minimize discard mortality while increasing angler satisfaction within the constraints of promulgated catch quotas. Three alternative management scenarios (slot limit, reduced minimum size, and cumulative size scenarios) were tested on party boats from New Jersey and New York. Total catch (by number) was lowest for control fishing trips (2006 state regulation) and higher for all three experimental scenarios because the experimental scenarios resulted in a greater number of kept fish. Discard-to-catch ratio (by fish weight and number) was highest for control trips, and landings (by weight and number) were lowest for the control scenario. Recreational fishermen operating under the reduced minimum size and cumulative size scenarios kept the most fish; these scenarios had the lowest discard-to-catch ratios. The slot limit scenario was intermediate in the discard-to-catch ratio and also in the number of kept fish. All three alternative management scenarios resulted in landing more fish under a biomass-neutral fishery to retain catch within allocation limits. Relative to 2006 legal conditions, the alternative scenarios produced proportional increases in landings by a factor of 1.75 to 2.09, while reducing discard mortality by 41-63% and maintaining the same total fishing mortality (landings plus discards) by weight.