Anglers fishing for higher limit

The summer flounder stock is on the rise and, if the federal government gives a nod to the plan spawned by independent fisheries, an expert scientist and both the commercial and recreational fishermen who know our waters, the flounder quota for next year could be increased modestly.

That may end what has been a frustrating and unnecessarily costly three-year ordeal for Jersey Shore anglers.

The quandary experienced by fishermen who saw more and more fluke, another name for summer flounder, yet had their hands tied by increasingly restrictive fishing regulations has been troublesome since 2005, the last year catch limits were increased.

Meanwhile, forced cutbacks seriously hurt the industry at the Shore, with both commercial fishermen and party charter boats experiencing drastic losses. Many of those involved wondered if all the restrictions that threatened to doom a once-thriving industry were for naught — a mere numbers game being played by those who weren't in a position to see what anglers were seeing.

Now the National Marine Fisheries Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce will be asked to approve a modest 2.68 million pound catch increase, taking it to a reasonable total for 2009 of 18.45 million pounds. Details, including the length of the 2009 fishing season and the allowable minimum fish size, won't be known until actual catch numbers from 2008 are reported at year's end.

But if the national fisheries service sees what many others are seeing — that stocks are closer to being restored and that the population is a solid 72 percent rebuilt of the desired 132 million pounds — they should approve that catch plan.

"This is only the first part of the equation. But it's good news," says Tony Bogan, a party and charter boat captain in Brielle and one of the organizers of the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund. He and other Shore fishermen, both commercial and recreational, have every right to feel validated: Indeed, many have been saying privately that they've not seen such a bounty of summer flounder since the 1960s.

If all goes as hoped and the national fisheries service approves the catch increase for 2009, not only might consumers see more fluke at better prices on the market, but also a fishing industry that rebounds as quickly as the summer flounder.