In the Long Island edition of The Fisherman for September, Matt Broderick tackled a relatively sore subject around these parts, and that’s the rather sad state of recreational fishing this season. “It’s the regulations,” Matt noted, explaining how many saltwater anglers have found keeper-class fish tough to find during the summer of 2024, with many folks that his team has spoken with viewing the overall status of our fishery as mostly negative. “This comes in the form of regulations at the top of the list, followed by tough fishing and, finally, the state of our economy as a whole, trickling down into the fishing industry,” he added.
It reminded me of a phrase used by political strategist James Carville while running Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in the early 90s – “It’s the economy, stupid.” Basically, when it comes to recreational fishing, the economy and regulations run hand-in-hand in terms of good times and bad. Each angler’s importance in the role of economic driver is something I’ve written about extensively over the years. While we tend to think of recreational fishing as all fun and games, our pursuit of fish is big business, something for which we should be proud.
Earlier this year, Frank Virgilio from the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs sent me an infographic that he uses when speaking with Trenton legislators about the significance of both commercial and recreational fisheries in the Garden State. The data shows how marine fisheries contribute over $3 billion annually to the New Jersey state economy while supporting over 21,000 jobs, with New Jersey ranking third out of 15 Atlantic Coastal states in both recreational trips and total pounds landed commercially.
I often describe summer flounder in New Jersey as “the straw that stirs the drink.” The author of that gem is Reggie Jackson (remind me later to tell you my Reggie story). But when it comes to New Jersey’s recreational fishing industry, fluke is definitely the number one catalyst for success in the for-hire, tackle and marine marketplace every summer at the Jersey Shore. Suffice to say, the persistent south winds of the summer of ’24 had a serious negative impact on the summer flounder fishery, on our catches and the overall economy.
“Up to this point for many the experience has been short after short after short,” Matt said of Long Island’s fluke fishery this season, calling our beloved summer flounder “a bread-and-butter species.” The good news here, with a little more than two weeks left in the Jersey Shore fluke season, is that inshore action for fluke seemed to show a big turn-around towards the latter half of the summer. So whether you butter your bread or stir a cold drink, these final 16 days left until the fluke window closes on September 25 should be well worth the effort.
Personally, I’m looking forward to what I hope will be another banner fall striper run. My little center console will be plodding along the sod banks in search of stripers at dusk for the next month and a half, but as a bay rat I plan on hopping aboard with a for-hire captain or two to ply the inshore and offshore grounds for meat. Porgy (10” minimum, 30 fish bag) and Atlantic cod (23” minimum, five fish bag) reopened again as of September 1, and New Jersey’s black sea bass fishery will get underway as of October 1 (12-1/2” minimum size, 10 fish bag limit to start). And then come November 15, New Jersey’s bag limit for tautog goes from one fish to five (15” minimum).
There’s no better way to put some fish in the box than by letting someone else do the driving – and the fish-cleaning for that matter! And if someone asks why you’re fishing “again” just remind them, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
