Corpusfishing.com

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

a wide variety of opinions, for sure. all being considered as "Alternatives" by the TPWD, everyone interested should go to the public scoping meetings. those things are great.

I had a chance to talk with Dr. Holt of UTMSI/FAML last night, and she said they are having limited but improved success with breeding flounder in captivity. sure hope they start cranking them out soon, and I have faith in her team out there. however it may take additional measures to get comfortable with the populations again.

we all want to have our cake and eat it too. Flounder gigging has been an activity that people along the coast have enjoyed probably since the invention of artificial lighting. I remember the flounder runs in the 80's where it was possible to target and catch them in good numbers with rod and reel. oddly enough it usually coincided with the croaker runs. Hhmm? where did all that go? but anyway,

The shrimper buy-back program is doing its job, as evidenced by TPWD reports (in a recent post on this board, I think Mike Singleterry might have put a link up). Coupled with reduced recreational possession limits, it would seem that many of the measures for flounder stock re-building are in place.

what are we missing here? I think there is one more stakeholder in the game that could use a bag limit reduction before we start closing seasons. which may be inevitable, but lets give that a shot first.

wanna see fireworks? hopefully the commercial interests will show up at the scoping meetings.

and good point Chuck, looks like everyone is willing to deal with some kind of action to impart change, even if it includes tightening our own belts.

geez, I just re-read that last bit and I sound like an Obama campaign volunteer. ya'll get the idea though
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[Capt Mike Singleterry]

....you mean this link

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/release/text.phtml?req=20080523

I posted that one to support the fact that TP&W and conservations groups were on the right track with the license buy back. Bycatch and to many
nets in the bays has always been in my opinion the major problem for both the croaker and flounder.

Mike

[bk005]

They buy back commercial flounder license to right?

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

No, the conversation is centered on the Shrimper License By-Back program.

however, that might be a good idea.
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[Oz]

I think the commercial and recreational guys who are packed onto the Flounder and air boats that blast up and down a shoreline taking full limits for every occupant is a major if not primary cause of any noticeable decline in stocks. If I owned and utilized one of those boats i'd say it would be pretty cool and am sure I would probably defend it, but I don't and am a individual who gigs by foot and get highly annoyed by these boats anyway when they come and cut you off or whatever.

I would rather see a decrease in bag limit. But I think if the stocks are in danger then whatever should be done to help appropriately replenish the stocks should be done. I personally think it just sucks that those boats can bag 30, 50, or more Flounder a night depending on how many people are on there and the people who work their asses off on foot have to suffer because of it. And the new possession limit is kinda irrelevant for those guys anyway because i've seen them take off, go home... more than likely dump their catches, and come back a couple hours later and slay them.

Of course i'm just rambling on...
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-Oz

[frayed]

Good to hear Dr. Holt is making some progress on the flounder breeding program.
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Jeff

Get Busy

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

[Capt Mike Singleterry]

I read a copy of notes taken from the TP&W flounder scoping meeting held the other night in Dickinson. Based on everything that was discussed
I thought I would pass this information along to you guys.

Statistical analysis of projected outcome of various month long season closurers and combined size minimun size increases & season closure.
December closure 14" min. = 19.4% increase in population in 6 years
October - December closure 14" min. = 107.7% increase in population
in 6 years.
December closure 16" min.= 38.8% increase in pupulation in 6 years.
October - December closure 16" min. = 122.2% increasure in population in 6 years.

After reading the notes and discussions it seems some type of closure is coming. It also seemed that every point that you guys posted here on the
Corpus Fishing Board was brought up or discussed.
If I get some time I will try to post the complete set of notes.

Mike

[Netboy]

Here's a link to a summary of the Dickinson meeting:
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=186144

[Capt Mike Singleterry]

Thanks Netboy those are the same notes I got from the CBGA.

Mike

[ironmanstan]

I'm all for the buy back program. Heres why. Growing up we always had a shrimp boat a typical bay shrimper usually 40-50ft . It was a hobby for the old man he like to work on stuff and if you like to work on stuff just get a shrimp boat and you will stay busy fixing things. We did most of the shrimping in the mouth of the arroyo just past Arroyo city down there in the valley, plus we shrimped Aransas and Corpus bays. We would drag the nets for about and hour for dead sales and 15 min for live sales. Either way all the little bity flounders would be dead and there would be a bunch of them, more on the longer drags, plus dead croaker and other dead things all part of the by catch. But we were just 1 boat , now think about 20-50 bay boats dragging the same bay all day. Even as a young man ( good looking too ) i used to sit there on deck and wonder just how times can a field be plowed? Instead of plow shears it was shrimp nets. If it lays on the bottom it more than likely will end up in the net. Thats all I have to say about that. Food for thought I guess.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

[Big Ed]

From what I have read and observed it appears that the bycatch is probably the largest single problem with the flounder population. Also, the commercial boys get their share and then some. I hadn't really thought about the comment Oz made about non-commercial fishermen in specially rigged floundering boats. Four guys on one of those boats can often take a whole lot of flounder in a hurry and keep them. The guys limited to walking the shoreline are probably more into the sport than just a "meat haul" . I too would hate to see the season closed even for a couple of months. Would much rather see a reduced bag limit tried and strengthing the buy back program.
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Big Ed
San Antonio

"A word to the wise ain't necessary. It's the stupid ones who need advice.", Bill Cosby

[jp3]

When I went offshore on a party boat a couple weeks ago, I was shocked to see the by-catch from the shrimper we pulled up by. It actually made me a little sick to see the hundreds of undersized snapper, croaker, trout, etc. that were killed. If I didn't obey a single size limit for a whole year, I don't think i could kill as much as they did in their one drag. So, to me, the buy back program seems crucial. Also, I've never come close to a limit of flounder and I would suspect the majority of average guys out there don't on a frequent basis, so i would be all for lower the limit to keep the meat-haulers from destroying all the flounder.

[Darcat08]

oz has the right idea. bag limits are much better than changing status and not allowing gigging.

[ironmanstan]

Here's another way to look at it. We aren't allowed to gig reds or drum thats because its easy to gig em when they are around. Flounder are just as easy if not more.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.