The Fishing Line: Fall Tournaments keep fishing interesting

It may seem to be that the fishing season is over, but while things have slowed a little, there’re plenty of tournaments to enter before you put away that gear.
Weather-wise, Sept. 11 and 12, were a fishermen’s dream and North Wildwood’s beaches offered the perfect setting for the 41st annual Surf Fishing Tournament. Winners: First Place – Joe Umile of North Wildwood with a 16.57-pound striper; Second Place – Randall J. Smith of Glen Gardens, NJ, a nice 2.32-pound tog; Third Place – Bob Ameye of North Wildwood, 1.86-pound tog; Youth Winner – Leo Famiglietti, 6, North Wildwood, 1.58-pound tog. (Thanks North Wildwood for pictures and results)
Mark your calendars: Oct. 2, 56th Annual Pennsauken Surf Fishing Club Tournament. Register at Anglesea Firehouse, Second and New Jersey avenues, beginning at 6 a.m. Fish from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Teams and individuals welcome. There is an entrance fee. Call 856-786-0070 or visit asaconline.org.
Oct. 9, Great Fall Classic Surf Fishing Tournament. Registration begins at 6 a.m. at 15th and beach, North Wildwood. Fishing concludes Sunday at 12 p.m. Entrance fee for teams is $50; for individuals, $10. Cash prizes. Call 732-269-8878 or visit njbba.org.
Oct. 16, 23rd Annual Anglesea Surf Anglers Surf Fishing Tournament. Registration 6-7:30 a.m. at Anglesea Firehouse, Second and New Jersey avenues. Fishing begins at 7:30 a.m. and continues till 2:30 p.m., entrance fee, 465-2675 or visit asaconline.org for more info.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) met with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish Boards to adopt 2011 fishery management measures. The table below summarizes the recommended fishery management measures for 2011. The Council and Board recommended a (total allowable catch) TAC of 33.95 million pounds for the 2011 summer flounder fishery. The total allowable landings (TAL) would be 29.48 million pounds, an increase of about 7 million pounds compared to the 2010 level. If approved by NMFS, 17.69 million pounds would be allocated to the commercial fishery as quota and 11.79 million pounds as a recreational harvest limit for the 2011 fishing year.
Both the Council and Board recommended a TAC of 24.10 million pounds for scup. The associated TAL would be 20.00 million pounds, an increase of about 6 million pounds compared to the 2010 TAL. If approved, the scup commercial quota would be 15.60 million pounds and the recreational harvest limit would be 4.40 million pounds for 2011.
In regard to the specifications for the 2011 black sea bass fishery, the Council and Board recommended that the TAC be set at 4.50 million pounds. The associated TAL would be 3.60 million pounds which would result in a commercial quota of 1.76 million pounds and a recreational harvest limit of 1.84 million pounds if approved.
The Council and Board recommended a TAC of 31.74 million pounds for the 2011 bluefish fishery. The corresponding TAL is 27.29 million pounds, which is about a 2 million pound decrease from the 2010 TAL of 29.26 million pounds.
Under the bluefish FMP, a transfer of landings from the recreational to the commercial fishery is allowed if there are sufficient landings available in the TAL above the expected landings amount in the recreational fishery. Since this is the case for 2011, the Council recommended a transfer of 4.77 million pounds resulting in a commercial quota of 9.41 million pounds and a recreational harvest limit of 17.88 million pounds.
“The key to the recent quota increases has been the new information derived from independent science directly commissioned and funded by the SSFFF,” said Greg Hueth, SSFFF (Save Summer Flounder) Director.
Send your fish stories and photos to cmiller@cmcherald.com.