On the verge of extinction?
Tightening regulations continue to impact recreational fishing industry
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Courtesy Dave Brennan
Fishing, he says, works the same way. If you believe there's at least a chance you could go home with a sackful, then you don't mind driving, say, 100 miles from Queens to Greenport and paying the 75 bucks it costs to go out fishing with Brennan on the Peconic Star. Trouble is, the most you can take home now, under recent state Department of Environmental Conservation rules, is two fluke at 21 inches or better, and 10 porgies at 11 inches each. Anything else you happen to catch goes back in the water.
Brennan says it's all about the perception people have, and with these rules in place, the perception isn't good. He's been doing this for decades, and he says he's not catching any more or any less fish now than he ever did. He points out that porgy stocks are at 112 percent of the target set by the DEC and yet that organization chose to leave what Brennan calls “draconian” limits in place on the off-chance that over-fishing might occur.
The overall effect, Brennan says, is devastating. Large, professionally-run party boats like his are, he says, “on the verge of extinction. Six years ago, I had five full-time mates. Now, I've got one full time and one part time.” Full-time mate Dennis Tinnin says he's been doing this for 16 years and, out of those, he can only recall a couple when the bag limit didn't get smaller and the keepers bigger.
And it doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon. The next blow to the recreational fishing industry is the saltwater fishing license, slated to go into effect in October. If you only do your fishing on party boats, though, you won't need one, because Brennan will buy an annual license that covers everybody on board. That's going to cost him an additional $400 to $800 a year on top of the license fees he already lays out.
From a business standpoint, Dave Brennan's prospects for the remainder of the season are not great. Fluke has always been his mainstay. He did, or used to do, the bulk of his fluke business in May, when people would come out here to find the biggest fish. Now, he says, you may as well go to New Jersey.
But for the day-tripping fisherman, the Peconic Star still has a few things going for it. Fluke season, which has been closed for a couple of weeks, reopened on Friday, July 3 and runs through August 17 — two fish at 21 inches. There are also sea bass around. You're allowed to keep 25 of those if they're 12.5 inches or better. Through the end of August you can catch and keep 10 porgies at 11 inches or better. Then, from September 1 to October 15, there's a porgy bonanza. Anglers on party boats can keep 45 of them!
And bag limits or not, party boats still have the full experience to offer. If you don't have a boat of your own, you can spend a great day on the water with friends or family and probably at least come home with dinner.
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