NJ Saltwater Fisherman Forums

NJ Saltwater Fisherman => Fisheries Management => Topic started by: NJSeaGrant on February 17, 2012, 01:51:43 PM

Title: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: NJSeaGrant on February 17, 2012, 01:51:43 PM
The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium recently funded four new research projects on issues of high priority to New Jersey’s coast.  Recreational and commercial fishermen will be most interested in the results of the project that Dr. Kenneth Able and Dr. Thomas Grothues, from the Rutgers University Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, plan to conduct on winter flounder.  The goal is to better understand winter flounder connectivity between estuarine and continental shelf habitats and address issues related to the decline of winter flounder and management of its habitats. 

Past research efforts indicate that winter flounder spawning movements are variable and spawning may take place not only in estuaries but also on the continental shelf.  Drs. Able and Grothues plan to conduct a reevaluation of the seasonal movements of adults and determine the spawning sites for winter flounder (estuary and/or ocean) in New Jersey with electronic sensored tags that collect and store data. The tags need to be returned by fishers who catch these (Reward!) to allow data extraction.Tagging will begin offshore in early summer and estuaries in the late fall.  Information on what the tags look like and how to return them will be provided at a later date.

Information on previous research efforts can be found at http://njseagrant.org/jersey-shoreline/vol26_no1/regulatory_solutions.html
Title: Re: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: Hotrod on February 17, 2012, 05:21:40 PM
Very Cool.. t^
Title: Re: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: fellinger on February 17, 2012, 05:28:40 PM
Cool indeed....
Title: Re: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: IrishAyes on February 17, 2012, 06:11:57 PM
Sounds like a plan. It may be hard to get returns on tags as not too many people are willing to fish for winter flounder with the 2 fish bag limit.  5hrug
Title: Re: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: Hotrod on February 17, 2012, 06:13:57 PM
Good Point Joe...
Title: Re: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: NJ Guy on February 17, 2012, 10:36:44 PM
Didnt weigh the fish but during the fall HI-MAR stiper tournament a friend landed a FAT winter flounder on romers shoal i would say approx 4-5 lbs.... was crazy... Fish was caught on a 7/0 hook loaded with 3-4 clam bellies.
Title: Re: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: BigAl13 on February 18, 2012, 05:38:16 AM
hope they tag a lot of fish, the've been tagging stripers for years and I nor anybody I fish with has caught one. Good luck with the research.
Title: Re: Winter Flounder Study
Post by: IKAT on February 18, 2012, 11:29:40 AM
Didnt weigh the fish but during the fall HI-MAR stiper tournament a friend landed a FAT winter flounder on romers shoal i would say approx 4-5 lbs.... was crazy... Fish was caught on a 7/0 hook loaded with 3-4 clam bellies.

YEA MIKE--I thought we took a pic of that BEAST--was sure funny having a super large winter flounder on board--Great fish Gary caught--and released unharmed t^