NY fluke 2009, shortest fluke season ever?

This came from another site. It doesn't look like people have given much money to the cause. I hope it's ok for me to put these links up, bunkerjoe, they could use all the help they can get...




As it stands right now based on the last meeting, New York is looking at approximately a 4-6 week season, with a 21 plus inch fish!!! Yes you read that right!



Our only hope is to win the lawsuit which is for fair and equal regulations for all New Yorkers and our economy.



Please donate to the cause. Our funds are rapidly depleting.



Go to this link on the Tradewinds website to donate online:

http://www.tradewindsfishing.com/fisheries-law.cfm



Every dollar, with the exception of what the credit card company takes out, goes 100% to pay for the lawsuit.





Right now this law suit is being funded by only a handful of people that have donated to the cause. A month ago we posted on this site and in full page ads in the fisherman magazine that we needed money to see this case through. If you can believe it....as of last week a mere $400 was donated by New Yorkers!! That is enough to pay our lawyers for less than 2 hours. Amazing....and very sad.



If you care at all about fluke fishing and your right to fish next year, then please reconsider and send a few bucks. If everyone just sent even $1 it would be a huge help.



Come on everyone!!! The hardest part was getting this thing to court. Dont let it fail because of our complacency.



Capt Risi has set up an online donation button on his web site where you can go to donate with your credit card online. Please take a moment and do your part.





Here is the info:

ON-LINE DONATIONS



Go to this link on the Tradewinds website to donate online:

http://www.tradewindsfishing.com/fisheries-law.cfm







From Capt Paul Risi:

I have put up a button on my website to make it easier for everyone to make a donation. Don't use the PayPal buttons on the left column- Scroll down to the "DONATE" PayPal button in the middle colomn.





PayPal will take out thrity-three cents, plus three percent for each transaction. After that, every penny will go into a bank account dedicated to this particular lawsuit. There will soon be a similar button set up on the UBNY website if anyone wants to do it that way.



ANY AMOUNT OF DONATION will be gladly accepted. We hope to put up a list of those who donate (NOT dollar amounts) in the future so that they may be proud that they at least participated in this action at some level.



Thanks to everyone that wants to see this succeed.



Paul



UPDATE:



We have already had a few people donate on the site. Although it's great that each donation has been between ten and fifty dollars, I want to stress that NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL. If one out of five of the members on this site donate $3.50, we will have enough money to see this thing through just about any hurdle. If you're not familiar w/ PayPal, it is a very easy system to use, and you DoN'T need to be a member- You can simply put a few bucks on your credit card of choice.



We're not looking for the big hitters here, we're looking for the small kicks from everyone, so no one gets strained. Any money that is left over will be reserved in the same account, to only be used for the purpose of furthering the recreational fluke fishermne's cause. I promise that much.



I have also added another "Donate" button at the top of the linked page- Either one will work the same. This type of button doesn't allow you to add info at first. When you get to the part where you enter the amount, look under where it says "UBNY/NYFTTA LAWSUIT", and you will see a link that says "ADD SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO THE SELLER." Click open this box and write in your screen name, and a message if you don't want to be on the Sponsor's List when we post it, and if you want either your real name, screen name, or both on it. We will just list screen names of donors unless you specify otherwise. If you've already donated, send me a PM if you want your name witheld from the list of sponsors, or if you want your screen name substituted for your real name, or if you want both of them up. So send me a PM w/ the name from the account, and how you would like to be listed, if at all, and I'll take care of it.



REMEMBER, WE WILL ONLY BE LISTING DONOR'S NAMES, NOT HOW MUCH THEY DONATE. We respect any amount that anyone sends- We understand times are tough all around, but we have the numbers amongst us to make this happen for only a few dollars a piece!

Here's the rest of the info, from Capt Paul:




NEW YORK STATE IS SUEING FOR FAIR AND EVEN FLUKE REGS IN 2009!



The State of New York, through Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on behalf of the recreational fisherman of New York, to change the way fluke are managed on the East Coast. However, the Attorney General has left the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) out of the lawsuit.

With out including ASMFC, if the State is successful in the suit, nothing may change, because while the NMFS manages fluke in Federal waters, the ASMFC decides how to manage fluke in state waters, and is the agency responsible for choosing the State-by-State method of management each year. Their methodology has been based on faulty data, which has been impacting New York anglers unfairly for over a decade. United Boatmen of New York (UBNY), New York Fishing Tackle Trade Association (NYFTTA), and the Fisheries Conservation Association (FCA) have intervened in the lawsuit to include the ASMFC in any decision.

This has, and will, cost a lot of money, and our funds are rapidly being depleted.



WE NEED YOUR HELP



If we do not win this lawsuit, New York’s recreational angling community will have a very short season for fluke in 2009, despite the very healthy state of the fishery. A minimum size greater than last year’s 20-1/2-inch limit, a bag limit less than last year’s 4-fish limit, and a four to six week open season are a real possibility. We have been reported to have overharvested fluke by 66 percent in 2008, which would require New York to reduce our 2009 quota by 35 percent or more in 2009. We are asking all fishermen to help us salvage the 2009 fluke season for all recreational anglers. Please consider sending a donation, however large or small, to help support this lawsuit. The industry cannot finish this fight without the help of individuals, fishing clubs and other fishing organizations. Join the fight so that we can fish for fluke in 2009!



MAKE A DONATION ONLINE, NOW.

I have put up a button on my website to make it easier for everyone to make a donation.

:clapping::clapping: To Capt Paul Risi and BBuddah for posting. This is one of the most ridiculous proposed regs I've ever seen. We saw abundant fluke all season. There is no shortage. Every fishing trip we went on guys were throwing back dozens. Hardly any keepers were caught, from what my friends and I saw. How many fluke do they think will die with all of us catching and throwing them back? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.gif Total bs, please support Capt Paul.