By Al Ristori

February 11, 2010, 7:25PM

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued an emergency order on Tuesday that accepts recommendations for black sea bass increases by the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee.

As a result, the TAC (Total Allowable Catch) is increased from 2.71 million pounds to 4.5 million pounds. After deducting discards, the TAL (Total Allowable Landings) increases from 2.3 million pounds to 3.7 million pounds. Sea bass regulations approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) provide a season from May 22 to Sept. 12, with a 12½-inch minimum and a bag limit of 25. It’s likely that those regulations will apply in all waters.

The NMFS release notes this is being done on an emergency basis (upon publication that day in the Federal Register, and without a prior comment period) in order to reduce the social and economic disruption. Yet, the agency already wiped out the winter recreational sea bass season with their October emergency order closure of recreational sea bass fishing in federal waters, and offers no relief during the balance of the winter. Since the assessment indicates sea bass are a recovered species, there was never a good justification for closing last year. Furthermore, this year’s season is ridiculously short — and those dependent on the fall and winter seasons will once again be shortchanged.

The ASMFC recently approved New Jersey’s fluke options. Two options maintain the 18-inch minimum, with six fish and a May 29 to Sept. 6 season — or four fluke from May 23 to Sept. 6. The other four options use an 18½-inch minimum with six fish for seasons of May 13 to Sept. 13; May 29 to Sept. 26; May 21 to Sept. 12; or May 29 to Sept. 17. The Marine Fisheries Council will make a decision next month.

NEWS AND NOTES

• Hi-Mar Striper Club’s Flea Market opens at 8 a.m. tomorrow, and continues through 3 p.m. in the Middletown VFW on Route 36 in Port Monmouth. Admission is $5, with kids under 12 admitted free. A series of free seminars by Hi-Mar skippers starts at 9. For information call Capt. Jerry Beaver at (732) 671-1442.

• Fishing has been a dead issue lately as anglers shoveled tons of “global warming.’’ Ironically, I engaged in a National Wildlife Federation teleconference last month on “Oddball winter weather; global warming’s wakeup call for the northern United States” in which the speakers were only concerned with the economic and social effects of a lack of snow and cold weather. At least they must be happy with our second straight winter with more than most people ever want to see again of both.

• Capt. Jimmy Elliott sails Friday night with Miss Belmar Princess for cod off Block Island. That trip is sold out, and there are only a few spots left for next Friday night. Call him at (732) 284-9709. Elliott looked for mackerel on Tuesday, and got some good readings though only a few were jigged.

The Jamaica from Brielle and Voyager from Point Pleasant have also scheduled Block Island trips as well as weekend runs to far offshore wrecks for jumbo porgies plus cod and pollock.

• New Jersey is out of compliance with the Shark Management Plan, and shark anglers ware eagerly awaiting Gov. Christie’s signature on the 2007 regulatory package that included the required changes and will permit sharking in time for the tournaments. The state finds itself in this position because ex-Governor Jon Corzine inexplicably sat on that package of regulations from the Marine Fisheries Council for years.

• The seventh season of Rack & Fin Radio on 97.3 ESPN with host Tom Pagliaroli kicks off Saturday morning from 9-10. The 50K watt signal reaches through central and southern New Jersey. Rack & Fin Radio also streams live on the web at www.973espnfm.com.

• The World Fishing and Outdoor Exhibit will run in Rockland Community College, Suffern, N.Y., from March 4-7. The American Sportfishing Association also runs the Saltwater Fishing Expo that will be presented in the Garden State Exhibit Center at Somerset from March 19-21.

• The N.J. IGFA representatives present the 13th annual IGFA Banquet and Auction on Friday, March 26 in Mike Doolan’s Restaurant, Spring Lake Heights. That event has raised about $170,000 over the course of 12 years for the IGFA’s Junior Angler and Conservation programs. For information call Jeff Merrill at (908) 451-1110.

Visit Al Ristori’s blog at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing for the more fishing news plus best bets for the weekend.

By Al Ristori

December 17, 2009, 10:44PM

All those dedicated to clean waters lost a very special individual Tuesday when Derry Bennett of Fair Haven passed away at the age of 79. Bennett was executive director of the American Littoral Society from 1968-2003, devoting his life to the cause of clean waters as well as building the ALS into an important conservation organization.

He edited the ALS monthly publication, Underwater Naturalist, and promoted the ALS fish tagging program created by the late Graham MacMillen — since carried on by recently retired Pam Carlsen and Jeff Dement. That tagging information proved to be very valuable when striped bass finally achieved some protection from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) after the virtual collapse of the fishery.

Bennett, a surf fisherman, was a dedicated advocate of open beaches. Surfcasters owe him a debt of gratitude for his persistence in assuring access even in oceanfront communities that did their best to deny parking and access points to outsiders. He wrote The Seaside Reader, and New Jersey Coast Walks, as well as numerous articles. Bennett, also a founder of Clean Ocean Action, will be memorialized Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St. in Red Bank.

Recreational regulations for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass were approved at the Dec. 8-10 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Wilmington, Delaware.
 
Though staff had recommended a coastwise fluke regulation that would have allowed only two at 19 1/2 inches from May 1 to Sept. 30, that ended up being the non-preferred alternative as conservation equivalency prevailed once again. Thus, the Division of Fish and Wildlife will be able to set 2010 regulations based on New Jersey’s share of the 8.59-million pound recreational quota less our overage from this year. It’s likely that regulations will be little changed from this year’s.

The scup recreational quota is 3.01 million pounds, with coastwise regulations in the EEZ (federal waters) of 10 porgies at an 11-inch minimum from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, and June 12 to Sept. 26. The sea bass quota is 1.14 million pounds, with EEZ regulations of 25 at a 12 1/2-inch minimum during seasons of June 1-30 and Sept. 1-30. In the cases of both scup and sea bass, states will determine regulations in their waters in accordance with their quota and any overages.
 
The Council and ASMFC also voted to convene a joint meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committee and the Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee to review data that may allow the NMFS Regional Administrator to consider an adjustment that would allow more fishing for a species that’s restored, with overfishing not occurring.
 
Striped bass surfcasting was generally good Tuesday and Wednesday at several locations from Island Beach State Park to Sandy Hook, but Thursday was a bust in beautiful calm conditions. The gale-force northwester finally flattened the swell, but also seemed to turn off the bite all along the Shore in clear waters.

A very unseasonable 19-inch fluke surprised me Wednesday morning at Brick Beach while Capt. Gene Quigley and John Green of Brick, among others, were hooking into flurries of school stripers. I released hat fat fluke (the only “keeper” I caught from the surf this year) along with three 26-to-27-inch stripers and eight sand dabs — all of which hit a Vision Rainfish teaser.

Quigley was using the new Tsunami Pro Holographic 6-inch Sand Eel, and had a doubleheader of schoolies among his bass. Those sand eels have been the hot bait this fall, and would make a perfect stocking stuffer for anglers along with such standards as the Vision Surf Eel and Rainfish, Bomber plugs, and Yo-Zuri pencil poppers and Surface Bulls for big bass.

In order to ensure those lures aren’t lost due to a defective snap, add the new Sea Striker Fast Snap that looks like a paper clip and won’t open up as so often happens with standard snaps – especially when doubleheaders are hooked. The nickel black snaps come in medium and large size 10-packs

TOP CATCHES

Joe Mellillo of Castaways Tackle on Bridge Ave. in Point Pleasant released seven bass Wednesday morning at the end of his street, but there wasn’t a fish caught there Thursday morning – just as was the case at Brick despite beautiful conditions with much less wind than predicted which moderated the extreme cold.

Capt. Bobby Bogan didn’t have any customers at his Gambler in Point Pleasant Thursday morning, but decided to check the striper fishing with his crew. Some gannets were diving off Mantoloking, and big bass were under them. He caught three keepers and the deckhands also jigged a few. Bogan figured they could have limited by staying a bit longer. Almost all the bass were legal fish up to 20 pounds, and they hit the largest Krocodiles that imitate herring.

He noted that the Norma K also reported seeing stripers on the way back from blackfishing.

That was a huge improvement from Tuesday when I joined Capt. Russ Binns on his Mar-Lin from Toms River as we found no sign of life while running 17 miles south of Manasquan Inlet to the park and then eight miles north of the inlet. It was a desert out there with no bird life, fish marks, or bait readings.

Nineteen-year-old Greg Nunn of Hillsborough won the title of American Striped Bass Association Angler of the Year at Saturday’s last event of the ASA season in Virginia Beach while fishing aboard the family boat, Hapi Daze.

His father, Rick, was Angler of the Year two years ago. Nunn was only 10th at Virginia Beach with a 33-pounder caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, but that was enough to overcome the 6.05-pound lead that Capt. Bryne Pieros of Lebanon held coming in before his Michael’s Bait and Tackle team was shut out. Pieros had a great season, beating out New Englanders on their home grounds to win the North Division. He came into the final event having won three of the last four ASA tournaments.
 
Capt. Ken Zwirko of Union won at Virginia Beach by a half-pound on Bunker Down with a 40-pound striper plus an extra pound for a live release. Other N.J. skippers that did well were Matt Unsworth on Mod Squad in fourth with a 35.30-pounder plus the bonus pound to win the 26-foot boat and under division, and Harry Svenson on Cheap Shot in 13th with a 30.55-pounder.

The Jamaica from Brielle has set Blackfish Marathon open trips for 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 20, 23, 26, 28, 29 and 30. Call 732 528-5014 for information.

Capt. Jimmy Elliott will be seeking mackerel with Miss Belmar Princess starting this weekend.

The Tackle Box in Hazlet weight a 13 1/4-pound blackfish caught Tuesday on Sandy Hook Reef by Mike Rusin of Scotch Plains.
 
Capt. Bob Kita of Manville joined Paul Bowes of Manville on Green Machine, owned by Kai Meckeler of Annandale, as they limited with blackfish up to 8 pounds on that reef after launching at Atlantic Highlands.
 
Carlos Londano of Murray Hill and his group caught 20 dolphin up to 45 pounds one day last week at Golfito, Costa Rica. Greg Thummel of SportfishingGolfito.com reported that a 100-pound yellowfin tuna was caught that week.