Last week was the first summer flounder (fluke) "scoping" meeting for me and many others. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), both responsible for managing summer flounder in our State, held a summer flounder scoping meeting.

Summer flounder abundance has moved north in recent years as the ocean water has warmed. So you might say climate change has impacted this fishery in a positive way for Rhode Island fishermen. With this abundance shift and the importance of the species to both commercial and recreational fishing in Rhode Island, fish managers believe it is time to look at old and new science and consider changes to the way summer flounder are managed.

"Scoping", as defined by Kiley Dancy, MAFMC assistant plan coordinator for summer flounder, is "… the process of indentifying issues, potential impacts and reasonable alternatives associated with a particular management issue. It provides the first and best opportunity for the public to make suggestions or to raise issues and concerns before development of an amendment (to regulation) begins."

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