The Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Division of Fish, Game & Wildlife, through approval of the State Marine Fisheries Council, recently adopted changes to existing summer flounder and tautog regulations. The modifications are the result of New Jersey’s efforts to comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s management plans for these species.

The new regulations include:

1. An increase in the minimum length of summer flounder harvested recreationally from 14 to 14 1/2 inches.
2. An increase in the possession limit of summer flounder harvested recreationally from 8 to 10 fish.
3. An increase in the minimum length of tautog harvested recreationally from 12 to 13 inches.

The minimum length for tautog harvested commercially will increase to 14 inches upon adoption of a separate multi-species regulatory proposal published in the June 2, 1997 edition of the New Jersey Register.