What's happening
This bill extends the state's authority to manage summer flounder fishing until 2029.
Why it matters
Directly affects commercial and recreational fishers on Long Island and coastal New York. , as these are the primary regions for summer flounder (fluke) fishing, impacting local economies and fishing-dependent communities.
Maintains state-level flexibility to quickly adjust fishing regulations. (such as size limits, quotas, and seasons) in response to changing fish populations or federal requirements, which can help protect the sustainability of the fluke fishery and the livelihoods that depend on it.
Aligns state management with federal and regional guidelines. , ensuring New York avoids federal intervention or penalties that could arise if the state’s regulations lapse or diverge from those of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission or federal fishery management plans.
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Who cares
Commercial and Recreational Fishermen
They rely on clear fluke-summer flounder regulations to guide their harvests and ensure their livelihoods are not disrupted by sudden regulatory gaps.
Department of Environmental Conservation
The agency gains extended authority to manage fluke-summer flounder fisheries, ensuring sustainable practices and compliance with federal and interstate plans.
Environmental and Conservation Groups
These stakeholders care about the continuation of science-based management practices to protect fluke-summer flounder populations and broader marine ecosystems.
Seafood Industry and Consumers
Businesses and consumers interested in the availability and sustainability of local flounder stocks will be affected by how long and how effectively these management rules remain in place.
Headline styles
Extend Fluke Fishing Rules
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Signed chap.225
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.197
- Substituted for A11361
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 60–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.954
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Extend Flounder Fishing Rules
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Keith Powers
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10042
IN SENATE
April 24, 2026
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- (at request of the Department of Environmental Conservation) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to extending the authority of the department of environmental conservation regarding the management of fluke-summer flounder
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 13-0340-b of the environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 311 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows: § 13-0340-b. Fluke - summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus).
The department may, until December thirty-first, two thousand [twenty-six] twenty-nine, fix by regulation measures for the management of fluke or summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), including size limits, catch and possession limits, open and closed seasons, closed areas, restrictions on the manner of taking and landing, requirements for permits and eligibility therefor, recordkeeping requirements, requirements on the amount and type of fishing effort and gear, and requirements relating to transportation, possession and sale, provided that such regulations are no less restrictive than requirements set forth in this chapter and provided further that such regulations are consistent with the compliance requirements of applicable fishery management plans adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and with applicable provisions of fishery management plans adopted pursuant to the Federal Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. § 1800 et seq.).
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15006-01-6
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to extending the authority of the department of environmental conservation regarding the management of fluke-summer flounder
Purpose of the bill
The purpose of this bill is to extend the authority of the Department of Environment& Conservation (DEC) to manage fluke-summer flounder.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of this bill amends Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) § 13-0340-b to extend until December 31, 2029, DEC's authority to fix by regulation measures for the management of fluke-summer flounder (Parali- chthys dentatus).
Section 2 of this bill provides that the bill shall take effect imme- diately.
Justification
DEC's regulatory authority for fluke (also known as summer flounder) is necessary in order to preserve the current regulatory program. Failure to extend the existing regulatory authority by December 31, 2026 will result in the loss of regulatory protection for fluke.
This bill would extend DEC's regulatory authority for an additional three years, and ensure that DEC continues to be able to maintain compliance with the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) adopted jointly by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. ECL § 13-0105, which sets forth the marine fisheries conservation and management policy, provides that one of the State's objectives shall be that the management of the State's transboundary and migratory species shall be consistent with any interjurisdictional management plans, interstate or state-federal. Moreover, failure to make necessary regu- latory changes as may be required by the FMP could result in the closure of New York's fluke fishery.
Prior legislative history
DEC's authority was last extended by Chapter 311 of the Laws of 2023.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.