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NJ Senate Committee Approves Free Fishing Registry

TRENTON, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Yesterday the Senate Environment and Energy Committee approved Senate Bill S1122, which requires the DEP to establish free recreational saltwater fishing registry.

The bill will now head to the full senate for a vote as early as Monday, December 13, 2011.

Voting in favor of the free registry were Senators: Gordon, Bateman, Beck, and Greenstein. Committee Chair, Senator Smith abstained for reasons of conscience stating that the costs of implementing the registry were not considered in the bill.

The vote brings New Jersey closer to meeting federal registry requirements established by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and avoiding a $15.00 federal registration fee. The salt water registry is a federally mandated data collection program intended to ensure sustainable fisheries based on the best available science. An Assembly version of the bill (A823) has already passed.

Last week the NJOA (CF) sent out a NMFS announcement that a $15 fee would be imposed on individual saltwater anglers as of January 1, 2011 for those not currently registered through the federal program or by coastal registrations from other states. Those having an active Highly Migratory Species permit are also exempt from needing to register.

Two representatives from NJ DEP requested the committee consider a $5.00 registry fee. NJOA (CF) Chairman, Anthony P. Mauro said, “For nearly a year we’ve been trying to get the DEP to give us a firm understanding of how they would comply with the federal mandate but today was the first glimpse of their position.”

Based on a consensus of its council the NJOA (CF) has been advocating a $2.00 registry fee to cover the costs of implementation. “As a practical matter, the council is not opposed to a free saltwater registry,” said Mauro. He continued, “Concerns center on whether the costs associated with implementing a saltwater registry will impact an already severely underfunded Bureau of Marine Fisheries (BMF). The devil is in the details. Bill sponsors Senator Beck and Senator Van Drew did not address this important aspect in their bill.”

In addition to saltwater anglers the NJOA (CF) council is composed of hunters and freshwater anglers. Mauro added, “These diverse interests force us to consider whether there are unexpected consequences to a free registry. We certainly don’t want to see the Division of Fish and Wildlife transfer funds from the sale of freshwater fishing licenses, hunting licenses, permits and stamps, and to free up monies for implementing a saltwater registry. In effect, this scenario would swap funds currently used for natural resource management to data management. If it were to happen it would be an unacceptable tradeoff.”

Pete Grimbilas, NJOA (CF) President, said, “An appropriation from the state to cover the costs would be one way to remedy our concerns and show respect for the nearly $2 billion in economic activity and 10,000 jobs generated by sportsmen and women. With a little creative thinking and use of technology perhaps the state can simply find a low cost method to fulfill registry obligations.”

The NJOA (CF) council will continue to work with other fishing groups and legislators to ensure a registry that improves the integrity of fisheries and benefits saltwater anglers.

Anthony P. Mauro, Sr.
Chairman,
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance: “We’ve got your back!”

JOIN NJOA: http://www.njoutdooralliance.org/support/njoa.html

About:
NJOA – The mission of New Jersey Outdoor Alliance is to serve as a grassroots coalition of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen dedicated to environmental stewardship. We will champion the intrinsic value of natural resource conservation – including fishing, hunting and trapping, among opinion leaders and policy makers. We will support legislation, and those sponsoring legislation, that provides lasting ecological and social enrichment through sustainable use of the earths resources. Visit: www.njoutdooralliance.org

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Muskies Inc. Musky School – May 15 at Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Lake Hopatcong, NJ --(FishNLand.com)- If you would like to learn how to catch muskies and at the same time support New Jersey’s musky fisheries program, you don’t want to miss this year’s Musky School on Lake Hopatcong offered by Muskies Inc.!

Learn how to catch these elusive fish from seasoned, veteran musky anglers, who are donating their time and expertise for this event. This class offers the information, tips and techniques that will help both beginner and experienced musky anglers catch more muskies.

In the morning, classroom-style sessions will cover locations to fish, forage base, lure presentations, fishing tactics and more. Later in the day, participants will be on the water in a fully-equipped boat to pursue muskies with a personal instructor. This six-hour course includes a shore lunch. This is a catch and release event.

At Musky School, you will learn:
* Seasonal musky patterns and lure presentations
* Proper fishing gear selection – rods, reels, leaders and line
* How to land, handle and properly release musky

Fee: $300

Contact Kevin via e-mail at
johnsonke@optonline.net
Or by phone (201) 563-2554

For more info visit web sites
www.mi22.com and www.MuskiesInc.org

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Environmentalists replacing conservationists on Mid-Atlantic Regional Fishery Management Council
Feds make changes to Mid-Atlantic fishery council.. Kirk Moore • STAFF WRITER • June 25, 2009

Mid-Atlantic Regional Fishery Management Council - -(FishNLand.com)- Federal oceans administrator Jane Lubchenco is making changes on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Fishery Management Council, replacing fishermen who have represented three states with new members who have connections to environmental causes.

Christopher J. Zeman, a River Vale attorney who represented the environmental group Oceana on issues including sea turtles and their interactions with the scallop fleet, was named by the Department of Commerce to replace Edward Goldman, a recreational angler from Absecon whose term on the council expired this year. Each year about this time the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration led by Lubchenco names members to the eight regional fishery councils based on nominations submitted by state governors.

For a New York State seat, Laurie Nolan, a commercial tilefish boat owner from Montauk, is being replaced with Peter Schafer, director of retail operations at the Wild Edibles fish stores in New York City. Schafer has promoted selling sustainable fish in those high-end outlets, and worked with writer and activist Carl Safina’s Long Island-based Blue Ocean Institute to distribute shopping guides that tell consumers how their seafood choices affect the marine environment.

For a Virginia seat, Peter L. deFur, a professor at Virginia Commonmwealth University’s Center for Environmental Studies is replacing angler Jeff Deem. DeFur is a wildlife toxicologist who works on risk assessment and coastal restoration issues, and has served on the Board of the Science and Environmental Health Network and as president of the Association for Science in the Public Interest.

Environmental groups have long contended the federal system of eight regional councils is dominated by people with direct economic and personal stakes in fisheries issues, and have pressed NOAA to broaden the pool of nominees. In the 1990s, Safina became the first Mid-Atlantic council member from an environmental background to serve a three-year term.

Lubchenco, a professor and noted marine ecologist from Oregon State University, was tapped by President Obama this year to lead NOAA. She has had ties to the Pew Environmental Trusts, and the appointment aroused unease from fishing advocates who have tangled with their Pew counterparts over fishing limits and catch restrictions.

But on the New England front – scene of America’s most intractable fishing problems – Lubchenco is not making big changes at the regional council. Four incumbent members have been renamed to new terms, along with newcomer Glen A. Libby from the Port Clyde commercial fishermen’s cooperative in Maine.

Anthony P. Mauro, Sr
Chairman
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance: “We’ve got your back!”
www.njoutdooralliance.org

About:
NJOA – New Jersey Outdoor Alliance is the state’s first major political action committee devoted to the task of electing outdoor-minded candidates to public office.
NJOA has formed with the support of leaders of major pro-hunting, pro-angling, and pro-trapping organizations. We are not a hunting, fishing, or trapping “club” or “group,” and do not compete with the interests of such organizations. NJOA helps to ensure that strong wildlife and natural resource protection laws are produced by outdoor-minded elected officials. The best way to ensure a “conservation presence” in Trenton is to support the election campaigns of representatives who understand the relationship between a balanced ecology and hunting, fishing, and trapping.

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