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Atlantic Sturgeon Research in Delaware Bay
April 16, 2012
 The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has deployed 7 acoustic receivers in the Delaware Bay to track migration patterns of Atlantic sturgeon. The receivers are generally set in water depths less than 20 feet. Those fishing in inshore waters may encounter the white buoys marked "NJDEP Research".
As part of a multi-state collaborative effort, the Division has partnered with several states to develop a multi-year effort directed at providing state, federal, and regional management authorities with information necessary to successfully conserve and ultimately restore the population of sturgeon in the mid-Atlantic region.
With the recent endangered species listing of Atlantic sturgeon, effective April 6, 2012, (see www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2012/01/31_atlantic_sturgeon.html for details), research on this species has gained significance. The Division's portion of the project is to purchase, assemble, deploy and maintain 18 receivers in the Delaware Bay. Data will be downloaded monthly from each receiver to detect movement of Atlantic sturgeon tagged with acoustic telemetry tags. The new receivers will complement the existing receiver array within Delaware Bay, specifically on the NJ side, to ensure complete coverage of the sampling area. The additional coverage will allow for greater detection of Atlantic sturgeon and provide the ability to monitor immigration and emigration from the Delaware Bay. The remaining 11 receivers will be deployed over the next few weeks.
For more information about sturgeon in the Delaware Estuary, see the 2005 Marine Digest article, Delaware River Sturgeon (pdf, 143kb).
For exact receiver coordinates or for more information about the project contact Heather Corbett at 609-748-2020.
Receiver Location Chart (pdf, 86kb)
NEW FLOUNDER REGULATIONS
17.5 INCHES
5 FISH PER ANGLER
MAY 5TH - SEPTEMBER 28TH
River Herring and Tautog Regulation Changes
February 1, 2012
Updated February 2, 2012
The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is informing recreational saltwater anglers and commercial fishermen of recent regulatory changes for river herring and tautog fisheries. The New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council approved these measures at their January 5, 2012, meeting and DEP Commissioner Martin recently signed these changes into effect. These actions were taken to comply with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) management plans for river herring and tautog.
Effective immediately, no person shall take, possess, land, purchase, sell or offer for sale any river herring (alewife and blueback) in the marine waters of the State. Only commercial vessels fishing exclusively in Federal waters while operating a valid Federal permit for Atlantic mackerel and/or Atlantic herring may possess river herring, up to a maximum of five percent by weight of all species possessed.
These regulations were put in place due to concerns about the significant coastwide decline of river herring stocks. The exact cause for these coastwide declines remains uncertain, but numerous factors such as loss of spawning habitat, impediments to fish passage (i.e. dams), water quality degradation and fishing all likely played a role. Amendment 2 of the ASMFC fishery management plan for river herring prohibits both the recreational and commercial harvest of river herring in the waters of states that do not have an ASMFC- approved river herring sustainable management plan. New Jersey does not have an approved plan since the available information on river herring stocks is not sufficient to definitively prove the State's river herring stocks are sustainable. Other states along the East Coast - Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island - have closed their river herring fisheries as well.
Amendment 2 of the ASMFC fishery management plan for river herring applies to the state’s entire population of migratory herring in both marine and fresh waters. Currently, the river herring fishery closure is in place for marine waters only, but compliance with the ASMFC plan also requires closure of the state’s fishery for freshwater migratory herring. The freshwater fishery closure, which will not include landlocked herring populations, is expected to be in place by mid-February. The Division will issue a public notification when the freshwater closure is approved.
Also effective immediately, the new minimum size limit for tautog (blackfish) is now 15 inches, both commercially and recreationally. The new recreational seasons and possession limits for tautog are as follows:
| TAUTOG RECREATIONAL SEASONS AND LIMITS |
| DATES |
# FISH |
MINIMUM SIZE |
| Jan. 1 - Feb. 28 |
4 fish |
15" |
| Mar. 1 - Mar. 31 |
CLOSED |
| Apr. 1 - Apr. 30 |
4 |
15" |
| May 1 - Jul. 26 |
CLOSED |
| Jul. 27 - Aug. 31 |
1 |
15" |
| Sept. 1 - Oct. 17 |
CLOSED |
| Oct. 18 - Nov. 15 |
1 |
15" |
| Nov. 16 - Dec. 31 |
4 |
15" |
| TAUTOG COMMERCIAL SEASON DATES AND SIZE LIMIT |
| DATES |
MINIMUM SIZE |
| Jan 1 – Jan 15 |
15" |
| Jan 16 – June 21 |
CLOSED |
| June 22 - June 30 |
15" |
| July 1 – Nov 8 |
CLOSED |
| Nov 9 – Dec 31 |
15" |
The coastwide tautog resource is currently overfished and the spawning stock biomass – the weight of mature females in the stock – has remained at low levels despite previous efforts to help rebuild the coastwide resource. ASMFC’s Addendum VI to the tautog fishery management plan required a 53 percent reduction in coastwide harvest to promote the rebuilding of the coastwide tautog resource. The new tautog regulation changes were necessary to comply with the ASMFC-required harvest reduction.
Please visit the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife website or consult the Marine Digest for any future regulation changes
Coast Guard Medevacs Man from Vessel 75 Miles Off Coast
By Press Release
CAPE MAY- The Coast Guard medevaced a 61-year-old man off a 73-foot fishing vessel approximately 75 miles east of here at approximately 11:15 a.m. Saturday.
A crewmember from the fishing vessel Debbie Sue called watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, Pa., at approximately 9:45 a.m. stating a man aboard the Debbie Sue was experiencing chest pains and was in need of assistance.
Crewmembers from Sector Delaware Bay then relayed the call to watchstanders at Air Station Atlantic City, N.J.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Atlantic City and an HC-130 Hercules long range surveillance aircraft crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., launched to assist the man. Once on scene, Dolphin crewmembers hoisted the man into the helicopter and transported him to AtlantiCare Mainland Campus in Pomona, N.J.
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TIDAL TALES: Cape May Canal dredging likely last in New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway for some time
ON THE CAPE MAY CANAL — Gleaming white lights in the distance contend with the gentle luminescence of dawn as the square work boat speeds toward a floating construction site near the western reaches of this waterway.
To the north of the brightness is a stationary white ferry boat with Lenny Kravitz blasting from speakers on the deck.
To the south, silent wetlands where a growing pile of muck from the bottom of the canal’s channel slowly is heightening a lump of land jutting out of the flats.
The work to deepen the main channel in the Cape May Canal near the ferry terminal has been going on for days as the dredging barge contends with wind, waves, speeding boats and equipment breakdowns.
The $448,000 project through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the only dredging project on the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway this year.
And it’s likely to be the last for some time due to congressional budget cuts that eliminated any money for waterway maintenance in the Philadelphia district, which includes the New Jersey coast.
The three-week long project to dredge 32,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Intracoastal Waterway at the western fringe of the Cape May Canal will help Cape May-Lewes Ferry operate with additional ease and safety, without fear it may run aground in the growing shallow spots.
The Intracoastal Waterway is a series of navigational channels that wind along back bays from Texas to Manasquan Inlet. The waterway was established for boats seeking a safer passage than the open ocean. Life along the waterway in New Jersey is a reflection of the region’s economic, recreational and environmental diversity.
But because the waterway is considered recreational in nature, money to maintain sections by dredging out the silt that gradually fills in can be hard to find, particularly after the congressional budget cuts have reduced the maintenance budget to zero in places, said Monica Chasten, USACE project manager for the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway.
The dredging
Up close, the dredging barge seems simple. A floating black platform. Blue and white lever room, which acts as the control center. Black spuds rise high, waiting to be dropped in to secure the boat. Crayola yellow and red rails, walls and floors.
Richard Lassen describes the meat of the equipment simply: a barge with, in essence, a Shop Vac and an eggbeater attached to the end of the hose. The eggbeater churns up the sediment into a liquid suspension, the vacuum sucks up and pumps the soupy silt hundreds to thousands of feet away to the spoil pile. As sections are completely dug out, additional 3-foot wide plastic pipe is laid behind the barge in a process known as walking.
Dredging crews also have to contend with breakdowns and rapidly changing weather conditions, said Lassen, the field superintendent for Southwinds Construction, an Indiana-based construction company that has crews working around the country removing sand and silt from marinas, inlets and channels. He obsesses over weather reports, checking every couple hours on wind conditions and forecasted wave heights, The crews also keep spare equipment, including a new dredging head, on a nearby barge to ensure fast fixes.
The main barge is stationary, except when it’s changing position or moving back to shore after the day’s work is complete. Two dredge tenders, small boats that seem to act like front-end loaders and bulldozers to the barge’s vast dump truck, travel around with ease and grace, although they do it with a grinding roar and a huff of diesel-fueled smoke into the air. The tending boats have a type of jet engine that allows them to stop and change direction with little notice or effort, Lassen says.
Much of the material dug out of the waterway in the western Cape May Canal is black, mucky silt, Lassen said. About 30 percent of the material is sand, which is hard on equipment. The more sand that has to be dredged, the more difficult the job. “The heavier and denser it is, the harder it is to pump and also the harder it is to dig,” Lassen said. Sand also is more abrasive on the equipment, such as the causing parts, such as the dredge head’s egg beater, to wear out more frequently, he said.
Bill Roche, with the USACE, said most of the material filling in the channel comes from land, which is why there is so much silt. “There’s a little coming from the ocean, but that’s all sand,” he said.
The Army Corps. is working on a study to determine where the material is coming from and, hopefully, find a solution to help reduce the filling, Chasten said. In the past, the channel near the ferry terminal needed to be dug out every couple of years, but that has increased to a nearly annual occurrence, she said.
Dealing with obstacles
A 17-foot fishing boat speeds past the dredging barge, ignoring Coast Guard rules stating on-water work zones are no-wake zones. A bone jarring series of waves rolls into the barge and the two tending boats.
“The biggest obstacle out here in the open water are all these weekend warriors that come out here,” Lassen says as the wake jostles the gray work boat he’s on, causing him to grab a rail. “A lot of them have never taken a boat training course. They’re clueless. They don’t know what side of the boat to pass you on.”
To assist with navigation, the dredge barge has large signs warning boaters on which side to pass. Green and red navigation lights also are attached.
On this early November day, a westerly wind begins to stiffen and small waves begin to form. Conditions are still good enough for work to continue until about 9 a.m., but ferry officials have requested the barge move from its work position because the boat captains say they need the space due to the growing wind and waves.
When waves are too high, the dredge cannot operate efficiently and evenly; crests and valleys lift the dredge head out of the mud where it’s supposed to be churning, Lassen says.
Barely 45 minutes after sunrise, work is done for the day and an eager and tired crew rushes to the boat to take them ashore.
Typically work on a dredging project occurs around the clock, with workers putting in 12-hour shifts until the job is done, Lassen says, But on this job, Southwinds’ first in New Jersey, crews work only a 12-hour shift to avoid disrupting ferry traffic, arriving about 8 p.m. to take the boat to the barge and be ready to start digging at 9 p.m.
Twelve men work on the barge, which is considered a small dredging operation. Ten work at night, operating the machines, tender boats, computers and supervising. Two work during the day, repairing equipment, testing machines and maintaining the boats to ensure work isn’t delayed due to a preventable breakdown.
“It’s essential that everybody gets along. We all have our moods and issues, but we have to be able to see past that and be able to coexist as a group because otherwise, nothing gets done,” Lassen said.
The crew is from all over the country, mostly from Florida and Kentucky. Most moved into a nearby motel for the three-week job before moving back home or on to the next job. Others lived in their own campers that they take from job to job, Lassen said.
Despite the long hours, extreme weather and hard work, Lassen says the job has plenty of perks: Barbecues on deck with co-workers, abundant wildlife and an incredible view of sunrise and sunset.
Sunset at the mouth of the Cape May Canal has been particularly spectacular at the end of October for Lassen: “Especially when sitting on the dredge and the dredge is facing west. You get to see the whole thing just sink right on into the water.”
Contact Sarah Watson:
609-272-7216
Navigating Great Egg Harbor Inlet becomes safer for boaters
Posted: Monday, September 5, 2011 9:15 pm | Updated: 10:18 pm, Mon Sep 5, 2011.
By JOEL LANDAU Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com |
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — The Great Egg Harbor Inlet — a serious safety concern for area boaters in the springtime — caused no reported major incidents this summer after the U.S. Coast Guard worked on it.
The inlet is one of many channels the Coast Guard will inspect with the Army Corps of Engineers after Hurricane Irene to make sure shallow-water markers are still in the right spots and no shoaling, or shifting sand erosion, has occurred. The inspectors should finalize their investigation within a week.
The inlet, which connects the Great Egg Harbor Bay with the Atlantic Ocean at the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, contains several shallow points that are hazardous for large boats to pass over.
Longport resident Maurice Torjman said he always checks the conditions before taking his large speedboat in the inlet. Torjman and his 16-year-old son, Jesse, were planning to take the boat from Longport to Atlantic City on Friday, but John Bodin, operations manager for Towboat U.S. and marine safety officer for Somers Point, advised against it.
“You’re going to get wet,” he said, warning the water was choppy.
Torjman said the inlet is always a concern.
“When the water is shallow, I’m always airborne,” Torjman said. “I want the water to be big enough to be safe and comfortable.”
Earlier this year, navigation markers in the water were found to be outdated — actually leading boaters toward the shallow points. Boaters who are unfamiliar with the area feared their vessels could capsize or get stuck in the shallow water.
Since the Coast Guard moved the markers in late March, no problems have been reported, Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Dave Pilitowski said.
“Everybody was happy when we moved the markers,” he said.
Chris Dragovitz, operations manager for Sea Tow Services in Brigantine, said there have been no problems this year.
“It was a big concern. There would be a lot of problems in the inlet if they did not (move the markers),” he said. “Everything seemed to work out well this year.”
But shoaling causes a fluctuating environment that is hard to gauge, he said.
Bodin said the hurricane moved some markers — and shallow pockets need to be better marked.
“A lot needs to be done throughout the year,” he said.
Bodin said he has seen some areas as shallow as eight feet within the markers. Most small boats would not have a problem, but large commercial boats need at least nine feet and so must travel during high tide, he said.
Egg Harbor Township Mayor James J. “Sonny” McCullough said he would like to see more lighting aides in the channel for safety. He said he wants the Coast Guard to monitor the waterway a few times a year, especially in the spring, before boating season starts.
“It is a changing inlet, but I think right now it’s in really good shape,” he said. “It’s been a danger for years and years, but I think we have the markers in the right place.”
Contact Joel Landau:
609-272-7215
JLandau@pressofac.com
Posted: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 10:29 pm
Saltwater anglers are facing severe cutbacks in black sea bass catches next year — but they are expected to get increases in summer flounder and bluefish landings.
The exact amount of the black sea bass cutbacks may not be known until data comes in several months from now. “We’re undergoing a stock assessment to look at the full gamut. We’ll see that at the end of the year or early January,” said Toni Kerns, who coordinates fishery-management plans for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
The quota for anglers this year was 1.8 million pounds along the East Coast, though it was actually reduced to 1.781 million pounds due to the “research set aside,” or RSA, a program that auctions off some of the catch to raise money for research.
The commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council at this point are projecting a quota of 1.36 million pounds next year.
The main issue, according to Kerns, is the large number of discarded fish, simply called “discards.” These are fish that are hooked and thrown back. About 25 percent of them die. Kerns said there are more fish in the northern range, New York and north, so this increases discards. But black sea bass were smaller in the range south of New York, she said, and this also increased discards because fish were often smaller than keeper size so they were thrown back. The minimum fish size in New Jersey is 12.5 inches. Local party- and charter-boat captains have been complaining they have to go farther offshore to find the bigger fish.
“Last year we projected discards, and it was way off the actual discards that occurred. Discards were about two times greater than we projected,” said Kerns.
The problem may have been somewhat ignored in the past, but Kerns said this is the first year fish conservation measures outlined in a 2006 federal fishing law are being fully followed. The law can trigger “accountability measures” during the fishing season, including a shutdown of the fishery, if the “allowed biological catch,” or ABC, is exceeded.
“We’re trying to avoid a shutdown in 2012,” Kerns said.
The New Gretna-based Recreational Fishing Alliance is hoping the stock assessment brings good news.
“Best case, the stocks are better than everybody thinks. That’s a complete wildcard,” said the RFA’s Adam Nowalsky.
The RFA is also arguing there is some latitude with the accountability measures. Nowalsky said the quota does not have to be cut. He said it would be better to adjust fishing regulations such as seasons, bag limit and minimum fish size.
“As long as we’re not threatening stocks there is no reason to punish people. Reducing quotas is not the way to achieve a reduction in discards,” said Nowalsky, also complaining that the system to gather data from anglers on what they are catching is flawed.
It’s unclear whether sea bass regulations in 2012 will be the same for all East Coast states or whether they will vary by state. This year it was done by state but traditionally there were coastwide regulations. The regulations are supposed to revert back to a coastwide plan in 2012 but Kerns said an addendum to the black sea bass management plan could be used to have state-by-state regulations again.
Reductions could trigger changes that may include shortening the seasons, increasing the minimum fish size or upping the daily bag limit.
Commercial black sea bass fishermen do not face cutbacks. Their quota is expected to remain unchanged at 1.76 million pounds. The species is caught in fish pots by fishermen at several New Jersey ports.
The good news for anglers is summer flounder is more plentiful and there is a proposed 7 percent increase in the quota to 15.96 million pounds, though the RSA would reduce this to 12.63 million pounds. The quota rose almost 34 percent this year compared with 2010.
The increase could lead to more lenient regulations in 2012 but exact measures are usually not decided until a March meeting of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council.
Commercial flounder fishermen would get the same 7 percent increase to 19.59 million pounds, or 18.95 million minus the RSA.
“That’s a great opportunity for New Jersey vessels. It includes a small-boat fishery and a large-boat fishery,” said Greg DiDomenico of the Garden State Seafood Association, a commercial fishing trade group.
DiDomenico said “you hear the same old rhetoric about fishing crises,” but the flounder comeback shows management plans are working.
Stock assessments are showing a slight increase in bluefish, and East Coast catches may be allowed to increase by about 1 percent for both the commercial and recreational sectors. The commercial quota would be 10.5 million pounds while anglers would get 17.19 million pounds.
“The caveat is the 2009 and 2010 class years were poor. Poor class years are not good news,’’ said Mike Waine of the ASMFC.
There is no size limit in New Jersey for bluefish. Because they grow so quickly, a fish at 1 year old is already “in the fishery,” Waine said. A 15-inch bluefish is only 2 years old, which means the two poor year classes could be felt pretty quickly.
“I wouldn’t say we’re worried but it’s something to take note of,” Waine said.
New Jersey anglers get 14.8 percent of the East Coast bluefish catch, second only to North Carolina.
The commercial quota in New Jersey would rise from 1.4 million pounds in 2011 to 1.45 million pounds in 2012. Both are lower than the 2010 quota of 1.5 million pounds.
The measures for black sea bass, flounder and bluefish emerged from the two fish councils but they still must be approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Contact Richard Degener:
609-463-6711
RDegener@pressofac.com
Posted: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 10:24 pm
From Press staff and wire reports pressofAtlanticCity.com
The USS Arthur W. Radford has begun its final journey.
Television cameras captured the former U.S. Navy destroyer being towed out to sea Tuesday. State officials could sink the 563-foot ship as early as today at the Deljerseyland Reef, an underwater site located about 30 miles off the coasts of Cold Spring Inlet in Cape May County, Delaware and Maryland.
Officials say the former destroyer will be the longest vessel ever sunk as an artificial reef in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship is the latest in a long line of items, including retired New York City subway cars, that have been used to create reefs to provide fishing habitat and diving opportunities.
Officials hope the destroyer’s sinking will create an artificial reef used by divers and recreational fishermen.
The Radford originally was based out of Norfolk, Va. It was launched March 1, 1975, and commissioned two years later. The ship was deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom and has visited Venezuela, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, Senegal, Oman, Bahrain, Nova Scotia, Italy, Turkey and the Azores, a collection of islands located about 900 miles off the coast of Portugal.
The ship was decommissioned March 18, 2003. In recent years, the ship was located at the Philadelphia Navy Yard while contractors removed toxic materials and some of the ship’s superstructure in preparation for the sinking. New Jersey split the cost to sink the Radford with Delaware and Maryland, as well as the U.S. Navy.
Atlantic City's hold on world striped bass record threatened by Connecticut angler's 81.88-pound catch
Kierran Broatch/On The Water Magazine
striped bass record
Greg Myerson of Westport, Conn., holds a striped bass that he caught in the Long Island Sound on Thursday night. The fish was weighed at 81.88 pounds, which if certified, would break the world record.
Atlantic City's hold on world striped bass record threatened by Connecticut angler's 81.88-pound catch By MIKE SHEPHERD, For The Press pressofAtlanticCity.com |
The world striped bass record held by Albert McReynolds and caught from an Atlantic City jetty in 1982 could be history, if reports of an 81.88-pound heavyweight caught in Connecticut are confirmed.
Kevin Blinkoff, editor of the Massachusetts-based On The Water magazine, said Friday that the monster striped bass caught late Thursday night from a boat in Long Island Sound by Greg Myerson of Westport, Conn., was weighed and witnessed on certified scales.
Beyond that, not much had been confirmed by Friday night.
Telephone calls to Jack's Shoreline Bait and Tackle in Westbrook, Conn., where the fish was reported to have been weighed, were unanswered.
Until the challenger is confirmed, submitted and approved by the International Game Fish Association, or IGFA, McReynolds' record stands. The former Atlantic City resident caught a 78-pound, 8-ounce striper on Sept. 21, 1982, and certified it at what was then Campbell Marine in Northfield.
Blinkoff said Friday that he went to see Myerson's catch, but Myerson and the fish were gone. The catch was reported to On the Water by Kierren Broatch, who also took a photo of the fish.
"It's been a crazy day," Blinkoff said.
Myerson was fishing in the On The Water Striper Cup tournament. He was the Cup angler of the year last year with three bass that weighed more than 60 pounds. Blinkoff said Myerson fishes just about every night during striped bass season.
People who answered the phone at two other bait and tackle shops in Westbrook had heard rumors about the striper but knew no details.
Included among the few details that have been published include the report that Myerson may not file for IGFA world-record recognition.
"We are just waiting to see what happens next," Blinkoff said.
On The Water is a magazine based in Falmouth, Mass. It started publication in 1996 covering New England and expanded three years ago to cover New Jersey and New York.
Fishing through red tape: Regulations frustrate anglers
Posted: Thursday, May 19, 2011 10:28 pm | Updated: 10:32 pm, Thu May 19, 2011.
Fishing through red tape: Regulations frustrate anglers By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com |
LOWER TOWNSHIP — North Cape May angler Gaylon McGowan does only half the fishing he used to, but it’s not his 83 years that’s slowing him down.
McGowan, who owned a dairy farm in New England before moving here in 1964, said he spends less time casting into the water because of overwhelming bureaucracy.
“There are so many rules and regulations. Twenty years ago I’d be fishing now and catching fish. I won the weakfish contest here in the spring, twice,” he said.
Anglers are allowed to keep only one weakfish a day nowadays, hardly an incentive to go fishing. Black sea bass and tautog are off limits. Flounder season opened early, but McGowan said the 18-inch minimum-size limit means few are large enough to bring home. He wonders why commercial fishermen get to keep smaller fish than recreational fishermen.
“It seems like a lot of people making the rules are just incompetent,” McGowan said.
It’s a familiar refrain along the shore. Fishing is one of the most regulated businesses around. Only environmental protection has more regulations proposed in the Federal Register each year, a Washington lobbyist who represents the fishing industry in southern New Jersey says.
“For a long time being on the water was one of the last bastions to get away from modern life and the government, and now we’re being intruded on. You need a ruler, a guide and a lawyer to go fishing,” said Rick Weber, owner of South Jersey Marina here on Schellenger’s Landing.
Growing anger
“The government needs to stay out of the fishing business. This is our water. It belongs to the people of the U.S., not the government,” said John Perri, 60, of Pleasantville.
A veteran of the Vietnam War and an avid surf fisherman, Perri was angered earlier this year when he had to pay the federal government $15 to go saltwater fishing.
“I’ve been fishing since I was a little boy. In the 1950s and 60s there was no cost. You just got your fishing rod and you fished. For them to tell me I can’t walk on the sand with a fishing rod, without paying the man, that’s not freedom,” Perri said.
Walt Kolakowski, 69, of Barnegat, remembers when going fishing was much easier than it is today. He needs only three words to describe it: “We just went.”
That may seem incredible to younger saltwater anglers who have grown up with all the regulations of today. They have to register to fish, take a safety course to operate a boat, abide by dozens of rules regarding minimum fish size, daily bag limit, and seasonal closings.
Kolakowski grew up fishing the New Jersey shore when only a few marine species were regulated. Back then everything was a keeper. Now there is a management plan for almost all of them.
There are also numerous safety regulations on a boat, many of which add to the expense of catching a fish. Anglers are also complaining about new federal regulations requiring ethanol in their fuel, which causes problems with boat engines. Anglers also pay a 10 percent federal excise tax on bait & tackle, an 18.6-cent per gallon federal fuel tax, a 10.5-cent state fuel tax, a 7 percent sales tax and numerous other fees just to fish.
Anglers are regulated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric and Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, Department of Interior and many other agencies. Some fish, such as some tuna species, even fall under international regulations.
There was little of this when Kolakowski began fishing at the New Jersey shore as a teenager decades ago.
Registry an issue
The newest regulation requires anglers to register to fish. While many paid the $15 federal fee, New Jersey recently created its own free registry that replaces the federal program. Even though it is free, the registry is unpopular for other reasons, including the fact that anglers can only register by computer.
“I don’t have a computer. I don’t have access to a computer,” said Paul Zawacki, of Atlantic City.
Zawacki, who fishes for flounder and crabs, was one of about three dozen anglers to complain to The Press of Atlantic City this month when the saltwater registry began. Many do not own a computer and argue there should be a way to register by phone or by U.S. mail. The state DEP, which created the registry due to a federal mandate, is telling those with no computer to go to a public library to register.
Fines for the first offense range from $300 to $3,000. This is another issue with the registry. Jim Hutchinson, of the New Gretna-based Recreational Fishing Alliance, said the fines should be $30 to $50 instead of $300 to $3,000.
“It’s draconian. It’s a larger fine for fishing without a registration than driving without a license,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson said New Jersey registers $640 million in tackle sales per year, generating $64 million in federal excise taxes that goes into a fund doled out to the states for fishing programs. He said the state gets $3 million to $4 million of this back in the form of grants.
Some states tax boat fuels and use it to find marine programs including search and rescue, enforcement, marina construction, free boat ramps, boating education, sewage pump-out stations for boats and many others. New Jersey is one of 23 states that don’t give any of this money back to marine programs.
Don McAleer, 78, of the Mystic Islands section of Little Egg Harbor Township, said the costs of gas, registration taxes for his boat and trailer and boating safety courses keep adding up.
“The state doesn’t give you anything back. They keep taking everything away,” McAleer said.
Some fish off limits
The biggest problem, many anglers say, is when they take away entire species of fish for long time periods. Closing entire species is a growing trend as a way to meet management goals.
Tackle shops, party boats and others in the business saw a significant drop in sales when the tautog fishery closed at the end of April. The black sea bass season was also cut by five weeks this year due to overfishing last year in New England.
“It was a substantial part of my business and through no fault of my own it was closed down. It’s a healthy stock,” said Cape May party boat captain Paul Thompson.
Jim Wallace, owner of Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Lower Township, said he had to place orders in November and December for deliveries in March.
“I ordered 50 dozen sea bass rigs that now I have to eat. Total closures of a fishery are the killer,” said Wallace.
“It’s tough to invest money if don’t know if you’ll be allowed to fish. You don’t even know the rules of the game year to year,” Thompson said.
Weber said each new regulation eliminates some anglers.
“The long-term risk is the assumption from the bureaucratic standpoint is that you can put up as many hurdles as possible and people will continue to jump them. Some chose that’s the last time to jump the hurdle. When it’s not fun they pick up a different hobby like hunting, birding or golf,” Weber said.
Still, for many, it all seems worth it when they land a big one. Roy Cullen, 52, of Ocean City, went out on a Cape May party boat recently. The price went up $7 from last year, possibly due to the rising cost of fuel, but he returned with two keeper striped bass.
“I was happy with that. I don’t like going out on those boats and getting skunked. It’s no fun,” Cullen said.
Nicole Coleman, 30, of Del Haven in Middle Township, said there were few regulations when her father Keith Wing taught her to fish at age 13. She said the rising costs and the regulations mean she doesn’t fish as often, but it all seemed worthwhile this week when she pulled in a 30-inch striped bass fishing the Alexander Avenue jetty at Cape May Point. It isn’t just catching the fish, she noted.
“I eat them. I’m cooking it today,” Coleman said.
Contact Richard Degener:
609-463-6711
RDegener@pressofac.com
Flounder season gets cash flowing early this year
Posted: Saturday, May 7, 2011 11:15 pm | Updated: 11:43 pm, Sat May 7, 2011.
Flounder season gets cash flowing early this year By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com |
WILDWOOD — Donna Stewart was going to spend Saturday in her garden in Gloucester County but then she heard summer flounder season was starting early. Stewart headed to the shore instead and caught a keeper flatfish.
“I would have been in the garden working. I’m happy I went fishing instead,” said the 50-year-old Logan Township resident as she displayed her prize.
George Algard was also happy. The owner of Sterling Bait & Tackle on West Rio Grande Avenue, Algard sold Donna’s husband Bill a new rod and reel. The Stewarts also bought bait and gas, ate dinner at the Irish Pub in North Wildwood on Friday night, and planned to spend Saturday evening on the Boardwalk eating pizza.
It’s called commerce, and it increases greatly at the shore as fisheries open up. Algard said New Jersey should be happy because it collects a 7 percent sales tax on items the Stewarts purchase. A 10 percent federal excise tax on fishing gear also will give the federal government a take. State and federal governments also collect a tax on every gallon of marine fuel sold.
None of that money was changing hands last year on May 7 because flounder season didn’t open until May 29. It also ended Sept. 6 last year and this year it runs through Sept. 25. The flounder stock is so healthy right now that New Jersey’s recreation quota was increased from 997,000 fish in 2010 to 1,335,000 fish, a 34 percent increase in landings.
“It’s good for everybody. Tackle shops, restaurants, fuel docks and marinas all benefit from it,” Algard said.
The backbay waterways behind Five-Mile Beach, and surrounding Shawcrest Island, were full of small boats Saturday morning. The fish move into the shallow backbay waters first because the water warms up quicker than the open ocean.
While anglers are also catching striped bass, drumfish and a few bluefish, the closure of black sea bass and tautog fisheries has made the early flounder season that much more important. Algard said not having something to catch isn’t just about money.
“There would be a bunch of unhappy people who have boats and want to fish,” Algard said.
The opening day was not great fishing. Anglers said recent winds created turpidity and some waters are still too cold.
“It wasn’t very exciting. The water was a little muddy and in the afternoon the wind jumped up and blew us all over the place,” said Brook Koeneke, who runs the party boat Duke o’ Fluke out of Somers Point.
Koeneke said he took out 23 anglers, compared with about 40 when the season opens at the end of May, but nobody caught any keepers. Summer flounder, also called fluke, must be at least 18 inches to bring them home.
Koeneke said the water was registering from 55 to 58 degrees Saturday morning and flounder fishing tends to pick up when it gets in the 60s.
“It’s been a bad spring and the water has been slow to warm up. There might not be the quantity of fish inside yet,” Koeneke said.
Some anglers with small boats searched tidal flats for shallower, warmer water. Frank Scirrotto, of Cherry Hill, caught one using a kayak set up just for fishing, complete with rod holders and foot paddles to keep his hands free to tend the rod.
“That a sandwich,” said Scirrotto as he held up a barely legal 18-inch flounder.
Scott Pierce, of Drexall Hill, Pa., held up a keeper flounder as he and three buddies returned from a day fishing the backbays behind Wildwood. They had two keepers but Pierce said they threw back about a dozen flounder that were too small.
“The wind has been fighting us all day,” Pierce said.
What would Pierce be doing if flounder season did not come early this year?
“I probably would have gone striper fishing,” Pierce said.
Bob Murray of Wildwood Crest caught a 19-incher, fishing in just three feet of water near Richardson Channel with top and bottom rigs hooked with minnows and Gulp, a synthetic bait.
“It was exciting. The first of the year,” Murray said.
Mike Reid caught some throw-backs and said he hooked one big one, but it got away. Reid was fishing the flats searching for warmer water, but shallow areas became colder in the afteroon possibly due to the wind.
“There are some big fish out there. I lost one. It’s not like Memorial Day when everybody is getting six to eight fish,” he said.
Of course, just going fishing is good enough for most people.
“That’s why they call it fishing and not catching,” Koeneke said.
Contact Richard Degener:
609-463-6711
RDegener@pressofac.com
New Jersey defends $300 to $3,000 fines for saltwater anglers who fish without registering
Posted: Friday, May 6, 2011 8:00 am | Updated: 8:10 am, Fri May 6, 2011.
New Jersey defends $300 to $3,000 fines for saltwater anglers who fish without registering By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com |
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — The state is defending hefty fines that can be imposed against saltwater anglers who do not register to fish.
At a Thursday meeting of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council held at the Galloway Township branch of the Atlantic County Library, David Chanda, of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the federal government pushed for the fines.
The state registry for saltwater anglers, required by a 2006 federal law, went into place this week.
Registration is free — but anglers caught fishing without a registration card face fines of $300 to $3,000 for a first offense and $500 to $5,000 for subsequent offenses. Fishing groups argue that the fines are excessive. The New Gretna-based Recreational Fishing Alliance said it is complaining directly to the Governor’s Office.
“It’s outrageous to have that type of fine structure. On the saltwater fishing front, nothing else compares,” said Adam Nowalsky of the RFA.
Nowalsky said taking an undersized fish only brings a $70 fine. He urged council to take a stance against the fines.
Councilman Joe Rizzo asked Chanda, who heads the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, if the fines are comparable to other fisheries violations, including those in fresh water.
Chanda said they can’t be compared to freshwater fishing partly because they are covered by a different statute and also because the registry program has taken up so much of his staff’s time. He said the federal government wanted the fines.
Councilman Ed Goldman, noting that the summer flounder season starts Saturday, asked if the registry law will be enforced. Marine Conservation Agent Lt. Mark Canale said it would be.
“We’ve been given the law and the parameters have been outlined. Yes, we’ll be out there and we’ll be enforcing it. It’s the beginning of the registry and we’ll take that into account. We’ll see what we’re faced with this weekend and what compliance is like,” Canale said.
A federal registry has been in place for more than a year and many New Jersey anglers have registered under this program, getting a registration number and card. Officials are warning that those with a federal registration still must register with the state to be in compliance.
In other fishing news, the DEP confirmed it is losing about $250,000 a year in funding for the artificial reef system. The money comes from federal excise taxes on fishing gear and is funneled through the federal government.
Brandon Muffley, of the N.J. Bureau of Marine Fisheries, said the funding was pulled after some anglers complained about gear conflicts on the reefs with commercial fishermen.
Muffley, however, said the money may not be lost. It just can’t be used for the reef program, but it can be directed to other programs. He does not expect an impact on the next major reef addition, the Navy ship USS Radford, which is expected to be sunk off Cape May sometime this year.
To Register: The only way to register is online. Go to the state website: www.saltwaterregistry.nj.gov
Contact Richard Degener:
609-463-6711
RDegener@pressofac.com
New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council chairman attends his last meeting
Posted: Thursday, May 5, 2011 10:37 pm
New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council chairman attends his last meeting By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com |
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — Gil Ewing’s 22-year tenure on the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council ended Thursday with a room full of clapping fishermen.
It was not always so. Plenty of times, anglers and commercial fishermen were angry with council decisions, but many at the meeting credited Ewing, a Lower Township resident, with always being fair and listening to their concerns.
“Thank you Mr. Chairman for all you’ve done for us,” said Barnegat Light party boat captain Ed Yates.
David Chanda, who directs the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, also praised Ewing for always putting marine resources first. Chanda, who has worked with the division during all of Ewing’s 22 years, and has been director for the past six, said he appreciated Ewing’s candor. He said Ewing served for no financial gain as it is a voluntary position.
“You are one of the best councilmen to ever represent New Jersey. All those who fish in the state of New Jersey appreciate what you’ve done,” Chanda said.
Ewing said he wanted to continue, but he was up for reappointment and state Sen. Jeff Van Drew chose Hansel S. Torriero of Vineland to replace him — a gubernatorial appointment, but with senatorial courtesy.
“Van Drew chose not to sponsor me. I’m sorry for that because I’d like to continue,” Ewing said.
Ewing thanked the marine fisheries staff, which he called “dedicated, hard-working and caring,” and warned that cutbacks in funding could lead to closures of fisheries. Ewing said he made the best decisions he could with the information he had for the commercial and recreational fishing industries.
“There have been some heated discussions. You haven’t always been happy with the decisions,” Ewing said.
Ewing’s replacement is part of a larger shake-up on the council.
Ed Goldman, of Absecon, a 13-year member, is also being replaced, and Eleanor Ann Bochenek, of Lower Township, is not seeking another term.
Including the filling of a vacancy, there should be four new members at the July 20 meeting, including Torriero, who has served before, Sergio Radossi of Bergen County, Joseph Zaborowski of Galloway Township and Bob Rush of Woodbine.
Contact Richard Degener:
609-463-6711
RDegener@pressofac.com
New Jersey anglers lose five weeks of fishing for black sea bass
Posted: Friday, May 6, 2011 12:30 am | Updated: 8:24 am, Fri May 6, 2011.
New Jersey anglers lose five weeks of fishing for black sea bass By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com |
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — Anglers will lose about five weeks of black sea bass fishing this year under a plan approved Thursday by the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council.
The seasons last year were May 22 to Oct. 11 and Nov. 1 to Dec. 31.
This year, they will run from May 28 to Sept. 11 and Nov. 1 to Dec.31.
The cutback was not the council’s idea.
A 40 percent reduction in landings was mandated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a compact of East Coast states that regulates migratory fish. The ASMFC said East Coast anglers caught 2.98 million pounds of sea bass in 2010, 1.15 million pounds above the target.
The council gave anglers four options to meet the harvest reduction to make up for last year’s overages. Council unanimously picked the one supported by the majority. It retains last year’s bag limit of 25 fish per day and the minimum fish size of 12.5 inches. The only change is cutting back on the front and back end of the first season.
All four options included a 12.5-inch fish, but two of them reduced the bag limit to 15 fish a day.
“Once a bag limit goes down, I’ve never seen it go back up,” said Bob Rush, a Woodbine resident who operates the party boat Starfish out of Sea Isle City.
Cape May party boat captain Paul Thompson said if the bag limit is reduced to 15 fish it is not likely to ever go back to 25 fish.
“So we’ll bite the bullet this year,” Thompson said.
There was some debate about the seasons. All included the Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 period, prompting some to push for reducing this period to try to get both Memorial Day and Labor Day holiday weekends opened up.
“Get rid of November and December and get us October,” said Atlantic City party boat captain Cindy Meloy.
Edward Collet, another Atlantic City party boat captain, said it would be safer than fishing in the winter.
“November and December encourages a lot of boats to go out in questionable conditions. It’s been that way in the commercial industry and it’s that way in the recreational industry, too,” Collet said.
But that was not a possibility offered since all four options approved by the ASMFC included November and December. Council’s other choices on the first season were June 4 to Sept. 14 with 25 fish per day, May 28 to Sept. 16 with 15 fish or June 4 to Sept. 19 with 15 fish. Everybody who spoke up picked the option council chose.
The ASMFC mandated cutbacks by state. Only Massachusetts — with a 43-percent reduction — got a bigger hit. New York was told to cut the harvest by 39 percent while Rhode Island, Connecticut and North Carolina must reduce 37 percent. Delaware, Maryland and Virginia did not get cut.
This is the first time sea bass catches were set by the state. The ASMFC cuts are designed to reduce the overall East Coast harvest by 37 percent and meet a target of 1.78 million pounds.
Contact Richard Degener:
609-463-6711
RDegener@pressofac.com
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