Recreational Fishing Alliance (NJ)
Contact: Jim Hutchinson, Jr. / 888-564-6732
For Immediate Release
September 7, 2010
Governing Body Also Votes To Restrict Public Comment At Meetings
New Gretna, NJ - When the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council met in Galloway Township this past Thursday night, funding options for the state's Bureau of Marine Fisheries took center stage.
After rather contentious debate amongst Council members with input from the public, the governing body voted to conditionally endorse legislation that would create a state conservation lottery to provide funding for the state's natural resources, including marine fisheries. The Council also supported the creation of a dedicated Striped Bass License Plate, so long as both options provided funding directed to the Director of the Division of Fish & Wildlife to be utilized by the Bureau of Marine Fisheries.
The Council also voted to endorse the idea of a Saltwater Fishing License, although as noted by Council members, there is no legislation currently in play which would implement a marine license in New Jersey, and some council discussion on Thursday said that a poorly written license bill could ultimately be worse for anglers than other options.
As reported in last Friday's Asbury Park Press, both license supporters and opponents at the Council meeting are in agreement that New Jersey shortchanges its fisheries programs to sometimes dangerous levels. The money that comes from seafood and recreational fishing puts New Jersey in the top tier of East Coast fishing states, right behind leaders like Massachusetts and North Carolina, but industry advocates complain the Legislature always fails to spend enough money to manage those resources.
Despite National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reported revenues of $100 million in sales tax revenue (on $1.6 billion in gross sales) generated by recreational fishing in the state of New Jersey, the FY 2011 budget appropriates only $600,000 to the Bureau, with additional funding coming in the form of federal Wallop-Breaux funding derived from a 10% federal excise tax on fishing equipment sold in the state.
According to Capt. Adam Nowalsky, Chairman of the Recreational Fishing Alliance's New Jersey chapter (RFA-NJ), no one would like to see the marine fisheries of New Jersey properly funded more than the saltwater fishermen. "The saltwater license, however, has no existing legislation attached, and it's not as fully developed as the conservation lottery and the license plate initiatives that have both Senate and Assembly sponsors and cosponsors in Trenton," Nowalsky said.
Senate Resolution SCR93, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew, and Assembly Resolution ACR119, sponsored by Assemblyman Nelson Albano, propose making Constitutional amendments that would authorize the creation of a state lottery to fund conservation programs, including the state's marine fisheries. Nowalsky cited a 2002 study by Southwick Associates as saying that a conservation lottery in conjunction with specialized license plates could generate tens of millions of dollars for state fisheries and natural resources.
"Marine Fisheries has been fighting for years for the funding to do their job in support of New Jersey's anglers," Nowalsky said, adding "If the state's unwilling to allocate more of the fishing community's direct taxes back toward the marine resources, then we believe a constitutionally protected revenue stream through a lottery makes the most sense right now."
Also discussed at length on Thursday was a formal procedure for public comment during future Council meetings. A document outlining the Council's new guidelines for public comment was formally requested by the RFA-NJ after the July Council meeting, when it was stated by the Council Chairman that the public would not be allowed to ask questions at Council meetings.
The Council's new guidelines would actually restrict the ability of the public to question the council and staff on issues prior to comment, and appears to have been written specifically to restrict dialogue between the public and staff state employees. After debate, the Council approved the new changes by an 8-2 vote.
"This is a clear violation of the spirit and intent of the Administrative Procedures Act," said Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the RFA. Donofrio said the Administrative Procedures Act or APA governs the way in which administrative agencies may propose and establish regulations and sets up a process for review.
"Purely by advancing such rules without public comment is in itself a clear violation of the APA, which was implemented specifically to open up public discourse on regulation and to allow public participation in the process of rule-making," Donofrio said. "In one breath our Council votes to charge the public in order to access our public resources, and then minutes later they vote to take away the public's ability to participate in the political process." Donofrio said the RFA would be consulting with both their legislative and legal staff regarding the Council's new guidelines for public participation.
The Council also decided to hold a special meeting in April each year to set that year's recreational regulations, including size, season and bag limits. Typically this takes place in March, but the change, initiated by a change in Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission schedule, will allow for this usually well attended meeting to be held in a more centralized location with a larger seating capacity than the usual meeting place of the Council.
RFA-NJ IN ATLANTIC CITY!!!
The Atlantic City In-Water Power Boat & Brokerage Yacht Show cruises into Trump Marina in Atlantic City this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 9-12. Be sure to stop by the RFA-NJ booth and talk more with New Jersey chapter members about what's happening in state fisheries and fishing. It's also one of the popular boat shows in the region because you see some of the hottest express, sportfishers and sportcruisers on the water today, while climbing aboard some of the top 2011 models.
The Atlantic City In-Water Power Boat show runs Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $12, $3 for children under 12. Included with an adult admission is a subscription to one of the following magazines (a $10 value): Yachting, Motor Boating, Islands, TW Surf, Caribbean Travel & Life, Soundings. Self-parking is free with a Trump One Card, free at the hotel's Trump One Services. Learn more at
www.acinwaterboatshow.com.
Also, the 3rd Annual Tuna Stakes Invitational was postponed two agos due to the weather, but will now take place from September 18-26 with most of the week's festivities held at Trump Marina. Boats can leave any inlet from Shark River to Cape May, with one captains meeting at Hoffman's Marina in Brielle , and another at Trump Marina Hotel in Atlantic City. A grand awards banquet will be held following the weeklong tourney on September 26th at Trump Marina. As with 2009, every boat entry in the 2010 Tuna Stakes Invitational is good for another one-year membership with the Recreational Fishing Alliance. Learn more at
www.tunastakes.com.
RFA-NJ SUNSET BUFFET CRUISE SEPTEMBER 24TH!!!
Come out and support RFA-NJ with our Sunset Buffet Cruise on September 24th at 7 pm! Enjoy a fine evening of dinner and entertainment while supporting your right to fish.
3 Hour Sunset Cruise leaving from Sea Isle City, NJ
Catered Buffet Dinner
DJ/Entertainment
Upper Level Dance Floor
Full Cash Bar w/Drink Specials
Proceeds benefit the RFA-NJ Chapter!
Cost - Just $30/person!
To purchase your tickets or for more information, visit
www.rfanj.org.
SAVE ON HOME ENERGEY COSTS & RAISE MONEY FOR THE RFA!!!
Save Money, Support RFA
How would you like to help support the Recreational Fishing Alliance while actually getting money back every month? The Newark Star Ledger and Atlantic City Press have both written about third party energy providers in New Jersey, and Viridian Energy in particular. NJ, MD, PA and CT have deregulated energy operations - now you can save money & support RFA at
www.viridian.com/joinrfa. It's fast, it's free and it will save you money while helping the RFA protect your right to fish!
Fighting for your right to fish, visit the RFA homepage at
www.joinrfa.org To learn more about the RFA-NJ chapter, visit
www.rfanj.org 
