Mr. Dock did the same thing on that other message board. Either Mr. Dock has something to gain from NJ having a license or he likes to start trouble. I will never know the real answer to that. Its just like the guy from NOAA on the other board who supports the terrible regulations and belongs to a fishing message board, where you know 99.9% of the members do not like the regulations. He gets offended if you oppose said regulations. But he belongs to a message board where the members do not like the regulations.
How would you like to be in North Carolina and had to pay for a saltwater fishing license. Ok, so in January you paid your fee. Then at some point the government closed some access areas on the OBX. And you paid for this? Then in October you want to load up your Parker with fresh clams and get out there and try to get some sea bass. No dice. NOAA closes sea bass. And you paid for this?
I don't know what the party boats pay for to run their business. Insurence. Gas. Slips. Bait. Line. Weights. Fees to the government? On and on. Now you want these hard working American Family businesses to pay for a blanket saltwater fishing license so their customers do not have to. Lets say the party boats had to buy this thing in 2010. Ok, now pretend you are on Long Beach Island and its September 13, 2010. We paid our fee so our customers do not have to. What in God's name are we fishing for on September 13, 2010 and beyond until we get to November 16, 2010? Our one blackfish? Fight through the sea bass and hope to find porgy's? Our ONE weakfish? Maybe triggers? I haven't caught a trigger in four years.
If it was just for me, to do my once a year try at surf fishing......... Ok, here is my 15 bucks. I've never caught anything from the beach, but I try on my vacation each year and I still fail. Or I can go to the Barnegat Inlet and fish for blackfish and if I get a keeper, I will take it with me. So in my mind that 15 bucks produced something for me. But to make a boat pay 500 bucks or so and we look at September 13, 2010 and have nothing to fish for....... then why did we pay it? We have nothing to fish for.
Our tax money pays for this wrong science. Now, government wants more money from us to pay for more wrong science. Thats two. Now I give money to
www.ssfff.net (gladly I might add) to pay for real and independant science. So, now I HAVE to pay twice for bad information against my will and I willingly try to reverse that with a donation to
www.ssfff.net.
If you freshwater fish you pay a fee. But I think I know why. We have the Pequest and Hackettstown Hacheries. They grow the fish that gets stocked in our lakes and rivers. Correct me if I am wrong. But I have seen those trucks dump trout in the North Branch, South Branch and Musconnetcong Rivers. I spend more time than most at the NJ Shore. I have yet to see a truck dumping Black Sea Bass, Summer Flounder and or Blackfish in our saltwater areas. And isn't the Hook area losing a fishing access area? Doesn't this sound like the OBX to you?
Did you see the damage at the AH Marina from this storm? Would a saltwater fishing license pay to repair? No, our tax money will pay for it.
Delaware has a saltwater license. Now lets pretend its September 13, 2010. No sea bass. But wait, I paid my fee, the boats paid there fee.......... We still have fluke to fish for. Then in late September, we can fish for TEN blackfish at 14 inches. We are going to be ok. Not great, but we will be ok. Not heard of access closures, unless I am wrong. So things are not great, but ok. In New Jersey? Things are terrible. September 13 2010 is not going to be a good day in NJ. At least on Long Beach Island.
So, the bottom line is. Give me something to fish for and I will pay for my own if I have to. Only if I have to.
Sorry I went on like this but thank you for reading.
