PUBLIC INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN SALTWATER REGISTRY DISCUSSION 9/19 AT JERSEY SHORE BOAT SALE & EXPO
- Will anglers have to pay to fish New Jersey's bays and oceanfront in 2010?
- Is a New Jersey saltwater license really inevitable?
- Is there another way to satisfy the new federal requirements?
- What about the "free" saltwater registry legislation now being heard in Trenton?
- What do you think?
Get answers to these questions and more this Saturday, September 19 at the Jersey Shore Boat Sale & Expo at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, NJ as the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) hosts a Fisheries Town Hall with some of the top experts in fishery management, policy, business and legislation - particularly as it relates to the new federal saltwater registry requirements.
"There have been so many public questions and internal debates during the past six months, we thought it was time to bring everyone to the table for a full panel discussion before the boating public," said Jim Hutchinson, Jr., Managing Director of the RFA. "This Saturday at the Jersey Shore Boat Sale & Expo in Lakewood is really the first time, and perhaps the only time, when all the folks with a hand in this latest registry/license debate have been invited to bring the discussion to the floor, very much like the town hall meetings now being held throughout the country on healthcare."
The Fisheries Town Hall starts at noon on Saturday, and features Gordon Colvin from the National Marine Fisheries Service, one of the architects of the new federal data collection program now driving the federal registry; Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the RFA who has helped spearhead saltwater registry legislation in the New Jersey Senate and Assembly; Ray Bogan, representative of the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey who will address how the state's marine businesses and consumers may be affected by the new registry; and Fred MacFarland, President of the Cape May County Party and Charter Boat Association, a group of professional captains now working to promote the creation of a saltwater fishing license.
The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (Division) has also been invited to participate in this two-hour open forum, but according to the RFA, state officials have turned down repeated requests to participate in the Fisheries Town Hall. "Division representatives have been on a New Jersey stump tour for the past few months trying to influence clubs into believing that a license is more important than a registry," said Hutchinson, adding "but that's just spinning a good yarn, and it's caused a great deal of confusion about licenses and registries."
Hutchinson said there's been some misunderstanding about New Jersey's saltwater registry legislation (Assembly Bill 3252 and Senate Bill 2194) created in some of the state's presentations, which is why he hopes the DEP will recognize the importance of sending a representative out to FirstEnergy Park on Saturday to address the public. "We're leaving a chair open for the State if they'd like to further discuss their needs and initiatives in a public forum."
Following the Fisheries Town Hall, The Fisherman Magazine will hold a series of 'how to' fishing seminars, with RFA's own Gary Caputi kicking it off at 2:30 p.m. with a comprehensive striped bass seminar - from the guy who literally wrote the book about Fishing For Striped Bass! Event details including directions, a list of exhibitors and show highlights can be found online at
www.jerseyboatexpo.com. Admission to the show is $2 per person, 12 and younger are free. The event will run from 11am - 7pm on Friday and Saturday and 11am- 6pm on Sunday.
The inaugural Jersey Shore Boat Sale & Expo at FirstEnergy Park, home of the Lakewood BlueClaws, in Lakewood, NJ, is being presented by the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey (MTA/NJ).
The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is a national, 501(c)(4) non-profit grassroots political action organization that has been representing individual sport fishermen and the sport fishing industry since 1996. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs and ensure the long-term sustainability of U.S. saltwater fisheries. RFA members include individual anglers, boat builders, fishing tackle manufacturers, party and charter boat businesses, bait and tackle retailers, marinas, and many other businesses in fishing communities. Visit
www.joinrfa.org.
