Free fishing in NJ!

TRENTON — When Gov. Chris Christie put his pen to paper Tue., Feb. 22, a bill became law that “creates a free state saltwater fishing registry in New Jersey, one that will comply with federal requirements and will not financially impact the state’s saltwater anglers,” according to a release from the Governor’s Office.

Commenting on his role in the legislation’s passage, First District Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) stated in a re-lease, “Legislation sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew to create a free state registry for saltwater recreational fishing and prevent residents from having to pay a $ 15 federal fishing fee was signed into law today by Gov. Chris Christie.”

“Legislation Assembly Democrats Nelson Albano, Matt Milam, Celeste Riley and Paul Moriarty sponsored to ensure free recreational saltwater fishing continues in New Jersey was signed into law Tuesday,” according to a release from them.

Recreational Fishing Alliance-New Jersey also issued a release Wed., Feb. 23 on the law’s passage: “Gov. Chris Christie signed New Jersey’s free saltwater registry bill into law yesterday, which will allow coastal anglers to register their name and phone number with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at no cost in 2011. By federal law, saltwater anglers are required to register their name and phone number with the Na-tional Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on an annual basis in order to fish in coastal waters. In November, NMFS announced that the fee for registering with the National Saltwater Angler Registry will be $ 15 as of January 1, a change affecting many anglers and spear fishermen in Hawaii, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “

Added the governor, “The creation of a state registry will allow New Jersey anglers to avoid a $ 15 saltwater registration fee imposed by the federal government as of Jan. 1.

"Fishing from our shores has been and should remain free to our residents. Some simple pleasures in life should be not be subject to a new unfunded federal mandate,” said Governor Christie.

Creation of a free State registry was lauded by the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance which worked closely with the Governor’s Office and the DEP on this issue.”

It continued, “Saltwater fishing is an important economic engine for New Jersey, providing 38,000 jobs and a $ 1.2 billion annual boost to the state’s economy, noted Commissioner Martin.

"The DEP recognizes the importance of protecting and managing our marine resources for the benefit of the en-vironment, hundreds of thousands of anglers who enjoy this resource, to our multi-billion dollar tourism indus-try, and the thousands of jobs related to saltwater fishing,” said Commissioner Martin, who thanked the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance for its efforts.

“Beginning on Jan. 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration required saltwater anglers in states like New Jersey without a state saltwater fishing registry or saltwater fishing license to pay $ 15 to register with that agency. The registry requirement is part of an effort to improve the quality of data used in fisheries man-agement, according to NOAA.

““This law will send a clear message to our residents and to tourists that we are beginning to do business differ-ently here in New Jersey – that while other states are charging, recreational fishing in the Garden State will be free,” stated Van Drew.

“New Jersey, however, like all states, was given the ability to prevent the fee assessment by creating its own registry and applying for exemption from the federal program. State Department of Environmental Protection officials had suggested creating a state registry and charging a $ 5 fee, but Senator Van Drew remained adamant that registration should be free. He has long believed the state could create an Internet registry for saltwater rec-reational anglers, which would require minimal cost and be hassle-free,” sstated Van Drew.

The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 36-0 in December. The Assembly version of the bill, A-823, spon-sored by Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam, D-Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland, cleared the lower house in January by a vote of 66-7-3.

The assemblymen added, “We should not be charging people to fish the open sea,” said Albano. “Fish conser-vation and management is important thing, but we don’t need to be charging saltwater fisherman to accomplish it.”

“Fishing the ocean has always been free in New Jersey and should remain that way forever,” said Milam. “We all favor conservation and management, but we don’t need to impose a fee upon our anglers to get that job done.”

The RFA-NJ release continued, “From a federal perspective, New Jersey Gov. Christie has just put forth a his-toric piece of legislation that helps memorialize the public’s right to free and open access to our nation’s public resources,” said Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance. “While there’s been a lot of public confusion over the past few months in the state regarding this legislation, and we’re grateful that Gov-ernor Christie has taken the time to analyze the facts, cutting through the red tape and bureaucracy surrounding the need for a saltwater registry.”

“A big thanks to Senators Jeff Van Drew and Jennifer Beck, as well as Speaker Sheila Oliver and Chairman Nelson Albano for working across party lines to make this happen for New Jersey’s saltwater anglers,” said Donofrio, while adding “it took legislative support to get this law passed, not to mention plenty of grassroots political action of RFA members in the state of New Jersey, the very essence of the I Fish, I Vote motto used by RFA members for nearly 15 years.”.

Currently, 22 of the nation’s 24 coastal states are exempted from the federal registration requirements because of existing state programs which provide the necessary angler data to the National Saltwater Angler Registry. The new saltwater angler registry law now requires DEP to establish a free angler registry program for the state of New Jersey, much the same as what the state of Delaware has done through their Fisherman Identification Number (www.delaware-fin.com ) Donofrio said.

“We need to enhance tourism, and what better way to do it than free fishing?” said Sen. Van Drew, primary sponsor of S1122 and a driving force in getting the free registry legislation signed into law in New Jersey. “It’s symbolic. New Jersey could be a real leader on this,” Van Drew recently told Shore News Today. “The bureau-crats are pushing for a tax and we’re saying, ‘C’mon, this one time let’s let the fishermen breathe.’ We would gain more revenue back for the state by doing something bold to promote fishing. Think of all the bait and tackle, fishing equipment, restaurant dinners and everything else fishermen buy. A fee would damper the envi-ronment and that’s not good,” the senator added.

“We’re tourism based so it’s important to not drive folks away from the counter without making a purchase,” said Cathy Algard of Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle in Wildwood. “Too many local tackle shops have gone out of business in recent years, and another obstacle like a fee to fish would be devastating to our local busi-ness,” she said.

Donofrio said getting the legislation passed in New Jersey has been a four-year uphill climb, but he said the leg-islators from Cape May County who really deserve much of the credit for fighting to protect the rights of all of New Jersey’s coastal districts. “The coalition of Senator Van Drew and Assemblyman Albano along with As-semblyman Jeff Milam heard their constituents and especially from the coastal business community in support of their legislation, and they weren’t about to get pushed off their mission to get this law signed,” said Donofrio.
“With today’s signing, we expect to work closely with the Governor and the federal fisheries service to get a temporary exemption in place until the DEP is able to roll out the registry program this season, but today is definitely a great day to be an RFA member.”

The New Jersey chapter of the RFA (RFA-NJ) has been active in supporting saltwater angler registry legislation ever since federal law was changed in 2007 to call for a virtual phonebook of saltwater anglers nationwide. “It’s a fairly simple and straightforward law, which is why it’s had such overwhelming support throughout our coastal fishing community,” said Capt. Adam Nowalsky, chairman of the RFA-NJ.

“The majority of charter and party boat captains throughout New Jersey, along with our tackle shops and coastal anglers from here in the state on out to Pennsylvania have been vocal in supporting this legislation along the way, and our chapter volunteers are thrilled that the Governor has recognized that unified voice,” he said.

"It’s consistent with what the governor has said about not raising taxes and fees," Donofrio said. "We’ve been working with the governor’s office to identify how to make this happen, and we’re looking forward to working more closely with his administration in the coming days to help ensure that it happens with the coastal commu-nity’s input and support.”