JCAA

      

 

Menhaden Bill Update

by Frank Richetti

(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association June 2001 Newsletter)

Legislation to protect menhaden from being over harvested in our state waters has been introduced in both the state Senate (bill S2252, A. Ciesla & L Bassano) and in the Assembly (bill A3512, S. Corodemus). This is just the beginning of the process to move a bill through its assigned committee in each of the state houses then onto the floor of each house for a general vote, then on to the governor’s desk for a signature before it can become law.

You can see that this is a long road filled with potholes and landmines. It will be a struggle just to get these bills heard and passed through committee before the summer recess. Commercial fishing interests will be working hard to have these bills stopped. Even though these bills will not harm our New Jersey commercial fishermen in any way, they feel that they must oppose them on general principal, fearing that the NJ bait industry will be the next target. They are not the next target!

Our purpose is not to put any one out of business but only to protect the resources that we depend on. The sport fishing industry in New Jersey is estimated to be a 1.2 billion dollar industry, a good portion of that industry pursue game fish like striped bass, bluefish and weakfish. These game fish depend on menhaden for a large part of their diet.

The coast wide catch of Atlantic Menhaden for the year 2000 was 167,253 metric tons. That equals 368 million pounds of bunker and is an average of 1 million pounds of bunker harvested for each day of the year! Back in 1995 the reduction fleet took 118 million pounds of bunker out of New Jersey waters alone! That is a heck of a lot of fish when the average fish is around 11/2 pounds.

Most states along the coast have eliminated reduction fishing or have places restrictions and controls on their catches. New Jersey only has a 1.2 nautical mile buffer zone; otherwise the reduction fleet can take as many fish as they desire.

There is no federal plan in place to manage the harvest of menhaden; it is up to us to protect this important forage fish within our state waters. We are extremely vulnerable to fishing pressure because others states have closed their waters. We need to act now and we need to act together or we could again face large harvests of bunker from our waters

We need you help! You must put pressure on the politicians who are the gatekeepers of this bill. Listed below are the representatives who serve on the respective committees in the Assembly and the Senate. Please contact them and ask them to support this bill and help it move quickly through committee. Also, contact you local Assemblymen and state Senator to have them support this bill. The summer recess will start sometime during the third week in June, if we have any hope of moving this bill along we need to apply pressure statewide. Contact these people today!

Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources
 Gibson, John C. – Chair  (District 1)
14 Route 50, Suite A, Seaville, NJ 08230
(609)-624-1222
(609) 624-0244 FAX
AsmGibson@njleg.state.nj.us

Chatzidakis, Larry - Vice-Chair  (District 8)
3000 Midlantic Dr., Suite 103, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
(856)-234-8080
(856) 234-3990
AsmChatzidakis@njleg.state.nj.us

Conaway, Herbert C.   (District 7)
Delran Professional Center, Suite 125, 8008 Route 130 North, Delran, NJ 08075
(856)-461-3997
(856) 461-3823 FAX
AsmConaway@njleg.state.nj.us

Gregg, Guy R.   (District 24)
268 Rt. 206, Bldg. D, 1st Fl., Flanders, NJ 07836
(973)-584-5422
(973) 827-0348 FAX
AsmGregg@njleg.state.nj.us


Rooney, John E.   (Dist. 39)
Valley Office Park, 436 Old Hook Rd., Emerson, NJ 07630
(201)-967-8910
(201) 967-0331 fax
AsmRooney@njleg.state.nj.us

Smith, Robert J.   (District 4)
110F Greentree Rd., Washington Twp., NJ 08012
856-232-6700
856-232-6844

Stuhltrager, Gary W.  (District 3)
911 North Broad St., Woodbury, NJ 08096
(856)-853-7868
 856-853-7868 FAX

Senate Economic Growth, Agriculture and Tourism Committee

Chairman Senator Martha W. Bark, Republican,  (Dist. 8)
3000 Midlantic Dr. Suite 103, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
(856)-234-8080

Vice-chair Senator William E. Schluter, Repub., (Dist. 23)
2 North Main St., Flemington, NJ 08822
(908)-788-3800

Senator Bernard F. Kenny, Democrat,  (Dist. 33)
235 Hudson St. Suite 1, Hoboken, NJ 07030
(201)-653-1466

Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr., Republican,  (Dist. 13)
Suite 301, One Arin Park Bldg., 1715 Hwy. 35, Middletown, NJ 07748
 (732)-671-3206

Senator Edward T. O'Connor, Jr. , Democrat,  (Dist. 31)
1738 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07305
(201)-451-6120