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by Tom Siciliano
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association September 2003 Newsletter)
I can’t believe it’s the end of August already. Remember, there is no meeting this month. We will resume our regular meetings on September 30. There are a few things coming up that you should put on your calendars. The first is the Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament on October 5th. This event is held to encourage both youngsters and adults to learn more about the sport of surf fishing and take advantage of a great family activity. The NJ Beach Buggy Association, NJ State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, NJ D.E.P., NJ Division of Parks and Forestry sponsor the tournament and Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders provides additional funding. A full article appears elsewhere in this newsletter, but you only have until September 8 to register by mail and save $5 over the on site registration fee of $15. Bring the kids. If they are under 12 you can register them for free and they are then eligible to win lots of great prizes. The day before on October 4th there will be a program on “Becoming an Outdoor Woman” and yes, ladies, you can bring your husband along if you like. If you participate in this program you are automatically registered in the tournament.
The JCAA Sportsperson of the Year Dinner and Dance is all set for November 9 at Crystal Point in Point Pleasant, NJ from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The guest speaker has not been finalized yet. Last year Governor McGreevey was the guest speaker and Ray Marione was presented with the Sportsperson of the Year award for his efforts not only in 2002 but for many years. Your club may nominate someone for this year’s award. Send the name along with a short biography and the reason you feel the person deserves the award.
The big one to put on your Calendar for next year is the JCAA Fluke Tournament. This will be our 10th year and by all accounts should be even bigger and better. The dates to remember are June 12th for the Tournament and June 18th for the awards presentation at Trump’s Marina.
Bill Figley, who you all know as the nationally recognized artificial reef expert who works for the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, has asked for our help so he can help us. He is in the process of mapping New Jersey’s prime fishing grounds to protect them from other uses of ocean resources, such as sand mining, pipelines, breach nourishment, cables, and oil drilling. The objective of the project is (1) to delineate Prime Ocean fishing grounds on NOAA nautical charts. (2) to compile a database for each prime fishing ground including the site name, description, coordinates, area, depth range, bottom type and important species. (3) and insert the charted fishing grounds and database into the GIS system (Geographic Information System) which will be accessible on the Internet. Of course, all information provided by individual fishermen will be confidential. All data will be pooled together before it is input into the GIS computerized program. We are in the process of setting up a meeting with Bill and if you have any area which you want to make sure is included, please give me a call at 732-477-8186 or email me at toms6363@comcast.net.
This spring we saw what happens when a lot of bunkers show up along the Jersey Coast. Lots of Striped Bass were right there feeding on them. I would like to think that this was a direct result of the large reduction boats being moved out of state waters. They must now stay at least three miles off the coast of New Jersey. The bait boats can still harvest the menhaden as long as they stay 0.6 mile off the coast. Now the National Coalition for Marine Conservation is asking for our help. They would like you to join their campaign to ban the industrial-scale menhaden fishing from Chesapeake Bay to protect the striper’s food supply. You can do this by signing your name to a petition, which will be presented to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in December 2003. The petition reads: Menhaden play a vital ecological role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, providing a critical source of food for striped bass and a wide range of other predators, as well as acting as natural filters of the bay’s waters. The continued high level of menhaden harvest, particularly of juvenile fish, could jeopardize the hard-earned recovery of striped bass and other species throughout their range along the Atlantic coast. Therefore, we, the undersigned, request that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission prohibit all purse seine fishing for Atlantic menhaden within the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. For more information or to sign the petition online, visit them at www.savethefish.org. For those of you without Internet access you may call NCMC at 703-777-0037 and ask them to send you additional information.