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by Tom Siciliano
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association November 2004 Newsletter)
The fall fishing season is in full swing. I hope you are out there catching those bass and blues that are on feeding binges as they prepare for their migration south. The Sea Bass and Blackfish seasons are getting underway and we have had another great run of porgies. The Weakfish are still around after a late start and there will be a few tide runners caught.
The Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament at Island Beach State Park was another big success even though the weather kept the total number of anglers down. Those that did fish caught some nice fish. There was a lot of confusion over the new Striped Bass regulations. It was hard for the judges to convince those people who caught 29” Bass that they had to release the fish and it was not eligible for a prize. Luckily there were a few fish over 34” and the winner of the Governor’s Cup had a bass of 37”.
The Jersey Coast Anglers Association, the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association and the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Forestry sponsor the event. The five sponsors of the event presented a plaque to Paul Smith, past president of JCAA, for his thirteen years of chairing this event. Through his Chairmanship this event has become one the premium family fishing events in NJ.
I want to thank our Legislators and the Governor again for helping us avert a moratorium on Striped Bass. You should thank your Senator and Assemblyman also. They did a great job. A special thanks goes to Senator Codey for calling a special session to vote on the bill.
The fluke season is over. Most anglers I have spoken to did not have a great season overall. There were some nice fish caught but it was not consistent. Now we will wait for the “Official Numbers” from NMFS to see how we did. Aren’t statistics great? They will base the official numbers on minimal data taken from a survey of anglers and disregard the official log books that Charter and Party Boat Captains are required to keep and file. These are real numbers that could and should be used to gauge the number of fish caught and the health of the fishery. These Captains are the experts and the acceptance of their information is vital if anglers are to have any faith in the pronouncements of NMFS.
The annual Awards Dinner/Dance is fast approaching. Did you put November 14 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Crystal Point Yacht Club on your calendar? We are still accepting nominations for “Sportsperson of the Year”. If you would like to nominate someone, please submit their name with a short biography of why they deserve to be selected at the next JCAA general membership meeting on October 26th.
Quite a few clubs have already purchased a table for $500. One of the incentives that clubs are offering to their members is half price on the tickets with the club picking up the other half. Other clubs purchase a ticket for their President and Vice President to further lower the cost of attending. We are also in need of a few more prizes. Does your company have a product that could be raffled off? It can be anything and does not have to be fishing-related. The wives are invited to the Dinner/Dance also and it would be great to have a few prizes for them. We are in desperate need of prizes this year so if you think you might have something give Paul Turi a call at 609-597-3193.
The NJ DEP has released its Artificial Reef Plan for Public Review. The JCAA will be reviewing the plan and will provide comments within the 60-day comment period. If you would like to assist in the review please contact me at 732-267-6451. We will form a committee to review the DEP plan and draft a JCAA position. We will discuss our comments at a regular meeting and take a vote to insure that the JCAA position reflects the views of the majority of our clubs. The plan can be viewed on the DEP website at http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/reefplan04.htm.
Last month I attended a Symposium entitled “Greater New York’s Ocean Future Symposium.” The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and National Marine Sanctuaries hosted it. Among the speakers were Leon Panetta, David Rockefeller, Jr., Christopher Ward, NYC Department of Environmental Protection and Dr. Robert D. Ballard, President of the Institute for Exploration. The theme was simple; New York should have its own Marine Sanctuary. On the surface this sounds reasonable, however the underlying premise is that the Sanctuary would include “NO FISHING ZONES.” The need to protect our oceans is something that every angler agrees with and will enthusiastically support. However, when the proponents suggest “NO FISHING ZONES” so they can study the ecosystem undisturbed, they cast themselves as “Elitist” and the common man should not interfere with their studies. In the next breath they state that recreational anglers should be their allies but they cannot find a way to work with them. The answer to that is simple. Drop the idea of “NO FISHING ZONES” unless there is a valid reason to believe that recreational fishing is having an adverse impact on the fish stocks in a specific area. Gee, that sounds like the “Freedom to Fish Act.” They can guarantee the full support of the recreational angling community by supporting this bill in the US Senate and House of Representatives. Once we have gotten this simple concession then they will have the recreational angling community behind them 100% to get at the real sources of the decline of the Oceans. Sources like pollution, over development, improving water treatment, storm water runoff, improving fishery management, reducing by catch, and quality habitat. We can all agree that we must manage our ocean resources for long-term sustainability to ensure future generations of Americans can enjoy the benefits of a healthy ocean ecosystem. By conserving ocean resources we safeguard the recreational fishing tradition.
Wanted: A few good men or women: The JCAA will have a booth at the Raritan Sportsman Show from January 13-16 and the Atlantic City Boat Show. We could use some help in manning the booths. No experience is necessary. We sell raffle tickets and hand out literature. You may see some old friends or meet some new ones. Call Mark Taylor at 732-929-2591 if you can spare a few hours to help us.
We are also looking for the new slate of officers to continue the efforts of the JCAA. If you would like to learn more about how you can help call Don Marantz at 609-259-6368.