ASMFC ANNUAL MEETING

            New Jersey is hosting the annual meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.  The meeting begins on October 31^st with striped bass as the first meeting at 8:30 AM.  Below is the preliminary agenda for the annual meeting.  The location is the Marriot Hotel on Route 9 in Absecon.  These meetings are open to the public and, as you can see from the agenda, there may decision about summer flounder, scup, striped bass and a vote on the weakfish addendum.  These decisions will have a tremendous impact on both the commercial and recreational fishermen in New Jersey for years to come.  When I was commissioner, a frequent complaint to me was the location of the meetings.  People were concerned that decisions were made when the meetings were inaccessible.  So now is your chance to watch the ASMFC in action and participate.  Public input will be taken during every board meeting and you will have an opportunity to share your views.  It is crucial for us to have a good turnout and express our opinions about these issues.  If you can take a day to go fishing, you surely should take a day to attend one of these meetings. 

ASMFC 64th Annual Meeting

October 31 - November 3, 2005

Marriott Seaview Resort & Spa

401 S. New York RoadGalloway, New Jersey

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

The agenda is subject to change.

October 31, 2005    

8:00 AM– 10:30 AM   Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

10:45 AM - 12:45 PM   American Eel Management Board 

2:00 PM - 6:00 PM   American Lobster Management Board

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM   Management & Science Committee 

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM   Law Enforcement Committee

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM   Welcome Reception

November 1, 2005  

7:30 AM – 9:30 AM   South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board

8:30 AM - 1:00 PM    Management & Science Committee

8:30 AM - 1:00 PM    Law Enforcement Committee

9:45 AM - 11:45 AM    Action Plan Workshop

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM   Spiny Dogfish & Coastal Shark Management Board

3:15 PM   Bus for Cape May

4:15 PM - 6:15 PM   U.S Coast Guard Facility Tour 

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM   Dinner

November 2 , 2005    

8:00 AM - 10:00 AM   Horseshoe Crab Management Board

10:15 AM - 12:45 PM   Weakfish Management Board

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM   David H. Hart Award Luncheon

1:45 PM - 5:30 PM   Habitat Committee

2:15 PM - 5:30 PM   Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

November 3 , 2005    

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM   Executive Committee

9:15 AM - 12:15 PM   ISFMP Policy Board

12:30 PM - 1:00 PM   Business Session

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM   Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council

GETTING JCAA ALERTS

            People I meet have many questions about JCAA and fisheries management.  I always ask if they read the current JCAA newspaper.  Or I ask if they are on the JCAA email list for frequent updates.  Too many of them say no to both.  At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there is considerable effort put into every JCAA newspaper and all the email alerts.  If you don’t read them, all that time and energy doesn’t have much payoff.  If I don’t have your email address, you miss the alerts entirely.  If you want to be on the email list, go to the JCAA webpage (www.jcaa.org) and hit subscribe.  Or send me an email and I will add you to the list.  All I need is your name and email address.  This list is confidential and is never shared with anyone outside of JCAA.  . What is also disappointing is that every club does not have a representative on the email list. This is something your club can remedy easily.  Just send me an email at tfote@jcaa.org and say you are the club representative.

Striped Bass.

            Nothing changed since the last newspaper article on striped bass.  It does not appear that the NJ Legislature will have a voting session before the election.  Any change in the regulations will have to wait until the lame duck session in late November.  I was also contacted by Assemblymen Paynter and Morgan from the 13^th District informing us they have requested the opportunity to cosponsor our requested legislation.  This legislation would change the regulations to 2 fish at 28 inches.  Again, if you missed last month’s newspaper, there was a lengthy article including the history behind this legislation.  You can find the article at www.jcaa.org.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

            Hearings have been scheduled for weakfish, croaker, the Highly Migratory Species Plan and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Ecosystem Plan.  Ed Cherry’s and John Koegler’s articles include information about the weakfish HMS hearings.  If you missed my column from the midsummer edition of the JCAA newspaper, please check it out on our webpage (www.jcaa.org).  It is easy to miss an article during the busy summer months but it is important for you to read this article (CREDIBILITY GAP GROWS LARGER BY DECISION).  If you prefer, I will send it to you via email.  I can be reached at tfote@jcaa.org.  Please check the schedule below for upcoming hearings. 

KATRINA

            It is heartbreaking to watch the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.  In addition to the lives lost or changed forever, the environmental impact will be felt for decades.  The Gulf Coast has many subsistence, commercial and recreational fishermen.  There are many families who exist on what they can harvest from the bays and bayous.  One concern is the contamination level of the fish they eat.  We know that contaminated fish impacts not only this generation but the generation that follows.  Not only does the government need to step up in rebuilding homes, businesses and infrastructure, but a real commitment must be made to the immediate environmental problems.  The rebuilding must be done in a way that upgrades the projects from an environmental standpoint.  This is an opportunity to reverse the decades-long pollution coming from the Mississippi River and the Gulf region that have created the dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.  The response from fellow anglers is wonderful, including my own club, the Berkeley Striper Club.  Everyone I know if trying to find the right place to send money to help the neediest.  I have done some research and would be glad to share ideas about charities that focus on subsistence fishermen both commercial and recreational.  Email me for information. 

VOTERS TO DECIDE ON CLEANER AIR

            Every year, hundreds of New Jerseyans die prematurely from exposure to diesel exhaust, which likely causes cancer.

            For thousands of others – especially children, seniors and those who live and work in urban areas  diesel exhaust can cause serious respiratory illnesses and trigger asthma attacks.

On Election Day, Nov. 8, Garden State voters will decide Ballot Questions No. 2 that would provide funding for an innovative program to reduce exposure to deadly diesel emissions from school buses, garbage trucks, transit buses and publicly owned on-road and non-road diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.

            Without raising any new taxes from residents or businesses and at no cost to municipalities, the proposed diesel program would be paid for with a portion of revenue from the existing Corporate Business Tax Fund.

            A yes vote on this ballot questions would allow this Corporate Business Tax revenue to be used to implement the diesel program.

            A no vote would withhold funding for the diesel program, barring its implementation.

            To learn more, visit www.StopTheSoot.org.

            Reprinted from New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bradley M. Campbell, Commissioner

TRUST IN SYSTEM BREAKING DOWN

            Since the last newspaper, I had the opportunity to speak to a couple of JCAA member clubs.  I knew there was a lot of frustration and hostility regarding fisheries regulations.  The proposed changes for weakfish, the further restrictions on summer flounder, the one fish bag limit on bluefin tuna from a private boat and the confusion over striped bass have significantly lessened the respect people have for regulations and the regulators.  Their frustration comes because despite all the limitation on catches for the past 10 – 15 years, there doesn’t seem to be any payoff.  They see an abundance of fish, especially with summer flounder and striped bass, and wonder when they’ll ever get to keep one.  Remember, the number of summer flounder we take home in the recreational community has not increased in the last 13 years.  The poundage of the fish has gone up but the number of fish caught and kept has continued to go down.  I am concerned because I frequently hear anglers say “Let them catch me!”  These are not the anglers who have a reputation for flouting the rules.  These are the anglers who historically were conservation minded even when less restrictive rules were in place.  To drive these anglers to ignoring the regulations is serious indeed. 

Even some of our party and charter boat captains are refusing to give information to NMFS.  This boycott began in the Gulf but is spreading rapidly. 

The regulations only work because anglers choose to follow them.  In the best of times there is never enough law enforcement to force people to follow the rules.  With the current cutbacks, there is barely any law enforcement at all.  If we can’t rely on anglers to follow the regulations and to use peer pressure to force other anglers to do the same, the system will collapse.  Perhaps the regulators ought to give this a little thought. 

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