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Assemblyman John E. Rooney Jersey Coast Anglers Association 1201 Highway 37E, #9 Toms River, New Jersey 08753 ATTENTION: Mr. John Toth Dear Mr. Toth: As you are aware, I am a life-long outspoken advocate of Second Amendment and Sportsmen’s Rights. My record reflects an uncompromising support of the Amendment in its broadest interpretation as well as working for the rights of Sportsmen. Assembly bill 3275 is a blatant attempt to destroy the Fish and Game Council by replacing knowledgeable farmers and sportsmen parties with politically appointed individuals. Additionally, the bill would prohibit farmers, who lease their lands for hunting, or commercial or charter fisherman, from appointment under the subterfuge of having “financial conflicts of interest” simply because some of their income may be derived from hunting or fishing. At the Assembly committee hearing on this bill, where I am the ranking minority member, my comments were “I have no problem with someone asking for a seat at the table, however, I have a major problem with that same someone trying to steal the table”. Accordingly, I voted NO and will continue to do so should this bill ever reach the floor of the Assembly. The present constitution of the Council, I believe, is correct. As I stated at the meeting, if other interest groups desire membership through expansion of the Council they should seek that legislation. To remove experienced and knowledgeable people would be a travesty and is no more than an attempt to “steal the table” and subvert the Council. You have my past actions and my word that I will continue to support your position and your Constitutional Rights. In turn, I ask for your support in my fight to remain as your voice in the Legislature. Very truly yours, John E. Rooney Assemblyman |
Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs Bill and Pots Off Reefs Bill
We have a unique opportunity in the next couple of months that are of vital importance to recreational anglers. The Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs Bill and the Pots Off Reefs Bill could both be voted on in the session immediately after the November election. Every sportsperson needs to contact Senate President Dick Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts asking them to post these bills and insure a vote before the session ends. These bills are important to us and we will not accept any excuses to defer a vote and force the process to begin again after January. More information on both of these bills is included in Tom Fote’s Legislative Report. Call and write now! If these bills are passed, we can focus our attention on other issues when the new session begins in January.
Distorting the News
On the front page of the Asbury Park Press, September 17th edition, there was an article written by Kirk Moore titled, “Limits weighed on use of reefs.” The article told a story of how a husband/wife team who make their living harvesting lobsters on reefs will have their livelihood taken away from them if recreational anglers are successful in banning the commercial anglers from the reefs. If readers were unfamiliar with the problems that the commercial guys are giving us on use of the reefs (and most of them are), the average reader would receive the unmistaken impression that recreational anglers are a greedy lot and want the artificial reefs only for themselves. Kirk Moore told only one side of the story and I was so mad that I wrote a rebuttal to this article and it was published in the Asbury Park Press in the Opinion section under the title, “Recreational anglers want fair chance.” My article was edited and omitted my criticism of Kirk Moore for writing such a biased story. The Press omitted my criticism of Kirk Moore, but I think (and certainly hope) that their editorial staff told him to be more objective in his reporting of stories. My article follows:
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John J. Toth William C. Hidlay, Editor 3601 Highway 66, Box 1550 Neptune, NJ. 07754-1551 September 24, 2007 Dear Mr. Hidlay: I, and many of my fishing colleagues, were very disturbed to read Mr. Kirk Moore’s September 17th article “Limits Weighed on Use of Reefs.” The article gives the mistaken impression that recreational anglers want the artificial reefs for themselves and do not care about the livelihoods of the commercial anglers who also use these same reefs, especially Mr. Kirk’s account of Mr. and Mrs. Hollerbach who make their living harvesting lobsters. Nothing can be further from the truth! Mr. Moore neglected to tell readers that the recreational angling community built and paid for the artificial reefs for the purpose to enhance marine habitat and it is estimated that about 20% of the fish caught by recreational anglers in New Jersey come from these reefs. These reefs were designed for hook-and-line fishing and for underwater attractions for divers. They were intended for general public use, like a public park. The idea behind the reefs is to give fish a chance and provide moderate catch rates over the entire fishing season so that the maximum number of anglers can catch fish. Unfortunately, it did not take long for the commercial anglers to see how many fish these reefs were attracting and they covered these reefs with hundreds of traps and gear that dominate them making use of these reefs very difficult for recreational anglers who get their gear and anchors ensnared in this commercial fishing gear. The reefs were never intended to receive this type of sophisticated fishing pressure. It is this frustration with commercial pots and gear that has pushed the recreational community to request their legislators to pass legislation banning all of this commercial gear from the reefs where it was never originally intended. Mr. Moore should have also pointed out commercial fishermen hold special permits granted by our state and federal government that grant them 8,000 square miles of the sea floor and the artificial reefs occupy only 0.3 percent of this area. So they have plenty of sea floor to place their pots and gear. We do not oppose commercial fishermen from fishing from the artificial reefs, as long as they do it by hook-and-line, like recreational anglers. Mr. Moore, as a Staff Writer for the Press, should present a balanced story to Press readership and not one that is totally skewed toward commercial interests. He should be reminded of this fact by your editorial staff. There are many saltwater anglers who read the Press and we were not pleased to read such a one-sided account of this issue and one that paints a greedy picture of NJ’s saltwater anglers. He writes numerous fishing related columns and he is well aware of the fishing issues, so ignorance is not an excuse. John J. Toth President, Jersey Coast Anglers Association |
Governor's Surf Tournament
The tournament was held on October 7th and it was my first time in attending it. We had a swell day and the weather was just beautiful. The Island Beach State Park has great facilities for this event with a nice pavilion and restroom facilities. Approximately 1,000 anglers showed up for this event and we had a lot of nice prizes to give away thanks to the Quantum tackle company. Everyone enjoyed themselves and there were a lot of smiling faces, especially for the winners in the various categories. It was one of those events that had everybody in a very positive mood and I heard a number of anglers saying that they are looking forward to the Governor’s tournament for 2008! Governor Corzine attended the two previous Tournaments, one as a senator and one as governor, but could not attend this year’s tournament. He did send a letter with DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson. Commissioner Jackson handed out the awards this year.
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STATE OF NEW JERSEY JON S. CORZINE GOVERNOR October 7, 2007 Dear Friends, It is my pleasure to extend warm greetings to everyone in attendance for the Governor’s 16th annual Surf Fishing Tournament. I regret that I cannot join you today. I have had the pleasure of attending in the past and look forward to joining you again in the future. Since 1992, thousands of anglers have turned out to Island Beach State Park to enjoy the warm weather, benefit from the company of fellow fishermen, and compete for the prized Governor’s Cup. This classic event has become a fixture of the New Jersey fall surf-fishing season for an increasing number of surf-anglers and their families. Each year, between 1200 and 1400 anglers of all ages compete for the opportunity to have their name engraved on the trophy. This tournament has raised significant funds that have helped support surf fishing instruction programs, restore marine habitat, improve coastal access for anglers and provide accommodations for the elderly and disabled. I applaud all participants of this tournament and wish them luck in their pursuit. It is only through the commitment of individuals such as yourselves that we may hope to build a new and brighter future for all residents of New Jersey. Sincerely JON S. CORZINE |
JCAA Dinner Dance
The date of November 18th is fast approaching so mark your calendar now for this fun and elegant affair. Bring your wife or significant other and enjoy the good food, music and just being with your fishing buddies. We will also have a great dark horse with quality prizes to be won. So come on out and have a good time!
Election of Officers
I will be willing to serve as President for next year, but we do need someone to fill my shoes when my turn is up. That means that we need a First Vice President since that position is currently vacant. Please consider filling this vacant post. I and the Board will certainly help you in learning all of the ropes associated with this post. A new membership secretary is also needed. This is also an important post since we have to keep track of current members and bring new ones on board.
Please see me at the October 30th general meeting if you are interested in filling these positions. You can also call me at (732) 656-0139 or email me at tothjohn@verizon.net. Thank You!
Sportsperson of the Year
At our October 30th meeting, we will be taking nominations from the floor for this prestigious award and vote on who will receive it. Please take the time to write up your nomination and remember that it does not have to be long. Only a short paragraph or two is all that is needed. We have only received one written nomination. Berkeley Striper Club nominated Bill Figley. Their nomination is included below.
The Berkeley Striper Club would like to nominate Bill Figley as the JCAA Sportsperson of the Year. Bill graduated from Lafayette College with a B.A. Degree in Biology in 1971 and from Syracuse University with an M.S. Degree in Wildlife Biology in 1974. He worked as a Fisheries Biologist for the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife starting in 1976. In 1984 Bill Figley began the Artificial Reef Program within the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The goal was to create habitat off the New Jersey coastline for various marine species which could then be enjoyed by recreational fishermen and divers. By the end of 2005 over 140 wrecks, 3500 patch reefs and 14 million tons of various materials have been sunken on the ocean bottom. The vast majority of money used to purchase materials for the reefs was donated by local clubs, associations, communities and individuals. It was Bill who helped make the program successful by making people aware of it. He spent countless hours speaking at local clubs and organizations, getting them to understand the program, teaching them how to find and fish the reefs, and gaining support as well as donations for the program.
Bill retired in 2005 after 30 years of service to the people of NJ and Division of Fish and Wildlife. Over the years, he has published numerous fishing related pamphlets and is an avid angler and hunter. Currently, Bill has taken a very active role in Reef Rescue which is a coalition of organizations seeking to eliminate the commercial pots that have taken over our reefs. Reef Rescue includes organizations like the JCAA, RFA, Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association, Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club, Greater Point Pleasant Charter Association, and the New Jersey Council of Diving Clubs. Recreational fishermen will be forever indebted to Bill for all the work he has done so it would be nice to show our appreciation by selecting him as the JCAA Sportsperson of the Year. It would certainly be timely to do this now with legislation pending to protect our reefs.
Sincerely,
Paul Haertel, Delegate
Berkeley Striper club