Sportsperson of the Year Dinner/Dance

Let me first express my congratulations to Bill Figley for his efforts to promote the artificial reef program in the State of New Jersey.

He started the first artificial reef program within the Division of Fish and Wildlife in 1984 and by the end of 2005 over 140 wrecks, 3500 patch reefs and 14 million tons of various materials have sunk to the ocean bottom.

For over 20 years, Bill has successfully worked to create healthy reef ecosystems off the New Jersey coastline for various marine species, which have been enjoyed by recreational fishermen and divers throughout the state.

I also want to thank Tom Fote and the Jersey Coast Anglers Association for all they do to protect the rights of fishermen and for your diligence to the preservation of our environment.

Throughout my career, the JCAA has been there with me, working to make New Jersey's environment cleaner and healthier for our fishermen and their children.

As you all know without clean and healthy habitats for fish to breed and grow we wouldn't have such a robust fishing community.

I want to talk a little bit about a couple of fisheries that I know are important to everyone in the room.

Atlantic Striped Bass

The first fishery I'd like to talk about is the Atlantic stripped bass. The Atlantic striped bass is a valuable resource along the Atlantic coast and is one of the most important fisheries for recreational anglers in New Jersey.

It is in this spirit that I introduced legislation that would prohibit the commercial harvesting of Atlantic Striped Bass in the coastal waters and the exclusive economic zone of the United States in order to enable coastal populations to return to historical abundances.

H.R. 2625 designates the striped bass as a federal game fish by prohibiting the commercial harvesting of striped bass and reserving the resource exclusively for recreational catches. New Jersey is one of six states along the Atlantic Coast that already classifies striped bass as a game fish.

Recently President Bush announced an Executive Order that would move to prohibit the sale of striped bass and red drum caught in federal waters.

Currently, there are limitations on catching striped bass and red drum fish in federal waters because of significant population decline. If and when those prohibitions are removed, the executive order would ensure that striped bass and red drum are reserved for recreational catch as a conservation measure.

It's encouraging to see President Bush engage in an issue that is so important to recreational fishermen here in New Jersey. My hope is that this will spur Congress to move my more comprehensive legislation that provides a long lasting solution to the problem and addresses state waters as well as federal waters.

Summer Flounder

Summer flounder is another fish that we have been working for years to protect.

National Marine Fisheries Service is going to cut the summer flounder quota from 17.1 million pounds in 2007 to 15.77 million pounds in 2008.

The reason for the decrease in quota stems from the council's overestimation of increases in spawning stock biomass and an underestimation in mortality rates in 2006. These factors, along with others, were used in a retrospective analysis of the fluke quota leading to the substantial cut.

We are going to need to work together to ensure that we rebuild the summer flounder fishery in a way that doesn't shut down this critical component of the state's coastal economy.

This summer, I called on NMFS to immediately request that the National Research Center of the National Academy of Science conduct an independent peer review of the summer flounder stock assessment, including targets and methodology.

On August 2, 2007 the Director of NMFS, Dr. William Hogarth assured me that he shared my concerns regarding summer flounder and would consider requesting an independent peer review depending upon the findings of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (MAFMC) Scientific and Statistical Committee.

I have also requested that the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans hold a hearing to discuss the rebuilding targets set forth in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2007 and relevant issues.

This hearing would give recreational and commercial fisherman a chance to testify before Congress and make their case that the current rebuilding targets are unattainable. It will also give members of Congress the opportunity to question NMFS about the "best available science" used in creating the yearly total allowable landing (TAL) limits.

I am happy to report that the Subcommittee has committed to having a hearing in early December. I hope that your organization will be helpful as we begin the process of organizing this important hearing.

In the past few weeks it has become clear to me that we have to be more aggressive in protecting the summer flounder fishery. A recent letter from Dr. Hogarth to MAFMC Chairman W. Peter Jensen, described drastic actions that NMFS would be willing to take if states do not implement effective measures to ensure that summer flounder stocks reach their rebuilding targets mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Based on Dr. Hogarth's letter, Congress will likely have to pass legislation to fix the summer flounder problem. This could include writing flexibility into the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act or extending the rebuilding deadlines for the summer flounder fishery. I plan on meeting with you and other leaders in the recreational fishing community to discuss legislative remedies in the coming weeks.

This is going to be an uphill fight, but it's a fight worth waging. I hope that we can, as we have in the past, work together on all of these issues, from clean and healthy ecosystems for you to fish to protecting the most important fisheries to the recreational community.