Operations Manager Report

(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association March 2010 Newsletter)

It has been another exciting month at the JCAA office. We continue to receive phone calls and mail regarding the saltwater registry, which is mandatory for those who fish for or catch anadromous species (striped bass, shad, river herring) in state tidal waters; or fish in Federal waters (more than 3 miles from shore). You do not have to register if you are under 16 years of age; only fish on federally licensed party or charter boats; hold a Highly Migratory Species Angling Permit; or hold a Saltwater Fishing License in another state or signed up for the registry in another state. It is easy to register, either on line or by phone. Register online at www.countmyfish.noaa.gov or call toll free 888-674-7411. I cannot register you for the saltwater registry and will direct you to the website and/or phone number if needed. The saltwater registry was a lively topic at our booth at the Atlantic City International Boat Show. Many of the people who stopped by our booth were unaware of the mandatory registry and had a lot of questions about it. There was great attendance while we handed out the newspaper, our new tri-fold rack card, the new white paper on Striped Bass Migration written by Bruce Freeman, and briskly sold High Roller raffle tickets. As always, the prizes are great and for $2 a ticket, it is an easy and painless way to donate to the JCAA’s education programs.

The 16th Annual Fluke Tournament continues to attract high quality, national sponsorships for our port prizes! We welcome on board a slew of port prize sponsors. They are Ugly Stik, Berkley, Spiderwire and PENN. You can read more about these port prize sponsors, which are featured in this newspaper. We at JCAA are pleased to welcome them on board! Thank you Ugly Stik, Berkley, Spiderwire and PENN, for supporting JCAA and its mission to protect our marine resources and the rights of saltwater anglers. Of course, excitement is building for the Fluke Tournament! We are very close to finalizing every detail (one last sponsor to go!) and will be able to send out invitations, information, entry forms and High Roller raffle books to our past participants. If you know someone who loves to fluke, spread the word. Remember, you only compete against the anglers who land their fluke at your same home port, and there are TEN port prizes at each port to vie for! The odds are great you will walk away with a prize! The 16th Annual Fluke Tournament will be held on June 12, 2010, so mark your calendars, make your plans and be on the lookout for your entry form! The Awards Ceremony will again be held at the Trump Marina Hotel Casino on Friday, June 18.

On Friday, February 12, I attended the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) 2010 Symposium on Tourism & Business, “A Partnership For Success.” This event was hosted by The Jersey Shore CVB & MODC Cultural & Tourism Committee. The mission of the Jersey Shore CVB is to promote a positive image of the environmental, cultural and historical assets of the region through marketing programs that generate leisure and business tourism thus increasing tax revenues and employment opportunities. During the symposium, marketing and promotional opportunities were discussed. JCAA was a unique player in the room, because we are a non-profit charitable organization with a one-day sweeping event that affects tourism throughout the state – the Fluke Tournament. Those logistics were a challenge to the tourism professionals in the room, so there will be further discussions about it in the coming days and weeks. Definitely time well spent.

Finally, thank you all for your support of JCAA. Several grants have been applied for and soon we will start hearing about our successes. Thank you to those of you who have shared possible granting and fundraising opportunities. Please call if you have any further fundraising suggestions. The office is open from 9 – 2 weekdays, so please do not be a stranger. 732-506-6565.

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