By Bill Degnan
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association May 1995 Newsletter)
Well, it’s happening ! ... the handicap access ramp is now under construction in Island Beach State Park at area A-7. Last year, this was only a dream of the Governor’s Cup Surf Fishing Tournament committee, but it has become a reality. With $17,000 generated from the tournament, and matching funds from N.J.A.D.A., we were not sure the ramp could be built in time for the 1995 season. We had the ambition, the tools, the equipment and a bunch of eager volunteers to construct the ramp. The cost of materials was scary, but not out of reach.
The N.J.A.D.A. felt this project was badly needed and a worthwhile place to invest, so they decided to fund the construction entirely and put it out to bid. This left the volunteer laborers who were ready to pitch in a little disappointed, but fear not, your talents and labor will still be needed to construct the portable part of the ramp from the dune line to the water’s edge. Why let the contractors have all the fun? The date for this project had not been set by press time, but you can call the JCAA office, me or the office at Island Beach State Park (908-793-0506) for the date, sometime after Memorial Day weekend.
The bid was awarded to Crosson Construction Company, Inc. of Red Bank, N.J., with the low bid of $86,500. Construction was started on Monday, May 8, with completion due in 45 days. The dedication of the ramp could happen as early as July 4th weekend. Additional information will follow as soon as everything is finalized. Members of the JCAA, N.J. Beach Buggy Association and the N.J. Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs have a lot to be proud of. This is another result of your efforts in making the Governor’s Cup Tournament a success in helping to provide access to a great beach for those less fortunate than us. What this means is people who have trouble getting around on their own and those confined to wheel chairs will now be able to enjoy the beach and surf fish the same as we do. Those of you who have worked at the previous Governor’s Cup Tournaments should be proud. It’s your efforts that made this possible. To all of you, I take off my hat and say .........THANK YOU !!
When I was a much younger man I believed that most resource conflicts could be successfully negotiated by men of good faith, that acceptable mid-ground could be found and that agreements so forged would remain in place. Now, nearly 30 years later after scores of negotiated agreements, equivocations, and broken promises I no longer believe that.
Once a position is established that is logical environmentally, socially, and economically, there is no reason to accept less than total victory. Don’t stop a day’s march short of Baghdad -- go to the root of the problem and eliminate it. If you don’t, it will come back to bite you in the future. A case in point is the current striped bass resurgence. The commercial net fishermen, rising like a phoenix from the ashes, are back to decimate the fishery again. Back in the early 1980’s, with the striper at the brink of extinction, state and federal officials finally moved to afford it protection. This crisis was created through over-fishing by commercial net fishermen with a little help from sport fishermen and a degraded environment. Left to their own devices, the commercials would have fought over the last fish and then moved on to another luckless target. Now, nearly 15 years later, the bass have made a terrific comeback in most areas.
Tackle manufacturers, the recreational marine industry, and the general seaside economy are benefiting mightily from the striper’s comeback. Current studies indicate that a sport-caught striped bass is at least 20 times more valuable to the economy than a net-caught fish. If President Clinton and other politicians are really serious about creating jobs, they should be moving aggressively to eliminate near-shore commercial net fishing. But the commercial dinosaurs are back, demanding smaller size limits and an "allocation" of these great game fish. And we’re right in there negotiating over 18 inches vs. 24 inches, and 500,000 pounds vs. 650,000 pounds, etc. Stop it! With the exception of treaty Indians, we shouldn’t settle for anything short of a total net ban from tidewater to a number of miles offshore. And let’s not be lulled to sleep with talk of making striped bass a game fish. If there is netting, there is also inevitably a "bycatch" of other species, often in greater quantity than the "targeted species." The time for negotiation on this subject is past. Join the conservation associations in your area and put some muscle into the fight. After we win -- for we must - Let’s extend a hand to the commercials, as we do to anyone whose lifestyle must change for the good of the majority. We don’t need those commercial fishermen.
Down the street from this office, pen reared salmon is sold cheaper than the wild variety. Farm raised striped bass are plentiful and excellent table fare. Many of our shrimp (prawns) come from ponds in Southeast Asia. All our trout are farm raised. The era of the near-shore commercial net fisherman is near it’s end. Like the steam locomotive and many of the accouterments of the Cold War, they are no longer needed. Jobs change, needs change, required skills change. They don’t shoot buffalo any more, do they?