(from Jersey Coast Anglers
Association April 2006 Newsletter)
Contents:
Back On the Road Again
After several months of back problems,
I am feeling better and back on the road. The first trip was to the ASMFC
meeting in Arlington, VA. I attended the habitat meeting and several additional
meetings. The habitat workshop was very interesting. The presenters discussed
the problems with low oxygen levels in both the Chesapeake and Narragansett
Bays. I was surprised to learn how much these low oxygen events are changing
the habitat for both the short and long term. I learned that some of the
problems we are having with the low recruitment of winter flounder in the bays
and estuaries may be attributed to low oxygen levels. This would help explain
why winter flounder stocks that spawn off shore are in good shape but the stocks
that spawn inshore are more threatened. Even if this is true, the only thing
fisheries managers can do is to restrict the anglers. The agencies that control
fishing have little impact on decisions about oxygen levels. In order to cure
this problem, tens of millions of dollars will be needed.
California’s Saltwater Fishing
License
My next trip was to the ASA Board
Meeting in Long Beach, CA. I will be attending a follow-up meeting for the
saltwater and fresh water committees in a few weeks. The board meeting was held
in conjunction with the Fred Hall show. It is the biggest show on the West
coast and I was impressed to see the tens of thousands of anglers in attendance
checking out the latest gear. With a future trip to fish in California in mind,
I checked out the current requirements for a fishing license. Sticker shock!
There are no separate licenses for saltwater and freshwater. Anglers are forced
to pay for a joint license which costs a resident $34.90. An extra stamp for
certain areas is required costing in excess of $17.00. Non-residents pay $94
without any stamps. This is for a yearly license. For two days I would pay
$17.60 plus stamps. A ten day license costs $34.90 plus stamps. Remember, in
California a license is required for party boats, charter boats and any other
fishing opportunity. I believe fishing from a pier may be the only setting that
is exempt. I don’t know exactly what the impact of these fees has had on the
overall income from recreational fishing. Personally, I was so upset that I did
not purchase a license and did not fish during this visit. For a one-day
fishing trip on a boat, I would add over $20.00. If something like this happens
in New Jersey, the impact will be a disaster for the recreational fishing
industry. Many of our visitors are unlikely to spend an additional $20.00 for
an hour of plugging on the beach. And many of our residents would find the cost
of a yearly license the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Combined with
increasingly onerous regulations and the cost of gasoline, the license fee would
be the final blow. Combining the 2 licenses may be a money-maker but it makes
no sense to anglers. Perhaps that’s the point. JCAA will keep a watchful eye
on the proposed Federal saltwater angler registration and any potential licenses
here in New Jersey.
I want to make sure to acknowledge all
the hard work by Bruce Smith, Tom Siciliano and Ed Cherry. In addition to their
regular JCAA meetings and responsibilities, they made sure meetings I could not
attend, due to my inability to travel, were covered for JCAA. Since I am back
on the road, Bruce and Tom have continued to attend additional meetings since
the scheduling often conflicts. Below is a list of additional meetings Bruce
attended since the first of the year, just to give you an idea how truly busy we
are.
| Date
|
Location
|
Purpose |
| |
|
|
| 1/5/06 |
Galloway Twp |
NJMFC Meeting |
| 1/12/06 |
Edison |
Sportsmens Expo JCAA |
| 1/13/06 |
Edison
|
Sportsmens Expo JCAA |
| 1/17/06 |
Toms River |
Post Expo Details |
| 1/21/06 |
W. Long Branch |
SWS Seminar JCAA |
| 1/25/06 |
Plainsboro DFW |
DPL Funding Initiative Mtg |
| 2/4/06 |
Atlantic
City |
AC Boat Show JCAA |
| 2/8/06 |
Nacote Creek |
NJMFC Mtg Fluke |
| 2/9/06 |
JCAA |
MS Auth., Finance, BOD |
| 2/11/06 |
Middletown HI-MAR Flea Mkt. |
(Bunker Mtg) |
| 2/14/06 |
Toms River |
ASMFC Fluke Mtg |
| 2/17/06 |
Assunpink
|
NJSFSC Federation Mtg. |
| 2/23/06 |
Assunpink |
NJOC Outdoor Congress |
| 3/3/06 |
Plainsboro DFW |
DPL Funding Initiative
Mtg. |
| 3/6/06 |
New Brunswick |
Gov’s Economic Summit |
| 3/7/06 |
West Orange Sen Codey’s Office |
Presentation |
| 3/16/06 |
Assunpink
|
Outdoor Writers’
Workshop |
| 3/17/06 |
Assunpink
|
NJSFSC Federation Mtg |
| 3/19/06 |
Somerset
|
Saltwater Fishing Expo |
| 3/23/06 |
Plainsboro
DFW |
DPL Funding Initiative
Mtg |
Curt Gowdy Sportsman And
Conservationist
Curt Gowdy passed away in March.
Whether you watched the Olympics or any major sporting event on ABC, he was a
familiar figure. The American Sportsman was the first show on network
television that promoted both hunting and fishing. For a young man growing up
in Brooklyn, Gowdy provided a window on the broader world of fishing. It made
me want to pick up a fly rod and head for the Florida Keys for tarpon or head to
Nova Scotia and fight a giant tuna. But there was much more to Curt Gowdy than
sportscasting and TV fishing. He was also known for his commitment to
conservation of the natural resources. Long before I got involved in JCAA, I
attended a meeting of the American League of Anglers hosted by Curt Gowdy,
Richard Boone and many other celebrities. This was my first step into a
national fishing issue. They tried to organize the freshwater, saltwater and
boating communities throughout the United States to protect the resource. The
American League of Anglers and Boaters is the child of the earlier organization
and Gowdy’s dreams live on with them. When I got involved with ASA I had the
opportunity to talk with him. I always dreamed of sharing one of his fishing
adventures but just meeting the man in person was a tremendous honor. His death
is a loss to all the hunters and anglers of the United States.
In the next few weeks I will be
attending a Board of Directors meeting for the Marine Fish Conservation Network,
the National Marine Fisheries Service recreational statistical meeting in
Arlington, VA, and the ASA saltwater and freshwater meeting. Luckily my back
feels good and I’ll have much to report in the next newspaper.
ASMFC Week Summary
February 20-23
I have included some excerpts
from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Winter 2006 Meeting Week
Summary February 20 – 23, 2006. If you want the full report go to
http://www.asmfc.org
TAUTOG MANAGEMENT BOARD
(February 20, 2006)
Tautog Stock Assessment Indicates
Abundance Remains at Low Levels and Overfishing is Occurring
The 2006 peer-reviewed stock
assessment report indicates the tautog resource continues to be at low biomass
levels. Since the mid-1980s tautog has undergone a substantial decrease in
biomass and remains at a low level of abundance. Total stock biomass has been
stable since 1999. Since the plan does not define a specific biomass target, it
cannot be determined if the population is overfished. With the 2003 fishing
mortality rate of 0.30 exceeding the plan target of 0.29, the stock assessment
concluded that overfishing is occurring.
The Peer Review Panel concluded
that the coastwide assessment currently provides the best available scientific
foundation for management. Beyond receiving the stock assessment and Peer Review
Panel reports, the Board took no management action at this meeting. By March 1,
both reports can be obtained via the Commission’s website at
www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission office at
(202) 289-6400. For more information, please contact Lydia Munger, Fisheries
Management Plan Coordinator, at
lmunger@asmfc.org or (202) 289-6400.
HABITAT WORKSHOP (February 21, 2006)
Meeting Summary
The Habitat Committee hosted a water quality
symposium to encourage action by the Commissioners on fish habitat issues. The
first speaker, Dr. Kevin Summers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
discussed the National Coastal Assessment Program (NCA). The NCA monitors a
number of environmental indicators for coastal waters and creates indices so
that coastal ecosystem health can be compared across regions. Dr. Pace Wilber of
the NOAA Coastal Ocean Services Center discussed ecosystem-approaches to
management and how regional monitoring systems will help collect data that can
help monitor the health of Atlantic coastal ecosystems. The next two speakers
presented case studies with examples of how water quality and habitat issues can
affect the ability to manage fishery resources. Dr. Chris Deacutis of the
Narragansett Bay Estuary Program described how water quality contributed to fish
kills of menhaden and other fish in the Narragansett Bay. Dr. Dave Secor of the
University of Maryland talked about Atlantic sturgeon and the effects that water
temperatures, dissolved oxygen levels, and other water quality parameters could
have on the ability of the stock to recover. For more information, please
contact Julie Nygard (jnygard@asmfc.org)
or Lindsay Fullenkamp (lfullenkamp@asmfc.org)
at (202) 289-6400.
ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS MANAGEMENT BOARD (February 22, 2006) Meeting Summary
The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board reviewed Draft Addendum I for Public
Comment. The Board recommended additional modifications and analyses for review
at the next Board meeting.
The Board also reviewed a proposal submitted by Maryland for modifications to
the spring trophy fishery. The Board approved a motion allowing Maryland to pay
back a portion of the 2005 overage in the spring trophy fishery through
additional effort controls on the fishery including a temporary increase in the
minimum size.
The Board
received an update from the Technical Committee on the completion of outstanding
tasks. The Board approved a change in the annual compliance report deadline from
July 15 to June 15, and approved a request from the Technical Committee to defer
the full annual update of the stock assessment in 2006, with the understanding
that the Technical Committee will work on extensive improvements to the stock
assessment process for the 2007 benchmark assessment. The Technical Committee
will provide an update on landings and abundance indices in 2006.
The Board elected Mark Gibson (RI) as Vice-chair and approved William Donovan
(PA) and J. Edwin Cook (NJ) to the Atlantic Striped Bass Advisory Panel. The
Board received updates on law enforcement issues and on the NMFS process of
developing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement evaluating the proposed
opening of the EEZ to striped bass harvest. For more information, please contact
Lydia Munger, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, at (202) 289-6400 or
lmunger@asmfc.org.
Motions
Move to allow a payback
for the 2005 spring overage of 29,720 fish through a combination of direct
payback of 13,720 fish through increased minimum size, and payback the
remainder in kind, through future additional Maryland effort controls
including:
1. Provide for a recreational striped bass spring fishing permit issued at
point of sale of licenses and conduct a survey of permit holders to supplement
MRFSS MD spring striped bass effort and harvest data,
2. Limit spring recreational striped bass fishing permits as necessary to
control spring effort,
3. Cap the number of charter boat licenses (currently in place),
4. No increase of spring season fishing days,
5. No liberalization of creel limits for the migrant fish in the spring
fishery, and
6. Elimination of possession tournaments prior to May 1.
Motion made by Mr. King, second by Mr. Augustine; Motion carries by voice vote
(ME – null; NH – no; MA – abstain; RI – no; CT – yes; NY – yes; NJ – no; DE –
yes; PA – yes; MD – yes; VA – yes; PRFC – yes; NC – no; NMFS – no; USFWS – no; 7
in favor, 6 opposed, 1 abstention, 1 null).
Move to increase the legal
minimum size of striped bass in the 2006 Maryland spring fishery from 28 inches
to 33 inches for the period April 15 through May 15 with subsequent future year
provisions to pay back the remainder of the 2005 overage subject to approval by
the Striped Bass Management Board.
Motion made by Mr. King,
second by Mr. Augustine. Motion passes.
Move to approve William Donovan and J. Edwin Cook to the Striped Bass Advisory
Panel.
Motion made by Dr. Kray,
second by Mr. Gibson. Motion carries.
Move to
approve Mark Gibson as the Vice-chair of the Striped Bass Management Board.
Motion made by Mr.
Carpenter, second by Mr. Nelson. Motion carries.
Meeting Summary
The Summer Flounder,
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board met to review a number of issues.
The Board approved Addendum XVIII, which allows states facing large
reductions in their harvest targets to capitalize on harvest opportunities
that are foregone by states that choose to maintain their 2005 recreational
fishing rules in 2006 (see press release). The Board also approved the
recreational proposals for the 2006 summer flounder and scup recreational
seasons with the exception of NY, CT, and MA who will re-submit proposals
based on Addendum XVIII. The Board reviewed the public comment received on
Draft Addendum XVI and decided to task the working group with re-evaluating
the compensation measures outlined for delayed implementation management
measures. The Board will review refinements or possible new options to the
Draft Addendum in May. The Board approved the Draft Public Information
Document (PID) for Amendments 14 and 15 for release for public comment.
Amendment 14 will develop a rebuilding schedule for scup. Amendment 15 will
address a variety of issues for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass.
The Board
approved Rhode Island fishermen, Michael C. Plaia and Bruce Bannick to the
Summer Flounder Advisory Panel and Edward F. Baker and Ken Court to the Scup and
Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel. It also directed staff to explore the possibility
of splitting the Scup and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel into separate panels, as
well as better coordinating the appointment of advisors to the Summer Flounder,
Scup and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panels for both the Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council and the Commission to ensure fair and equitable
representation of stakeholders. For more information on summer flounder, please
contact Toni Kerns (tkerns@asmfc.org ), Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator.
For more information on scup and black sea bass, please contact Julie Nygard
(jnygard@asmfc.org ), Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator. Both can also be
reached at (202) 289-6400.
Motions
Move that the Board approve the 4 state scup recreational management
proposals for the same regulations as 2005 with an additional 30 days at the
beginning or end of the season at the discretion of the state. The additional 30
days will be at the 25 fish per angler limit.
Motion made by Mr. Smith, second by Mr. Colvin.
Motion carries.
Move that the Board adopt Option 1 of
draft Addendum XVIII to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP.
Motion made by Dr. Pierce, second by Mr. Smith.
Motion carries.
Move to approve all state summer
flounder recreational proposals for 2006.
Motion made by Mr. Augustine, second by Mr.
Travelstead. Motion passes unanimously.
Move to approve the PID Amendment 14
and 15 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP for public review
and comment.
Motion made by Mr. Colvin, second by Mr. Pate.
Motion carries unanimously.
Move to approve Michael C. Plaia and
Bruce Bannick to the Summer Flounder Advisory Panel and Edward F. Baker and Ken
Court to the Scup and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel.
Motion made by Mr. Augustine, second by Mr.
Carvalho. Motion carries without objection.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Times of Trenton
By J.B. KASPER
Hunting and fishing shows on
television are common. Many people, especially from the younger generation, take
the shows for granted and have no idea how they got started.
All modern outdoor shows have one
common thread that goes back to the the ABC series "The American Sportsman". It
was the first of its kind, a show that took the viewer into fields, woods and
waters around the world in search of wild game and fish.
It was the first chance for most
people to see such things as elephant and rhino hunts in Africa, fly fishing in
South America, big-game fishing in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and it
opened up a whole new outdoor word to the American public.
The one thing that really brought
the outdoor world to life was it's creator and weekly host, Curt Gowdy. I
remember the show like it was only yesterday, and some of the things I learned
from the show I have put into use throughout my outdoor-oriented life. I
remember Gowdy fishing with the tip of a fly rod in an Argentine lake with
hair-thin line for trout. It was the beginning of ultra-light fishing, and I,
like many other fishermen, were inspired to make our own short, ultra-light rods
and fish as we never fished before.
As an outdoor writer we often
have to write about the good, the bad and the sometimes sad things connected
with the outdoors, so I was greatly saddened when Gowdy died on Monday.
Gowdy, 86, passed away at his
winter home in Palm Beach, Fla., surrounded by his immediate family. The cause
of death was leukemia.
A pioneer of radio sportscasting
in the 1940s and TV in the early 1950s, Gowdy was the most prolific and
versatile national sportscaster of the 1960s and 1970s. He enjoyed a wide fan
base, critical acclaim and the respect of his peers for his in-depth
preparation.
Born and raised in Wyoming, the
"cowboy at the mike" reported the action in a distinctively warm, articulate and
relaxing manner. On the air, he diligently strived for a blend of accuracy,
pacing and balance.
As host and producer of the
long-running "American Sportsman," ubiquitous with a Stetson hat and casting a
dry fly, he garnered a public following that endured for the rest of life; many
referred to him as the "true American sportsman."
Born July 31, 1919 in Green
River, Wyo., Gowdy's family moved to Cheyenne when Curt was 6. In Wyoming,
Gowdy's father, Edward, introduced him to hunting and fly-fishing, teaching him
valued lessons in conservation and respect for nature.
"The American Sportsman" aired on
Sunday afternoons from January to March across three decades. It later brought
the top entertainers and athletes who liked to fish and hunt, stars like Ted
Williams, Terry Bradshaw, Brooks Robinson, Bing Crosby, Robert Stack and Andy
Griffith. Presidents of the day, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter and wife
Rosalynn, also appeared in fishing segments. "For me, `The American Sportsman'
series was some of the best times in my life," Gowdy said.
According to Gowdy, one of his
greatest thrills came in 1972, when an 11,000-acre park between Cheyenne and
Laramie was dedicated in his name. Wildlife abounds and both reservoirs are
stocked with trout by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. In early 2006, the
state bought additional land for expansion of Curt Gowdy State Park. "It has
two beautiful lakes, hiking trails, camping, boating, fishing and beauty," Gowdy
said. "It has everything I love. What greater honor can a man receive?"
Gowdy was heavily involved in
conservation and environmental causes, serving on the board of trustees for such
groups as the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association, the IGFA and as a founding
member of Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited. He also has worked for over a
half-century with humanitarian efforts, including the Boy Scouts of America and
with numerous non-profit children's health charities.
While sportsmen will miss Curt
Gowdy, the legacy he leaves behind is responsible for the outdoor programming we
have today. He was a person who cherished the outdoors, practiced conservation
and simply was a class act.
