STRIPED BASS

            I guess the biggest disappointment this month is that Commissioner Campbell decided not to conduct public hearings about the bonus tag program.  Instead, we found further evidence that DEP will continue to simply announce policies without considering input from the general public.  It appears that charter and party boat captains and common citizens who have in the past been more conservation minded have been punished for their conservation efforts.  The Commissioner’s policy is to reward people who historically wanted to harvest 3 fish by allowing them the primary access to the current bonus tag program.  For party and charter boats, the previous users of the bonus tags will be the only ones eligible for the current program.  The party and charter boats who decided in previous years to limit their customer’s harvest to only 2 fish are now being punished for this conservation effort by being totally denied access to the program.  Is this the right message for the Commissioner of DEP to support? 

            Some of the most vocal supporters of Commissioner Campbell’s decision and, interestingly enough, some of the loudest critics of JCAA, are people with financial interests or paychecks generated by attacks on JCAA. 

            Again, if you want to read JCAA’s entire position, check out last month’s newspaper or our website at http://www.jcaa.org/StripedBassPosition05.htm.  Unlike many other groups, JCAA has a democratic process in place for making these types of decisions and always seeks the broadest input from our member clubs.  In developing this position we actively sought input from charter and party boat captains who are members of JCAA. 

FUNDING CRISIS FOR NJ’S NATURAL RESOURCE AGENCIES

            We are enclosing JCAA’s position on funding for the Division of Fish and Wildlife.  The newspaper also contains a discussion about President Bush’s proposed saltwater fishing license.  By the time you read this newspaper, JCAA, New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the Outdoor Congress will have hosted a meeting to develop proposals for finding a stable source of appropriate funding for the Division of Fish and Wildlife.  We plan to look at existing sources of revenue already generated by those who use New Jersey outdoor public resources.  Since New Jersey’s parks are facing the same crisis we will include the Division of Parks in our planning.  These two agencies cannot continue to function for all the citizens of New Jersey unless their funding issues are resolved. 

JCAA’s position paper was presented at a conference hosted by the National Marine Fisheries Services on April 13^th and 14^th in St. Petersburg, Florida.  I was part of the panel discussion on the proposed saltwater fishing license.  When I look at states that have an existing saltwater fishing license, I realize that the implementation varies significantly from state to state.  One of the reasons often given for supporting a saltwater fishing license is the ability to count every saltwater recreational angler fishing in that state.  However, Florida, which has the largest number of saltwater recreational anglers and the most fishing trips, does not have the ability to count the anglers using the saltwater fishing license.  The presenters from Florida said they had 1.4 million anglers licensed in Florida.  But when asked about the total number of saltwater anglers they told us they have over 5 million.  There are so many exemptions for various groups of Florida residents that the license becomes a “soak the tourist” fundraiser.  I can understand why bureaucrats support a saltwater license since they are so desperate for funds.  Some recreational organizations think a saltwater license will give our anglers more power since it will prove the economic value we produce.  What I fear the most is that a saltwater license will turn people away from saltwater angling.  It will also hurt the recreational fishing industry in New Jersey including the party and charter boats.  If we implement a saltwater fishing license like they have in California, New Jersey will require every angler fishing from a boat or the surf to have an individual license.  If you fish once a year from a party boat you will still need to purchase a saltwater license.  If someone is in New Jersey for a short visit and decides a fishing trip would enhance their time in our state they would not only have to pay the fee for the party or charter boat but in also would be required to buy a saltwater license.  In addition, they would have to find a place that actually sold licenses.  As an example, I was in Florida for a 2 day meeting.  I could not find a convenient tackle store that could sell me a license.  Even an attempt to buy the license over the phone required an additional processing fee and a credit card.  If we make this difficult and expensive we will lose many of our visiting anglers.  If we lose 10% of New Jersey’s anglers with the implementation of a saltwater license it have a significant financial impact on the fishing industry.  Ten percent of 1.3 million anglers equals 130,000 anglers who probably spend about $130,000,000 annually.  This far outweighs any revenue the saltwater license would generate for the state of New Jersey.

President Bush needs to listen to his father.  When Vice President George Bush visited Belmar, NJ, on September 2, 1988, he told a group of newspaper reporters that he was against a saltwater fishing license.  He said, “I’m a saltwater fisherman and I don’t see any reason for it.  I’ve fished in saltwater all my life and I hate to see more restrictions on the individual.”  He also commented that a saltwater license was a “gimmick or gadget to pick up more federal revenue.”  Governor Tom Kean who was present that day suggested that his administration was also opposed to a saltwater license  Kean explained the fish stocks were a public resource and benefited the general public.  (John Geiser, Asbury Park Press)

NJ State's Funding Problems And Saltwater Fishing Licenses

By Tom Fote

 Most states are having difficulty funding their fish and wildlife programs no matter what title these programs have.  Very few states put money from the state treasury into fish and wildlife programs.  They count on hunting and fishing licenses and the excise tax on fishing and hunting equipment to generate the funds needed for their responsibilities.  Historically most of these agencies dealt primarily with hunting and fishing issues but in the past 30 years the scope for most of these agencies has been expanded dramatically.  They are required to manage wildlife areas that are used for a variety of purposes, sometimes to the exclusion of hunting and fishing.  They also manage endangered species, marine mammals, and non-game species and handle events like oil spills and other disasters both natural and manmade.  Despite these expanded responsibilities, there has been little effort to expand the funding base, with many fish and wildlife agencies seeing a decrease in their state’s contribution.  I was just in California and was told that the general treasury funds none of their state natural resources programs covered under fish and wildlife.  Hunting and fishing funds cover all the diverse programs in this division of state government.  Even though the general population uses beaches and other wildlife areas only anglers and hunters contribute financially.  It is amazing to read the list of programs covered by these agencies and realize how few are directly connected to anglers and hunters. 

What is happening in New Jersey is obviously crucial to all of us.  However, the same problems exist throughout the country.  It is my belief that only 1.2 million dollars in the total New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife budget comes from the general fund.  Through license fees the anglers and hunters contribute 12.5 million dollars.  Additional funding comes from excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment.  In the June JCAA Newspaper, I will include additional information about the total budget and allocations to different divisions.  Scott Ellis, chairman of NJ Fish and Game Council, wrote a letter discussing the issues covered by the Fish and Game Council.  This letter is included below as well as the budgets for some of the public programs covered by the Fish and Game Council. 

My emphasis will be on the marine fisheries issues in this edition.  The Division’s Administration of Marine Fisheries’ budget is 2.9 million dollars.  Only 1.2 million dollars comes from the general treasury.  The rest of the marine funds come from the federal excise tax on fishing tackle (about 1 million), federal gas tax on boats, and federal grants.  In 2001 NMFS figures estimated that New Jersey had 1,306,311 anglers.  Recreational anglers contribute about 1.3 billion dollars to the total state economy and this is estimated of the spending of 763,325 saltwater resident and the 542,986 non-resident anglers according to the NMFS Survey.  The commercial fishery generated about 600,000,000 dollars and about 2 billion dollars from the boating industry.  Generated sales tax revenue from marine recreational fisheries alone is estimated at about 46 million dollars if we consider only 800,000 anglers.  If we use the 1.3 million anglers (figure from the NMFS annual survey), that amount of sales tax generated rises considerably.  We have over 200,000 boats registered in New Jersey.  In 2001 those boat registration fees doubled.  If the average boat registration fee is $26, the increase of $13 generated an additional $2,600,000 dollars, all of which went into the general fund.  All park fees doubled and went into the general fund.  My beach buggy fee for Island Beach Park went from $125 to $195 and, again, all fees went into the general fund.  Considering just Island Beach State Park with a fee of $195 and a total of over 6,000 permits that is another $1,170,000 dollars into the general fund.  Meanwhile, the state of New Jersey continues to charge the Division of Fish and Wildlife fees that no other agency pays.  For example, the division pays rent on their state offices using our license fees.  Rent has doubled to over $400,000 recently to help with deficit reduction.  The division is also responsible for paying the fringe benefits (health insurance, pension, Social Security, etc) for all employees which accounts for over 33% of the cost for each employee.  No other agency in state government pays the fringes for their employees from the agency budget. 

Marine Fisheries cannot operate efficiently or effectively with a budget of 2.9 million dollars.  The 2.9 million dollars covers all marine fisheries programs including commercial fishing, marine mammal protection, oil spill cleanup, and many other marine issues.  The first response from the state has always been a saltwater fishing license.  The President’s Ocean Plan calls for a federal fishing license for states that don’t have one pushing states to adopt a state license.  This would be just another tax and would send more money into the general fund where it pays for everything but marine issues.  One of the national flyfishing magazines called JCAA to task for fighting a saltwater fishing license, calling us “out of touch.”  The reporter felt we should just accept another tax without any accountability.  Now who’s out of touch?  I have attended workshops and symposiums for years on this issue and never meet some of I never met this reporter at any of those meetings.  Now who’s out of touch?  There is a good debate to be had about this issue but we need to put all the facts on the table and not see a saltwater license as some sort of cure-all for the funding problems every state experiences.  I have already listed many ways we are being taxed as anglers with no benefit to the marine resource or our own interests.  Just adding a saltwater fishing license to the list of ways our pockets are picked makes no sense at all.  I will guarantee if we ever get a saltwater license, within a year the measly 1.2 million dollars the state contributes to marine fisheries will disappear and more and more of our saltwater license money will fund old programs or disappear into the general fund.  With any luck the state can raise enough money through a saltwater license to pay every employee’s salary, not just the fringe benefits. 

In addition to the funding issue, there are clearly some negative consequences to a saltwater license.  542,986 of our 1.3 million anglers come from out of state.  Will those anglers stop coming to New Jersey if they have to buy a saltwater license, possibly with an out-of-state fee?  Will New Jersey anglers who are so disgusted with the complex regulations and the reduction in catch continue to fish if a saltwater license is added?  That may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and makes another recreation activity look more appealing.  We are beginning to see a decline in trout fishing with the increased fee for a trout stamp and the total cost for a license.  We are actually losing money despite the fee increase.  But the worst negative consequence, in the long run, may be the toll on those businesses that serve recreational fishing.  This is not a hobby for the business owners and their employees.  This is food on the table and mortgage payments and a huge contribution to New Jersey’s economy. 

I think what really disgusts me the most about the saltwater fishing license discussion is the implied attempt to get rid of the “riffraff” as though there is a class structure to recreational fishing.  As a young man I was clearly one of the “riffraff” and still consider myself a member in good standing.  When asked if we have more recreational anglers in the United States because we are a rich nation, I always reply that just the opposite is true.  In this country, the wildlife never belonged to the king or the lord of the manor.  The wildlife (fish or game) belonged to anyone willing to spend the time and learn the skill.  It is absolutely unacceptable to talk about a saltwater license within the context of limiting access to only those people who can afford to fish.

JCAA has always opposed a saltwater license.  However, if certain criteria were met, we would be willing to join the discussion. 

• First, a socio-economic study would be done to determine the impact of a saltwater license on the marine recreational fishing industry and associated businesses.  This is required for all regulation changes at the federal level and should not be ignored.
• Also, the license would require a constitutional amendment to guarantee that the legislature and governor could not rob these funds for purposes beyond marine fisheries. 
• Next, the constitutional amendment would guarantee a stable funding source sufficient to run the non-recreational components of marine fisheries.
• In addition, the license fee would be used only to fund additional programs for recreational fishing. 
• Finally, an advisory committee appointed by the recreational anglers would decide how the money would be spent and would have oversight of the budget.  I have watched marine money spent on pet projects that don’t benefit the anglers or the resource one bit.

JCAA would be willing to discuss the possibility of a saltwater fishing license and share any proposals with our member clubs if the state and federal government meet all these criteria. 

A Response to the President Calling for a Saltwater Fishing license

by Tom Fote

 I was asked what I thought about thought about the Ocean Report call for a saltwater fishing license and I gave it some thought.  I thought of what NMFS had told us when they implemented the Bluefin Tuna permit. NMFS told us they would be able to have a better count on the number of bluefin and anglers participating.  All you have to look at is what is happening to bluefin recreational statistics and you will realize that it is in a bigger mess than it was years ago. But now the NJ recreational anglers are filling some US Government Contractor pockets with over $220,000 a year and we still do not have accurate catch figures.  What a waste of our money. The Bluefin Tuna Permit debacle shows how bad it can get when people are forced to buy a permit.  The recreational angling community already contributes a huge amount of money into the federal and state governments through taxes.  These figures below do not even take into consideration boat and trailer registration fees.  Those fees were doubled in NJ two years ago and went into the general fund.

The release below is a better explanation of the Wallop-Breaux legislation and what it does. I have also included information on recreational participation and the money and taxes it generates in NJ.

The economic data below was for years before 2001.  You can see that 2001 and 2003 are above 1,000,000 and usually the economic numbers equate to adding three zeros to the number of participants. So when they do calculate the economic number for 2001 and 2003 if past history holds out it should be 1,300,000,000 for 2001 and 1,050,000,000.  This would also increase the retail sales by about 689,000,000.  If you just took the NJ sales tax for the low years it is almost $27,000,000 and for 2001 it would be $41,340,000. Do not look at the 2002 data since NMFS admits that the figures were wrong.  That’s another story.

And from our "Sportfishing in America" report (2001), these are the saltwater fishing numbers for New Jersey based on

Economic Output: $842 million

Retail Sales: $449 million

Salaries and Wages: $205 million

Jobs: 7,762

NJ Saltwater Recreational Anglers by MRFSS

Year  Coastal               Out-of-State     Total  

1995  480,690             433,792              927,179

1996  512,695             409,788              944,427

1997  468,849             384,625              874,946

1998  399,938             357,368              785,887

1999  493,491             303,288              826,952

2000  543,522             429,811              990,268

2001  721,286             542,986           1,306,311

2002  399,984             238,583              655,893

2003  581,244             453,782           1,054,419

Letter to Governor From W. Scott Ellis, Chairman New Jersey Fish and Game Council

Dear Governor Codey,                                                             January 28, 2005

As Chairman of the New Jersey Fish and Game Council, I am required by law to rep[ort you at such times as it is in the public interest with respect to the Council's findings and conclusions concerning the State's fish and wildlife resource. The future of this resource is in serious jeopardy and immediately needs your support.

New Jersey's wildlife-related recreation supports a $4.1 billion industry, provides for 33,657 jobs, and contributes more than $147 million in taxes to the State each year (see enclosed fact sheet). The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is the State agency that manages this resource. With the exception of a $1.3 million State appropriation to manage marine fisheries, it is the sportsmen and women who provide the bulk of the funding-$12.5 million through license sales to manage this resource. This "user-pays" system has proven to be an extremely successful way of financing a long-term wildlife conservation program.

Today, the Division is at a critical position with regard to funding. Managing eagles, striped bass, bobcat, whitetail deer, wild turkey, pheasant, grouse, trout, and more than 800 other species of wildlife is not possible without a professional staff of wildlife biologists, support staff, and conservation officers. However, the Division of Fish and Wildlife's operating expenses in the FY05 budget have been cut to a bare minimum and the only option to reduce expenses to revenue levels is a reduction in force of approximately 25 percent. Such a reduction would compel this agency to focus almost exclusively on projects and activities that are directly related to its funding sources and many of the programs and services provided to the general public and other state programs would have to be eliminated. for the Division, which is currently covered by license funding. DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell is seeking the support of Treasurer McCormac to ensure that New Jersey contributes its share toward managing the State's fish and wildlife resources. I am therefore asking that you allow Treasurer McCormac to modify the State budget to include the fringe benefit rate for the personnel employed by this State Agency, just as it does for other State agencies.

As the Governor of a State that has made it a mandate to protect open space, you also have a responsibility to ensure that adequate funding is provided to manage this open space for the continued enjoyment of all New Jersey's residents. As the State continues to acquire critical wildlife habitat and place this land in the Wildlife Management Area system, funds are desperately needed to develop, manage and provide access to these areas.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is committed to working for both the wildlife and the citizens of our state to ensure conditions where both can exist in balance with one another. To accomplish this task requires professional and scientific expertise, public support, and most importantly support from you, the governor. Healthy wildlife populations, habitat and sound wildlife management doesn't just happen. The Division is the reason these are available. A small investment now is critical if we are to successfully maintain programs and continue to offer some of the finest wildlife recreational opportunities in the country.

I would like to meet with you to discuss the options for covering the fringe benefits of the state employees who work for the Division of Fish and Wildlife, as well as other funding opportunities that will ensure the proper management of this very important State resource. I may be reached at (609) 647-2031.

Thank you for your attention to the State's natural resources that help support our economy. I anxiously await your reply.

Sincerely,
W. Scott Ellis, Chairman
New Jersey Fish and Game Council
Enclosures

cc         Commissioner, Campbell
            Treasurer, Mc Cormac

ATLANTIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION MEETING WEEK

            ASMFC will meet May 9 – 12 and the agenda in included below.  I will be in attendance.  If you would like to receive a summary, contact ASMFC at www.asmfc.org  or me at tfore@jcaa.org. 

Radisson Hotel, Old Town Alexandria

901 N. Fairfax Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 683-6000

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

 Monday, May 9    

8:30 AM - 10:30 AM   Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

10:45 AM – 12:45 PM   Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM   South Atlantic State-Federal Fisheries Management Board

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM   NEAMAP Board

3:45 PM - 5:45 PM   American Lobster Management Board

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM   NMFS Public Information Meeting: New Highly Migratory Species FMP

Tuesday, May 10    

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM   American Eel Management Board

9:15 AM – 12:15 PM   Commissioner Workshop

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM   Management & Science Committee

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM   Law Enforcement Committee

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM   Atlantic Sturgeon Management Board

2:45 PM - 5:30 PM   Weakfish Management Board

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

    Annual Awards of Excellence

Wednesday, May 11

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM   Winter Flounder Management Board

8:00 AM – Noon   Management & Science Committee (continued)

8:00 AM – Noon   Law Enforcement Committee (continued)

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM   Commissioner Workshop on Economic Modeling Approaches

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM   Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

12:45 PM - 3:45 PM   Legislators & Governors' Appointees Meeting (Buffet Lunch for Members)

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM   Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council 

Thursday, May 12    

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM   Executive Committee

8:45 AM – 2:45 PM   ISFMP Policy Board (Buffet Lunch for Board Members)

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM   Business Session

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