Windmills

Members of Jersey Coast Anglers Association attended some of the hearings held to discuss proposals to install windmills off the Jersey shore.  Some members of the fishing community have voiced their opposition without waiting for the proposed rules and regulations to be published.  JCAA has been discussing the possibility of windmills for over a year.  JCAA clearly supports renewable energy and windmills could be one component of a renewable energy program.  No other group in New Jersey has fought harder to limit the contamination from mercury.  Members of JCAA have participated in many meetings and hearings about energy issues including mercury.  I sat on the Governor’s Taskforce for 3 years while Christine Todd Whitman was governor.  In last month’s issue we discussed the mercury recycling bill.  At this time, JCAA is keeping an open mind about windmills.  We have concerns about access and are prepared to work with the appropriate agencies to resolve any access issues.  If access issues are not resolved and fishing access is denied, then JCAA will be opposed to the windmills.  However, on the positive side, let’s look at the advantages.  Unlike the Midwest power plants that burn coal, windmills will not increase contamination from mercury, dioxin and all of coal’s other contaminants.  Windmills do not kill fish by running them through the cooling system and frying the embryos or killing them outright as occurs with nuclear, coal fired or gas power plants that use water intakes.  Windmills do not generate the same hot water discharge that we find around all power plants that dump their heated water into bays, estuaries and rivers.  Windmills do not use chlorine or discharge it into the water as many power plants do to clean their pipes.  Windmills also use a renewable resource with no disposal problems unlike coal, nuclear and gas.  Clearly, windmills offer a cleaner, renewable resource with far less ecological damage resulting from power production.  In addition to the environmental advantages, fishermen can benefit from the artificial reefs created by windmills.  These will produce the same type of fishing environments as the oil rigs off Louisiana with none of the inherent problems.  We are concerned that some groups oppose windmills because of the assumed aesthetic problems.  This is really a red herring.  As anglers we could make the case that it is aesthetically displeasing to look at homes or people on the beach when we are fishing from a boat.  We need to get over the NIMBY approach and look at the long-term benefit for all of our citizens.  We look at freighters, barges and other ships at a distance from the beach and could certainly adjust to seeing windmills.  In some countries the windmills are actually a tourist attraction.  For these reasons, JCAA is very interested in the proposals for windmills.  We are keeping an open mind about the process and are eagerly awaiting an opportunity to participate in any discussions. 

The Blue Ribbon Panel on Dev. of Wind Turbine Facilities in Coastal Waters panel will be meeting at the State House Annex, Legislative Hearing Room #1, on 7/7 from 2:30 to 5:30.

You are invited to provide written or spoken testimony or other documentation you feel might be helpful to the deliberations.  Spoken testimony is limited to 5 - 7 minutes.  If you have written documents please bring 13 copies to distribute to the panel.  You may bring 2 or 3 other representatives from your organization.  If your organization is recreational your time for testimony will be between 2:30 and 3:30.  If it is commercial the time will be from 3:30 to 5:30.  Of course, you are welcome to stay for the entire time if you wish.

If you need directions to the State House please let me know.

M. Komet

Tel: 609 777-2563

Fax: 609 777-4081

Menhaden hearing

As you see from the notice below, there will be a hearing on a proposed addendum to the Menhaden plan.  The heart of the proposal is to cap the menhaden harvest in the Chesapeake Bay.  There have been lengthy discussions of the predator/prey relationships among the species in the Chesapeake Bay.  JCAA has always been concerned about the impact of the reduction boats on the forage species.  Most of our gamefish depend on these forage fish for food.  That is why JCAA led the battle for over 20 years to get the menhaden reduction boats our of New Jersey waters.  We realized once those boats entered our waters and harvested all the menhaden available, the bluefish, striped bass and weakfish disappeared.  Only a small percent of our gamefish were actually bycatch for the menhaden boats.  But the rest of the stocks would disappear without a sustainable meal. 

The reduction industry submitted a letter to ASMFC requesting that state waters currently closed, including New Jersey’s, be reopened to the reduction boats.  According to its compact, ASMFC doesn’t even have the authority to insist that states open their waters to reduction boats.  There is no reason for ASMFC to even consider this request.  This is a waste of everyone’s time because the authority rests with individual states in this instance.  It is interesting to note that even with New Jersey’s current laws banning reduction boats within 3 miles of the beach, the reduction industry is still harvesting up to 85 million pounds just outside the 3 mile limit.  There is no way to support further encroachment within that 3 mile limit.  The only way this could happen would be for New Jersey’s governor and legislature to pass legislation favorable to the reduction industry.  I cannot imagine a scenario in which 1.3 million anglers would allow that to happen.  Information about the meeting is included below. 

No matter how many times I have asked the Division of Fish and Wildlife to check with JCAA before scheduling, they have once again scheduled an important meeting on the same night as the JCAA monthly meeting.  Perhaps they don’t want us to attend.  Holding both meetings in Galloway Township makes it additionally difficult for interested clubs from North Jersey to attend.  Not only is the distance a problem but rush hour makes it worse.  Obviously, their convenience is more important than having interested fishermen in attendance.  We will make sure JCAA is represented and your clubs should send additional representatives as well.   

ASMFC Public Meeting on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 1 to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Nacote Creek Research Station, 360 New York Road, Route 9, Port Republic, New Jersey. For more information, please contact Bruce Freeman at (609) 633-2408

At its February 2005 meeting, the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved a motion to initiate the development of Addendum II to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic menhaden. This motion included limiting the harvest of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay by purse seine to no more than 110,400 metric tons annually in 2006 and 2007, and initiating a research program immediately to determine the status of menhaden populations in Chesapeake Bay. The Management Board is considering this action in order to conserve the species while more complete population information is attained to assess whether localized depletion is occurring in Chesapeake Bay. Following the approval of this motion, the Board requested that a range of alternatives for managing the menhaden fishery be included in this document.

The original motion was based on the average landings from the previous five years by the reduction fishery in Chesapeake Bay. At the time the motion was made the latest data available was through 2003. Since that time, the 2004 data has become available. This is the data that is included in this addendum.

This draft addendum presents the background on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) management of Atlantic menhaden, the addendum process and anticipated timeline, and a statement of the problem. This document also provides options for public consideration and comment.

Public comments will be accepted until 5:00 PM on August 1, 2005. Comments may be submitted by mail, email, or fax.  If you would like to submit comment in writing, please use the contact information below.

Mail: Nancy Wallace

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

1444 ‘Eye’ Street, Northwest

Washington, D.C. 20005

Email: comments@asmfc.org

Fax: (202) 289-6051

If you have any questions, please call Nancy Wallace at (202) 289-6400.

Summer Flounder Hearing

The proposed addendum to the summer flounder plan is designed to address some of the statistical problems created by using the Marine Recreational Fishing Survey (MRFS).  I support allowing states flexibility in trying to interpret the MRFS data.  This allows the states to average over several years to soften the impact of a single year’s data that does not truly reflect the fishery.  However, the states must be allowed to opt in or out voluntarily to reduce the possibility that other states will manipulate the system for their own benefit while penalizing another.  After what happened regarding the commercial summer flounder quotas, I have lost any expectation that states will operate in a fair and equitable manner.  I have ample evidence that “dog eat dog” is the rule of the day.  Again, this is another important hearing that will be held only in Galloway Township at 6:30 making distance and rush hour traffic a major obstacle for anyone who works in Ocean County and north.  There should be either two hearings scheduled geographically or a single hearing in a more central location.  We need to consider that NJ is 160 plus miles long, not 40.  Residents in North Jersey have as much vested interest as those of us who live further south.  The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council should start making the hearing convenient for everyone.  Every NJ Marine Fisheries Council hearing is held at 4:00 in Galloway Township which is only convenient for the council members who live in South Jersey but not for the public who would like to attend. 

June 29 (6:30 PM): ASMFC Public Meeting on Draft Addendum XVII to the Summer Flounder Fishery Management Plan, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Atlantic County Library Galloway Township, 306 East Jimmie Leeds Road, Absecon, New Jersey. For more information, please contact Bruce Freeman at 609/292-2083.

ADDENDUM XVII TO THE SUMMER FLOUNDER, SCUP AND BLACK SEA BASS FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN

DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Public Comment Process and Proposed Timeline.

At the May 2005 Commission meeting, the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved a motion to initiate the development of an addendum to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. The Board is developing additional management tools for the recreational summer flounder fishery in 2006. This draft addendum presents background on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) management of summer flounder, the addendum process and timeline, and a statement of the problem. This document also provides options of summer flounder management for public consideration and comment.

The public is encouraged to submit comments regarding this document at any time during the addendum process. The final date comments will be accepted is July 20, 2005. Comments may be submitted by mail, email, or fax. If you have any questions or would like to submit comment, please use the contact information below.

Mail: Toni Kerns Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Email: tkerns@asmfc.org 1444 ‘Eye’ Street, Northwest #600 Phone: (202) 289-6400

Washington, D.C. 20005 Fax: (202) 289-6

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