December 11, 2012
I am testifying today as the legislative chairman for the Jersey Coast Anglers Association. JCAA represents 75 recreational fishing clubs in New Jersey and it has been in existence since 1981. The New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs represent 150,000 anglers, hunters and trappers in NJ. I have been testifying before committees about fisheries issues for over 35 years as a volunteer for sportspersons of NJ. Last March I testified before this Committee about the lack of funding for the Bureau of Marine Fisheries. Instead of getting better it actually went in the other direction so I have attached a copy of that testimony for next year’s budget consideration. Today I am here to discuss Hurricane Sandy’s impact on the Marine Resources, anglers and the recreational fishing industry of NJ.
I was looking forward to the fall fishing season. I was not traveling until December and looking forward to fishing for the great fall run of striped bass, bluefish and blackfish. That was before October 29th. Like many of you, Hurricane Sandy changed our plans for this fall and the upcoming years. In my estimation the impact on the recreational fishing industry in New Jersey will last for many years. We have no idea yet what the long-term fallout will be. In the short term, people have lost boats, access to the beach and just the time to go fishing. But that’s the short term. We will need to wait to determine the long-term impact. Which recreational fishing businesses that were already struggling will survive Sandy?
Many tackle stores are located on barrier islands that have no current public access. The infrastructure that supports recreational fishing including the marinas has been devastated. Will these marinas be able to repair their facilities to accommodate the boaters of NJ? Will there be boaters for them to accommodate? BoatUS in its release on November 14th estimates over 32,000 boats were damaged in NY, followed by New Jersey’s 25,000. I have concerns that number is larger in NJ. With the loss of thousands of boats what will be the long-term impact? We used to have over 220,000 boats registered in NJ. When the bad economy hit there was a huge decrease in the number of registered boats. The number that I heard quoted for this year was 160,000 registered boats. What will that number be in 2013? The number one question I used to get asked is, what will the season look like for summer flounder, black sea bass and black fish? When are ASMFC & MAFMC going to losen up the regulations? Some of the questions I now get asked everywhere I go are:
I wish I knew the answers to all the questions but I do not. At your hearing that I was at in Toms River I heard the Mayors from Brick and Toms River ask who is going to responsible for getting the marine debris out of the lagoons, bays, rivers and channels and I did not hear an answer. There was talk about beach replenishment but not about increasing public access. I hope you have found the answers to those questions and can share the answers with the anglers of NJ.
Chris Zeman, member of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, immediately called for disaster relief for the recreational and commercial fishing industry. He and others reached out to Governor Christie, senators and congressmen to call on the Secretary of Commerce to declare New Jersey’s fishing industry, both commercial and recreational, a disaster. The Governor, Senators Lautenberg and Menendez and Congressman Pallone have already reached out to the Secretary of Commerce. One of the fastest actions I have seen is the approval of this disaster declaration and the subsequent funding by the Secretary of Commerce.
I recognize much of this money will be spent to resolve short-term problems. I am hoping the decision-makers will also realize that the impact on recreational fishing and the industries that depend on it will be astronomical
In speaking to my congressional delegation, I have indicated we also need to spend some money looking at the impacts on Raritan Bay, Barnegat Bay, and the other estuaries where the tidal surge has a tremendous impact on these nursery areas. Maybe we should be funding some research on the impacts on summer flounder, black sea bass and tautog. Previous hurricanes in other areas have caused ecological changes that have taken years to reverse. We have no BP to fund a clean-up. We need the Federal and State government to fund this research and recovery.
JCAA and the NJSFSC are asking you to really look at the impacts Sandy will have on the anglers, recreational fishing industry and the businesses that depend on the anglers coming to the shore to fish. I was down in New Orleans after the BP spill and watched how their governor and other politicians went fishing to publicize the great fishing off Louisiana. They also spent money promoting the great fishing and charter and party boats available to take people fishing and enjoying their beaches.
On a personal note I would like to share the main reason I live in Toms River. In 1970 when I was recuperating at Fort Dix from Vietnam I started dating a young lady who was volunteering her time helping wounded soldiers get their GEDs. This young lady who grew up on farm in NJ took this Brooklyn boy who could not drive down to Island Beach State Park. I fell in love with Lynda and the Jersey Shore. So after we were married we moved as close to IBSP as possible. Before I started volunteering my time sitting at meetings I was on IBSP every day during fishing season. So I jumped at the chance about a week after the storm when Ray Bukowski, manager at Island Beach State Park, invited me to tour the park before a meeting with other stakeholders. It has been the only time I have been over the bridge since the storm. The feeling I had looking at the devastation I cannot describe. There are areas with devastating damage and other areas that appear to have had little damage. For example, the handicapped walkway at area 7 is gone. The blueprints for this walkway were funded by the second Governor’s Tournament. Governor Whitman loved the project for the access it provided to so many who could not enjoy the beach otherwise for fishing and swimming. She was able to secure the funding. The walkway was also extended to Tices Shoal to allow boaters access to the beach. The bayside walkway is intact. The walkways from the bathing pavilions are also gone. There is much debris and exposed once buried debris that will make driving on the beach hazardous until the sands once again cover it up. Governor Christie and the DEP Commissioner are discussing when limited fishing access will be available. The limited access to the towns on the barrier island will be a factor in developing any plan. The one thing I know for sure is that Island Beach State Park will recover and the hundreds of thousands of NJ and out of staters will once again enjoy one of New Jersey’s great treasures. We need to make sure that these treasured facilities are rebuilt and that the handicap access is again provided.
