On behalf of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association (JCAA), I attended a May 18th meeting of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA), and I also chaired this meeting in the capacity of Acting NJOA CF President. The NJOA Council meetings are usually held on the 4th Monday of the month, but it was changed to May 18th since Memorial Day fell on May 25th, the 4th Monday in May. The following issues were discussed.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) - that provides a better structure of getting artificial reefs built with the state, material providers and contractors was discussed. The details of it were presented to various stakeholders at an April 15th meeting chaired by DEP. By June, the final regulations of this MOU are expected to be finalized and presented to the public.
Artificial Reefs - Regulations concerning the use of the Sandy Hook and Axel Carlson reefs between recreational and commercial anglers will be posted in June for public comment.
Hooked on Hudson Fishing Derby - I and members of the Hudson Fishermen's Association gave a report on their May 9th fishing derby that has as its objective to get more kids/youths involved in fishing. The kids had a great time and a lot of fun was had by all. I and Jerry Natale staffed an NJOA booth to give out NJOA literature and answer questions.
Hudson Farm Charity Clay Shoot - was held on May 17th and this event was successful for the NJOA. Hudson Farms in Andover, NJ, is recognized as a premier shooting facility in our country.
Governor's Surf Tournament - I gave a report on this tournament. I also worked at the JCAA booth in the pavilion along with Fish Hawk's member Bill Browne giving out information on JCAA's upcoming fluke tournament. The weather was unusually cold causing less fish to be caught than expected. However, the cold did not dampen the fun and enthusiasm the participants had in participating in this event. I represented the JCAA, along with Tim Burden (NJ Beach Buggy Assoc.) and Pola Galie (NJ Federation of Sportsman's Club) in giving out prizes and awards to the winners of this tournament.
Island Beach State Walkway issue - NJBBA's Paul Harris reported that the NJBBA supports a $3 fee for boaters to use this walkway to access the beach to help pay for lifeguards in the area they use for swimming. This location does not have lifeguards and when there is a report of a drowning, lifeguards from other locations in the park have to rush down to respond to it, leaving other areas on the beach unprotected.
Assembly Bill (4340) sponsored by Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak (District 1) - was discussed and the synopsis of it is: Directs DEP to establish a three-year pilot program to permit for-hire vessels to fish for summer flounder in Delaware waters pursuant to Delaware regulations. This bill is intended to help the recreational fishing fleet in southern NJ to better compete with Delaware's 16 inch size limit. NJ's anglers are going to Delaware since NJ has an 18 inch size limit for summer flounder. This bill generated a lot of discussion and while the bill's intention is good, a number of issues were raised about it. It is unlikely that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will approve of it since the number of fluke caught will quickly cause an increase over the quota of fluke we can catch. Private NJ boats will not be included in this bill and will not be allowed to catch 16 inch fluke. We will monitor this bill as it moves through our legislature.
