As the year of 2023 comes to an end so does my presidency. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season. The consensus of club representatives at the November General Membership Meeting that there will be no December General Membership Meeting held this year due to the date it falls on. The next General Membership Meeting will be January 30th. The January General Membership Meeting will be election night for 2024 officers. I order to vote your new officers it requires your attendance for a quorum. We are looking for dedicated individuals who are looking to get more involved and willing to fill one of the officers’ positions on the board. If you’re interested, please contact me at 732-245-9445.
This year’s JCAA Sportsperson of the Year Dinner was held on November 11th at the Captains Inn in Forked River. Those that attended had a great time. I would like to thank Chairperson Paul Haertel and his committee for doing an outstanding job making this event a success. Thanks to all the people and sponsors that donated. Congratulations to the recipients that were honored. Read Paul’s article for further details of this amazing event.
This is the time of the year that there are great bargains on all types of fishing and boating items that we all use throughout the yearly fishing season. First check out your local tackle shops. They are there all year making sure you have what you need to enjoy what you love. Also check out those that sponsor and support the recreational community at different events. Without all their support we wouldn’t have what we need to enjoy Recreational Fishing.
At the October General Membership Meeting there was a motion to pause the current Wind Turbines projects until questions of concern from our clubs were answered. The motion was voted on and passed by the club representatives. This has changed the position that JCAA had in the past. John Toth has an article in this newsletter on this.
On Sunday November 5th, Membership Secretary John Toth and myself were invited by Marty Brooks President of Schuyler Tuna Fishing Club to give a presentation. We were well received and provided them with answers to their questions. I believe this club benefited from our presentation and will be getting more involved. It was a pleasure being invited and well received.
I sent email notification out to all club representatives about the new proposed 2024 regulations of the Striped Bass for Addendum II to Amendment VII. Some of you attended the recent online meeting, make sure you get your comments in before the deadline. There is still time to review the documents and get involved. Read more about this in Paul Haertel’s article in this newsletter.
Here is information about another meeting that you should get the information about and participate in. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet Tuesday, December 12 – Thursday, December 14, 2023, at The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (21 N. Juniper Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; 215-496-3200) and via webinar. Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Interstate Fishery Management Program Policy Board. Please see the December 2023 Council Meeting Page for webinar details, briefing materials (as they become available), and other updates.
Public Comments: Public comments will be accepted from in-person and remote participants on all major agenda items. Written comments can be submitted through the comment portal or by email to cmoore@mafmc.org. The deadline for comments to be included in the briefing book is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. Comments submitted after this deadline and before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 7, 2023, will be posted as supplemental materials on the meeting page. After the supplemental comment deadline, comments may only be submitted via the comment form (no email).
Two months have gone by since I mentioned the upcoming shows that JCAA will have a booth at in 2024. Atlantic City Boat Show February 28th to March 3rd and Saltwater Fishing Expo March 15th to 17th. I have received some volunteers but still need more to fill in open time slots at both shows. It is very important that JCAA is present at these shows and other events to talk to people and inform them who is JCAA and about also what is happening in fisheries. We always staff our booth with volunteers. If you are interested in being one of those volunteers let me know. I put the volunteer work list together and always I try to split the day into two shifts with three volunteers on each shift. I would need to have your name, date, shift, email, and cell if you plan on volunteering. You can contact me by phone, text, email or at one of the JCAA Meetings. I would like to have this list completed before the December meeting. I will be sending out a copy of the work list with the November 28th General Membership Meeting Agenda for you to find where you can volunteer.
Get Involved, unite as a community so the future of recreational fishing as we know it will not be gone. Have a great holiday season!
Important Information: The next meeting is scheduled for January 30th at 7:30pm and will be held in person at 385 Herbertsville Rd., Brick, NJ 08724. (Hybrid Meeting)