Fisheries Management & Legislative Report

As newspaper time comes, it makes me reflect. The JCAA lost two friends. We had to cancel the booth at the Atlantic City Boat Show. MAFAC was dissolved. Not a lot of good news.

Below are two remembrances for men who contributed to the environment, fisheries and recreational participation for many years. I worked with both of these men since the late 80’s. They became good friends and gained my respect. I hope we can find others to step into their roles and bring the same energy. I know I will miss them both.

Assemblyman John Ronney passes at 85

Assemblyman John Ronney was the longest serving assemblyman when he retired after serving more than 27 years. He was a strong supporter of the environment and worked hard for those important issues all those years he was in the assembly.

John Ronney and his son Patrick are holding one of the fish they caught on our fishing trip.

We met for the first time at an Assembly Committee hearing on striped bass regulations in the mid-eighties. I learned he was a diehard striped bass fisherman like me, and we became good friends despite the fact I was a democrat and he a republican. We worked together on issues important to NJ fisheries including land use issues. Being an angler he had a better understanding of the issues. We did many charter trips together over the years and during those trips we would discuss those issues and try to find solutions.

He fished until he could not go on boats anymore. He was a great angler, and I have pictures to prove it of him as he is holding big striped bass. We called each other so he would get updates on my fishing trips. I would ask about his wife and kids, who he loved dearly. I will really miss the calls from my long-time friend.

John was and Air Force Veteran who served in Germany during the Berlin crisis.

Frank Dara passed March 19 at 79

By Frank Virgilio

Frank was truly a man of dedication to his beloved NJ State Federation of Sportsman Clubs and the Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament.

He was a man whose shoes would be hard to fill; he was active in leadership and has served in numerous roles, including Past president of the Federation, Chairman of the Governor's Surf Fishing Tournament, President of the Northern Region of the NJ State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs (NJSFSC), and Chairman of the Federation Board of Directors. He worked tirelessly at the club, county, regional, and state levels; he made a significant and lasting mark on our Federation. Frank was also a founding member of the New Jersey Sportsmen's Wildlife Foundation, a charitable IRS 501© (3) organization. This particular foundation has repeatedly provided grant money to his beloved Federation.

Behind every effort, Frank's personal goal of "Protecting Our Heritage" (a phrase he personally coined and incorporated into our logo) was at the heart of his effort. We must recognize Frank's outstanding service and his incredible legacy.

Experts caution the groups play a key role in ensuring agencies use the best available science in their decision making.

The Trump administration is disbanding expert advisory committees focused on space, climate, coastal area management and marine fisheries after the agency they were designed to assist said they are no longer necessary.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is ending the committees because they “have served their purpose and should be terminated,” Nancy Hann, the agency’s deputy undersecretary for operations, said in a memorandum obtained by Government Executive. The terminations follow an executive order from President Trump requiring agencies to do away with any federal advisory committees not required by law. The impacted committees are the:

• Advisory Committee on Excellence in Space
• Climate Services Advisory Committee
• Marine and Coastal Area-based Management Advisory Committee
• Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee

The Commerce Department’s Office of Privacy and Open Government, which manages all of the federal advisory committees within Commerce, will work with the committees to ensure “an orderly termination,” Hann added.

The space committee, established in 2002, assisted NOAA in assessing the capacity and actions of the commercial sector in space and advises it on avoiding negative impacts on space debris. The climate committee, stood up just before President Biden left office, was established to provide NOAA with advice on making its data and tools better available for those managing droughts, floods, wildfires, heatwaves and other impacts of climate change.

The coastal management committee, also created under Biden, provided expertise on conservation and restoration in coastal and marine areas, including the Great Lakes. The fisheries committee was established in 1971 to provide advice on policies related to living marine resources, including fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds and other waterfowl.

Ahead of the terminations, employees involved with the committees were instructed by the Commerce Department to pause any meetings until further notice. A NOAA spokesperson said the termination decisions were made by Commerce and any questions must be directed to the department. Commerce did not respond to a request for comments.

Such councils exist throughout and are governed by the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act. They are set up across agencies to gather advice and information from non-federal experts, including those in academia and the private sector. The General Services Administration provides oversight of the groups to ensure they remain objective and accessible to the public. There are at least 1,000 federal advisory committees throughout government, according to GSA.

Committees not mandated by Congress go through an administrative review of their activities and responsibilities every two years.

"Jules Barbati Dajches, an analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said last month that FACs help ensure that ""decisions that necessitate the use of science are free from political interference, corruption, and unintentional errors.”"

“Consisting of experts in their respective fields from academia, local governments, non-profits, and industry, they provide guidance to policymakers on a range of high-stake issues that impact people every day–including their access to clean air and water,” Barbati Dajches said. “Advisory committees, groups, and boards bring the public into the work of the government to provide advice in a deeply engaged way.”

Barbati Dajches added the committees help agencies identify and utilize the best available science and “provide a reality check to create effective policies.”

The Environmental Protection Agency previously fired members of its two science advisory committees and Trump has also signed an order requiring at least one-third of FACs to be dissolved.

Link to original article.

The future of three facilities operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and one U.S. Fish Wildlife ecological field office in New Jersey are in question, after being caught up in the cuts to the federal budget initiated by the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

It's not clear if the services will be lost, moved to other locations within the state or continue as business as usual. Two of the NOAA facilities are leased office space in Wall and in the Atlantic County town of Northfield that are used by its law enforcement officers.

Both of the office leases are to be ended, according to the list of DOGE's real estate lease terminations found on its official website. A NOAA spokesperson declined to comment on the future of these operations.

The directory outside a Wall office building on Route 138 lists the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, as a tenant as of March 21, 2025. (Dan Radel/Asbury Park Press)

The third NOAA facility, the James J. Howard Marine Science lab at Sandy Hook, is not scheduled to have its lease terminated but faces a potential cut in funding that could impact its services, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., told the Asbury Park Press last month.

Pallone, the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said $5 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding for the lab allocated by Congress is unavailable, which is putting jobs, research and critical infrastructure at the lab at risk. The lab’s seawater intake supply infrastructure, essential for the lab’s core function, was set to be rehabilitated using IRA funds.

Pallone said the freeze means the system is in jeopardy of total failure by April, when contracts for critical maintenance staff expire.

The possible cuts to the lab have students at Marine Academy of Science & Technology or M.A.S.T. at Sandy Hook concerned for the future of their education.

The Sandy Hook Lab is a big part of the program. We use it for our junior year Research I class to perform some simple and some complex experiments, but the seniors use the lab to execute their capstone project. Their projects span the entire year, and are extremely impressive, said Cassara Yannarelli, a junior from Atlantic Highlands.

Two students study female crabs at NOAA's James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory in the Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook in this 2014 file photo. (Tanya Breen/Asbury Park Press)

Yannarelli has a summer internship at the lab that could be impacted if the staff is cut that would oversee it.

The final building is the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ecological services office on Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway Township, also in Atlantic County, which according to the General Services Administration (GSA) will have its lease terminated on Nov. 28.

This office works with experts, conservation groups and landowners to protect and recover threatened and endangered species. It coordinates with federal and state agencies, local governments, business and private citizens to make sure that wildlife resources are considered during project planning.

New Jersey Field Office biologists serve on oil spill response teams, investigate the effects of environmental contamination and work to restore polluted habitats. It also collaborates with private landowners to restore fish and wildlife habitats.

Paul Hughes, a spokesperson for the GSA, which handles real estate, acquisition, and technology services for the federal government said they're reviewing all options to optimize the federal footprint and building utilization.

We are actively managing lease contracts by leveraging existing contract cancellation rights. As leases enter their soft term, we are sending letters of intent to customer agencies to inform them GSA is considering lease termination, thereby exercising GSA’s contractual rights as agreed upon with our lessors, Hughes said.

Hughes said actively managing their leases gives GSA the opportunity to work with its partner agencies on their evolving and longer-term needs and will often allows the GSA to enhance space utilization and secure better terms for the government — including better pricing.

"In instances where the current space remains the most suitable option — whether temporarily or longer term — he said they are adjusting their approach. For these agencies, he said they're either rescinding termination notices or, in some cases, not issuing them at all. ""These contractual cancellation rights are in accordance with regular and well-accepted private industry contracting processes. GSA’s letters of intent to terminate have no immediate effect and do not mean the lease has been terminated,"" Hughes said."

While not directly addressing the future of the Galloway field office, Laury Marshall, the acting chief of public affairs for the Fish & Wildlife Service, said they remain steadfast in their commitment to serving communities, tribes and conservation partners while upholding federal responsibilities with efficiency and accountability.

Under President Donald Trump, she said the federal government is prioritizing strategic reforms to maximize resources, cut waste and enhance operational effectiveness across our facilities.

We are actively working with GSA to ensure that every facility and asset is utilized effectively and where necessary, identifying alternative solutions that strengthen our mission. These efforts reflect our broader commitment to streamlining government operations while ensuring that conservation efforts remain strong, effective and impactful, Marshall said.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him at dradel@gannettnj.com.

Link to original article.

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.