• Home
• News
• Local News
• Cape May County

TRENTON - State Sen. Jeff Van Drew is rallying support for a proposal to establish a free state registry for saltwater fishermen, a bid to keep state fishermen from having to pay federal fees.

But time is running out on his bill, and some opponents say that a free registry would require the state to spend money it doesn't have.

At issue is a registration list required by federal law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006.

Among other things, the act required that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration set up the National Saltwater Angler Registry Program. That program is designed to collect statistics on the 15 million recreational fishermen who use the tidal waters overseen by the federal government.

NOAA has said it would use the statistics to demonstrate recreational fishing's economic value and better describe its affect on fish stocks.

The law exempts from the national program states that offer saltwater fishing licenses or that otherwise gather statistics on their fishermen.

New Jersey, which banned saltwater recreational fishing licenses in 1979, is one of the nine coastal states without either a registry or licenses. Those states' fishermen will have to join the national registry starting Jan. 1.

While the registration is initially free, NOAA has said it would charge a fee starting in 2011 that it expected to be $10 to $15.

The bill proposed by Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, would circumvent the federal fees with the free state registration.

"The people of New Jersey are being taxed and feed to death," Van Drew said on Wednesday. "The least we can do is give them a chance to do a little saltwater fishing without having to pay another fee for the privilege."

He said this week it could benefit tourism by not charging a fee to people who come into the state to fish. Secondly, it benefits state residents who Van Drew said are already paying plenty in other state tolls and fees.

He also opposed a fee in part out of fear that future lawmakers would raid the fund.

Van Drew proposed the legislation in October 2008, but it has thus far languished in front of the Senate Environment committee where he serves as vice chairman. If it is not passed by Jan. 12, the bill will die with the legislative session and have to be reintroduced.

Van Drew said the committee chairman, Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, Somerset, preferred a fee.

An earlier state licensing proposal by Sen. Christopher Bateman, R-Morris, Somerset, was pulled last year and no other legislation is currently proposed. Smith, on vacation this week, could not be reached for comment.

Jim Donofrio, executive director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, opposed a paid license or registry, pointing to separate federal taxes on some fishing gear and boating fuel. Donofrio, of Galloway Township, said the registry should not be a tax; it should be about better research.

The New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs was one group that supported charging a fee, said Edward J. Markowski, its southern region vice president.

Markowski, of Mays Landing, said the group backed the fee because at $2 per person the state's 600,000 fishermen would overwhelm what he called the "grossly underfunded" state Bureau of Marine Fisheries, which state records show operates on a $1.8 million budget.

This department, he said, would be better off studying the state's fisheries with this money.

Contact Derek Harper:

609-292-4935

DHarper@pressofac.com

3 comments:

• Chilly Willy (3) posts 1:01 pm

  The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, another defeat for states' rights. Why doesn't NJ just register everybody listed with the state's voter registration and income tax database - for free.

• smedlee (132) posts 8:00 am

  YOUR RIGHT POLITICIANS ARE ONLY IN OFFICE TO GET RE-ELECTED BY THE POOR SAPS WHO ACTUALLY BELIEVE THEY REPRESENT THEM. ALSO A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ARTICLE AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE WILL BE A FEE SO REGISTER SO THEY CAN SEND YOU A BILL FOR A FISHING LICENSE RIGHT TO YOUR FRONT DOOR.

• susansmith (108) posts 11:00 pm

  Van Drew does alot of bloviating and getting press coverage but rarely accomplishes anything of value to our area. A professional politican always looking for free press and grandstanding while doing very little for Cape May or Cumberland Counties.

PressofAtlanticCity.com offers everyone the opportunity to comment on published stories. However, it is impractical for editors to screen all comments.
If you believe a comment is offensive, please click on the abuse-reporting link and your objection will be considered by an editor. We encourage participants to use their real names, but inoffensive screen names are acceptable. Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them.
Please post responsibly. Do not post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy.
Be polite. Don’t hate. Users who don’t play by the rules may be blocked from participating.

View our full terms of service and privacy agreement

Click here to report a comment as abusive.

You must login to post a new comment