Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Christie signs bill creating free fishing registry
Anglers will not have to pay to fish in 2011, but they will have to register with the state. A week before New Jersey's striped bass season begins March 1, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law a bill designed to create a free registry of the state's recreational anglers. The bill provides for the state to create a registry system to account for recreational anglers, which brings New Jersey into compliance with federal law. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which regulates fisheries management policies on the federal level, all recreational anglers must be registered with either the federal government or a state agency in order for scientists to keep better records of catch data. States with fishing licenses use their licensing regimes as …
Friday, January 21, 2011
New Jersey anglers shouldn't have to pay to fish in 2011
If there are any lawyers out there looking for work, you might want to contact the governor. His legal office seems pretty backlogged. A couple weeks ago, during a press conference, I asked Governor Chris Christie if he planned to sign pending legislation to create a free registry of the state’s anglers. He told me that if the bill made it to his desk, his legal team would review it before he made a decision as to whether or not he wanted to sign it into law. Well, two days after that press conference – and two weeks ago – it was sent to the Guv’s desk. I guess they’re still reviewing it. If Hizzoner doesn’t sign the bill, it could cost you $15 to fish this year. The federal government is requiring all anglers nationwide to register before…
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Christie: Bills are "just the beginning" of steps to protect the bay
Governor Chris Christie was in Ocean County Wednesday morning to sign three bills aimed at restoring the health of Barnegat Bay. Months of political wrangling that held up the bills culminated in a compromise last fall which will provide $115 million in grants and low-interest loans to help local communities implement the legislation. The bill package includes one of the nation's toughest laws regulating nitrogen-rich lawn fertilizer, which biologists have said promotes the growth of algae which degrades native eel grass beds. The eel grass fosters the growth of shellfish and finfish species, experts say. The other bills in the package provide for soil replacement measures and the cleanup of stormwater basins responsible for sending …
Friday, December 10, 2010
Bill to create free registry of state's anglers passes through a Senate committee
"There's no free lunch," quipped state Sen. Bob Smith about a year ago. Last December, Smith and I chatted one afternoon about the prospect of New Jersey creating a free registry of the state's anglers. Back then, the state was broke. It still is, but the blunt Senator from Middlesex County has changed his tune just a bit. Last year at this time, the state's anglers were in a tizzy over Smith's blocking a bill sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew - a fellow Democrat from Cape May County - that would have created a free registry of New Jersey's recreational anglers. Under the 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, a federal law which regulates fisheries, all recreational saltwater anglers in America must register so federal …
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Lisa Frankenfeld
5:52 pm on Friday, April 8, 2011
I am glad people who enjoy fishing won't have to pay to do so. It seems like you have to pay for everything that is remotely enjoyable here in NJ. For example, you must pay to be near most bodies of water, be it the ocean, an inlet, a river, or a pool. Next thing you know we will be charged a fee for letting our kids run through the sprinklers. more ›