The American Littoral Society (ALS) and its fish tagging program suffered a tremendous loss on January 27th when its program director, Jeff Dement, passed away suddenly. He was just 54.
A graduate of Christian Brothers Academy High School in 1984 who grew up around the communities of Ocean Township, Colts Neck, Neptune and Highlands, Dement spent 20 years in the ironworking industry as a member of the International Brotherhood of Union Ironworkers, local 480 before retiring and getting a science degree in Ecology and Natural Resources from Rutgers University-Cook College.
Upon receiving his degree, Dement began working at the ALS on Sandy Hook as the Fish Tagging Program Director. In addition to his longtime work with fish tagging up and down the coast, he was especially well known amongst members of the Raritan Bay fishing where he’d spent a considerable amount of time working deck on local head boats.
A celebration of Jeff’s life will take place on Sandy Hook on Friday, May 21st. Charitable donations in Jeff’s name can be made to the American Littoral Society, 18 Hartshorne Drive, Suite #1, Highlands, NJ 07732 (www.littoralsociety.org). The funding will be directed towards the Captain Al Anderson Fund in support of the fish tagging program, as well as educational programming for the Littoral Society.
