Why should New Jersey boaters and anglers vote for you on November 4th, and as governor of New Jersey, what is your pledge to the recreational fishing community?
I’ve never been randomly contacted by a pollster in advance of a New Jersey election, but based what I’ve seen of polling results, it’s typically affordability, taxes, cost of living, healthcare, education, transportation, crime and safety that make up the questions provided to prospective voters. While I’m sure “the environment” is sometimes part of the survey process, I have to wonder if pollsters ever ask where recreational fishing stands on a candidate’s political platform.
This month, that’s exactly what we’ve done at The Fisherman, and I give thanks to the two “big ticket” candidates for governor, democrat Mikie Sherrill and republican Jack Ciattarelli, for taking time to directly address New Jersey anglers.
Back in July after Ms. Sherrill and Mr. Ciattarelli each won their respective primaries, I reached out to both candidates with the very simple question at the top of the page. Each candidate was asked provide a response of no more than 750 words, with a September 1 deadline for submission. I’m grateful that Ms. Sherrill and Mr. Ciattarelli both agreed to the challenge, their responses published in this October edition of The Fisherman starting on page 16.
While New Jersey voters will vote on November 4th based on the best interests of their family and financial security, I believe recreational fishing is also an important consideration (though perhaps I’m unique in that fishing is so deeply engrained in my own familial and financial security). But the fact is that New Jersey’s next governor will appoint staff to head up the Department of Environmental Protection, he or she will delegate individuals to various councils and commissions that manage our fisheries, and that governor is ultimately responsible for guiding the future of our Jersey Shore economy, of which recreational fishing is a significant portion.
In reaching out to the candidates, I offered the following as background:
The National Marine Manufacturers Association ranks New Jersey 11th nationwide on the list of top states for recreational boating economic impact, with $6.6 billion in annual economic impact supporting over 20,000 jobs. Numbers shared by New Jersey Sea Grant indicate that there are approximately 175,000 registered marine vessels in New Jersey each year, 67% of which are used for fishing as per the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey. Citing data from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the American Sportfishing Association has established that nearly 1 million people fish recreationally in the Garden State every year, spending more than $835 million while leading to a $1.3 billion economic output.
I should add that neither of the candidate’s responses were edited in any way; they’re just as they were submitted. And to avoid any perceived bias, when deciding which candidate’s response would appear first in print, I pulled names from a hat on camera during my September 11th video fishing forecast. I’m sure many New Jersey voters may use a similar “coin flip” at the voting booth on November 4, but perhaps the information starting on page 16 will be useful in your decision-making. If it’s helpful, I’m glad; and if you couldn’t care less, thankfully there are nine other feature stories in this month’s edition!
I’ve reached out gubernatorial candidates many times over the years to get their opinions on recreational fishing in print here at The Fisherman prior to an election, but this is the first time that both the democrat and the republican agreed to address New Jersey anglers to answer why we should vote for them. That alone leaves me with a little more optimism about the state of recreational fishing in the Garden State come January 20, 2026 when a new governor is officially sworn in.
See Mikie Sherrill’s response. See Jack Ciattarelli’s response.
