Did you get your Island Beach State Park (IBSP) buggy permit? Me neither. And based on conversations I’ve had with angry surfcasters, it seems as if few did. I did hear of folks successfully gaming the system by registering multiple family vehicles – spouses, children, etc. – only to hit the IBSP lottery more than once, so I hear there are a few “black market” tags available through scalpers. But this half-baked lottery scheme developed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) was bad; and it’s probably illegal!
As per Title 7 (Environmental Protection), Chapter 2 (State Park Service Code) and Subchapter 16 (Island Beach State Park Rules), four-wheel drive mobile sport fishing vehicles (MSFV) are permitted on specifically designated areas of IBSP for the purpose of surf fishing, provided “An application for a MSFV permit is completed and approved through the Island Beach State Park office; and an approved permit, decal or placard for which the proper fee has been fully paid as provided in N.J.A.C. 7:2-17.3(b) is displayed on or from the MSFV as directed by the Superintendent or designee when on Island Beach State Park.”
New Jersey Administrative Code 7:2-16.3 further states “An annual surf fishing permit shall be issued upon completion and approval of a surf fishing permit application at the Gate House at Island Beach State Park.” As per these codified rules adopted by state agencies to fulfill their legislative requirements, MSFV permits must be completed and approved through the IBSP office (2401 Central Avenue in Seaside Park) with the superintendent or other park staffer directing application of “permit, decal or placard” upon registered vehicles, but only after completion and approval of the surf fishing permit application at the IBSP Gate House.
In the hands of a capable attorney, this longstanding legalese could render NJDEP’s entire lottery-based permitting system null and void. It’s particularly galling when you consider this entire section of New Jersey Administrative Code is based on allowing beach buggy permits exclusively for the purpose of surf fishing, as originally intended well before the NJDEP even existed.
In the 1950s, Sal Bontempo, then commissioner at the New Jersey State Department of Conservation and Economic Development – the precursor to what is now NJDEP – first laid the statutory groundwork for preserving buggy access at Island Beach exclusively for anglers. It’s no coincidence that the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association and IBSP were born around the same time a little over 70 years ago; it’s been a long, strong conservation partnership. Yet it only took current NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette 8 years to dismantle that public/private alliance, a fine parting shot to our community on his way, hopefully, out the door.
Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill will be sworn in as New Jersey’s 57th governor this month. In our October, 2025 edition of The Fisherman, then gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill pledged to reduce red tape and bureaucracy affecting New Jersey anglers, saying “I will work with the recreational fishing community as a partner and will give you a seat at the table when decisions are being made in Trenton.” Ms. Sherrill went on to say “I’ll lead a culture shift in Trenton and at our state agencies, requiring a new level of accountability and transparency.”
First course of action in this “culture shift” should be a termination letter for Mr. LaTourette. He’s wanted to ban beach driving at the Jersey Shore since day one, and his slapdash online lottery effectively crippled the system; before this ideologue swoops in with his final solution, let’s get a qualified NJDEP commissioner in place to fix what’s broken.
Next up is something that Murphy and LaTourette found loathsome, and that’s “accountability and transparency.” Indeed, the recreational fishing community deserves that seat at the table; anglers as stakeholders are willing problem-solvers. But that requires two-way trust and communication, something we haven’t had in New Jersey for the past 8 years.
