During a tragic 24-hour stretch in Washington DC mired by violent sociopolitical upheaval over democratic issues mired in controversy, conspiracy and intrigue, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council (NJMFC) met online on January 7th in a virtual environment wrought with technological glitches and rife with inattention to the very concept of public participation.
NJMFC is one of several councils and committees involved in managing fish and wildlife resources in the state forced to hold meetings virtually since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately tasked with advising the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on various issues and management programs related to marine fishery resources, NJMFC has been utilizing GoToWebinar for hosting their meetings.
According to the official “Webinar Protocol” outlined by the NJDEP all public attendees for these online meetings will remain muted during the meeting, though during periods established as “public comment” there is a “raise hand” function is provided to allow questions to be asked. On January 7, 2021 about a third of the way into a tediously mismanaged 3-hour meeting, a scheduling conflict arose within NJDEP on another online conference (Liberty State Park in Jersey City) which forced acting commissioner Ray Bukowski to ask all meeting participants to switch to another platform.
After spending about 15 minutes easing into the new hosting environment, NJMFC once again moved forward with their agenda which is typically posted online with a meeting schedule (www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/mcnclmtg.htm) from a few hours to a couple of days prior to scheduled meetings. While cobia was not on the January 7th agenda, the council members still spent significant time deliberating on a vote to change cobia regulations in the state of New Jersey for 2021 and nearly took a vote that would’ve changed the regulations for 2021.
However, taking a vote on fisheries options without notifying the angling public did not sit well with John Depersenaire from the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).
“While this action item was not included on the agenda, the council was prepared to take action on these options,” Depersenaire said following the meeting. “As a member of the public, I was able to provide comments to the effect that the council should gather input from the recreational fishing community before approving measures. As a result, the Council voted to table action on cobia regulations until their March meeting,” he added.
The New Jersey cobia fishery – despite its designation as a de minimis fishery by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) defined as contributing “insignificantly to a coastwide conservation program required by a Fishery Management Plan or amendment” – still must be regulated in relation to coastwide limits, abiding by new commercial and recreational measures meant to cut overall cobia harvest for 2021. Thus two new cobia options were sprung upon members of the public and Council members on January 7, one which would match Virginia’s regulations lowering the vessel limit to two fish while shortening the season by 30 days from the current measures while setting a 40-inch minimum size; the second “de minimis” option would cap both the angler and vessel limit at one fish with the minimum size limit dropped 3 inches to a 37-inch minimum with no seasonal closure in New Jersey.
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife staff explained during the meeting that it wouldn’t be possible to hold public hearings specifically on the subject of cobia, prompting council members to table the final vote until March to give members of the angling public time to weigh in on the two options.
“Personally, I saw enough difference between the two options that input from the public, particularly from the southern part of the state, was warranted before the Council approved an option,” Depersenaire said, recommending that anglers who have a preference between the two should contact Jeff Brust at the Bureau of Marine Fisheries at jeffrey.brust@dep.nj.gov with preferred choice.
Cobia may not be a target species for many New Jersey anglers – in fact, despite the state record cobia catch for Len Andalis on August 9, 2019 at McCries Shoal which appeared on the August 22, 2019 cover of The Fisherman Magazine, NOAA Fisheries’ recreational harvest data (MRIP) shows not one single cobia was caught in the Garden State in 2019. But certainly having options available to choose from is worth logging in to another 3-hour spectacle of government greatness and inclusion.
The next “virtual” New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council meeting will take place on Thursday, March 4 at 5 p.m. with details perhaps posted at www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/mcnclmtg.htm and an agenda possibly even shared prior to the meeting.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – As a member of the news media, and the only outdoor media member present for the NJMFC webinar, the new hosting environment did not allow The Fisherman the ability to “raise hand” to ask questions. In fact the only way The Fisherman could communicate was through an online chat function which as per NJDEP’s “Webinar Protocol” is not recorded as public comment.)