The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDFW) recently released their year-end Marine Fisheries Administration Monthly Reports for November and December, reporting that a total of 4,820 individuals and 141 party/charter boats were enrolled in the 2019 Striped Bass Bonus Program (SBBP) which closed on January 1, 2020. According to the NJDFW report, the preliminary 2019 bonus harvest stood at 31,049 pounds from 5,382 tagged fish, which represents 14.4% of the total allotted commercial quota.
“The preliminary 2019 bonus harvest is about 4-1/2 times higher than the 2018 bonus harvest,” the report state, breaking down SBBP harvest at 2,895 pounds for individuals, and 28,344 pounds from anglers aboard party/charter boats.
According the November report, the 2019 Delaware River seine survey was completed on November 4 with a preliminary young-of-year striped bass index of 1.29. “The preliminary index for all years combined is 1.15, which means 2019 was above average,” the report stated, noting how the preliminary 2019 index ranks #14 out of the 40-year time series.
Also in the November report, NJDFW noted that 154,429 individuals had registered for the state’s saltwater registry through November 27, 2019 along with 727 for-hire vessels. Those numbers are slightly down from the prior year when 158,093 individuals and 784 for-hire vessels were registered as of November 30, 2018.
Other details from the monthly reports revealed that NJDFW staff had successfully deployed 300 tons of concrete from the Townsends Inlet Bridge project with donations from the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club. North Star Marine conducted the deployment with staff from the Bureau of Marine Fisheries on the patch reef located at N 39º 06.50’ x W 074º 36.60’. The state was also continuing to facilitate deployment of concrete material and vessels through to the end of 2019, with additional preparations on two tug boats, a barge, a crew boat, and clam boat slated for deployment in 2020.
