For those interested in watching how our fish sausages get stuffed – or perhaps participating in the regulatory discussion – there are couple of fisheries management meetings of interest to saltwater anglers of New Jersey.
The New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council (Council) is slated to meet at 5 p.m. on November 3 at the Galloway Township Branch of the Atlantic County Library at 306 East Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway, NJ, just east of Exit 41 off the Garden State Parkway.
By statute, the Council should have 11 members made up of recreational and commercial fishermen, fish processors, the general public and the Atlantic Coast and Delaware Bay sections of the Shellfisheries Council; currently there are two open seats at the Council yet to be filled by New Jersey governor Phil Murphy since late 2020, one “at large” public seat and the other a seat belonging to the recreational fishing community.
A volunteer group, the Council is responsible for advising the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on various issues and management programs related to marine fishery resources. To confirm date and time of the November 3 meeting contact the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Fisheries Administration at 609-292-7794.
Of course, many of the crumbs deliberated by the Council in New Jersey come from the regional councils and commissions, with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in particular responsible for fisheries management inside state waters. From November 6-10, ASMFC will be holding their 2022 Annual Meeting at the Ocean Place Resort, 1 Ocean Boulevard in Long Branch, NJ.
ASMFC oversees management of 27 nearshore fish species through a cooperative pact between 15 Atlantic coastal states working together within the commission. Each state is represented by three commissioners, (1) the director of the state’s marine fisheries management agency, (2) a state legislator, and (3) an individual appointed by the governor to represent stakeholder interests.
Currently New Jersey has only two commissioners at the ASMFC. When 11th Legislative District Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling lost his reelection bid last November, it left that legislative post vacant, and Governor Murphy has yet to approve a successor.
As reported by The Fisherman earlier this year, the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife posted a job opening at njfishandwildlife.com earlier this summer that looks to replace the longtime governor’s appointee to the ASMFC, Tom Fote. Meanwhile, Capt. Adam Nowalsky, the most recent proxy for the legislative appointee, has no one to proxy.
For details on the upcoming ASMFC meeting in Long Branch go to ASMFC.org.
