(Update: Monday, May 4, 2015 8:15 p.m.) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today signed S2733/A4146 into law, officially setting the state’s new striped bass regulations for 2015.
Friday, May 1, 2015 (3 p.m.) – On March 16, 2015 the New Jersey Senate and Assembly passed S2733/A4146 modifying the striped bass regulations for 2015. The legislation would officially change the striped bass limit from the current two at 28 inches or over, to one fish at least 28 inches but less than 43 inches in length and one fish at least 43 inches in length. However, as of May 1, 2015 New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has not signed this bill into law.
In the New Jersey constitution, it’s stated that the period allowed for the Governor’s consideration of a passed bill shall be 45 days from the date of presentation until noon of the 45th day, at which date a piece of legislation passed by the legislature would officially become law. For those keeping score at home, it’s now officially 45 days!
However, the New Jersey constitution also states “if the house of origin be in temporary adjournment on that day, the first day subsequent upon which the house reconvenes” will be the day the bill becomes law. Because the New Jersey Assembly is not in session today, that means the bill has not become official law, and New Jersey anglers will be allowed two fish at 28 inches for the weekend (unless Governor Christie in fact signs the bill before then).
The New Jersey Assembly is not expected to be in session again until May 7, which would be the time this bill automatically becomes law without the governor’s signature.
For the future, when this bill actually does become law, catch limits and seasons for striped bass would no longer be established specifically by statutory law, but instead would be set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), subject to the disapproval of the Marine Fisheries Council. That means that this fisheries fiasco wouldn’t occur again in the future, with the responsibilities to change striped bass limits officially resting with the DEP in a regulatory, rather than statutory fashion.
While The Fisherman Magazine has nothing official on the matter, we’re expecting Governor Christie to have some response by Monday, May 4th.
New Jersey has also officially suspended the striped bass bonus tag program until September 1, 2015. As reported at TheFisherman.com on April 10, 2015, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council has approved measures to replace the current Striped Bass Bonus Program size limit of 28 inches with a new smaller slot size of striped bass between 24 and 28 inches, though that would not go into effect until September 1. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has approved this particular regulatory change, but that means existing bonus tag holders will not be able to use their present tags. The state of New Jersey will apparently reissue new tags to current permit holders before the September 1 deadline, but no bonus striped bass will be able to be harvested in the state of New Jersey until then. A new tag issuance system is expected to be implemented by NJDEP shortly.
