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Members, RFA Win Big at 4th Annual Banquet

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Say the one word phrase "Winning!" nowadays and Two and a Half Men star, Charlie Sheen invariably comes to mind.  Well, with all due respect, ol' Chuck's got nothing on the 4th annual New Jersey Saltwater Fisherman's banquet that was held this past Saturday at the Captain's Inn in Lacey Township.  The winners were, of course, everyone who attended the party.  The banquet is held every year to honor the members of New Jersey Saltwater Fisherman (NJSWF) and to raise money to help fund organizations who fight for our right to fish in the Garden State.  This year the support was overwhelming and the attendees raised $1350 for the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA)!

 

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Chairman of the RFA-NJ chapter Capt. Adam Nowalsky (left) congratulates the Grand Prize and 2nd place winners, Harry Bentley (center) and Captain Joe Gogan (right) at the 4th Annual NJSWF Banquet

A record number of donations were given by some extremely generous sponsors.  As the guests arrived they were greeted by a seemingly never ending amount of prizes.  These ran the gamut from rods, reels, lures and accessories to open boat and full charter trips to Coach bags and pedicure kits for the ladies.  Said NJSWF founder Rod Houck, "I am honored and astounded at the incredible amount of support that our members and sponsors have provided to us.  Although it's a lot of hard work, the biggest problem was finding enough room on the tables to hold all the donations!"

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2011 Fluke Summer Flounder Fishing Regulations (set)

summer_flounder.jpgNJ Saltwater Fisherman will have another year of an 18 inch minimum size limit on summer flounder for the 2011 Fishing Season.

The  Marine Fisheries Council voted unanimously at its meeting Thursday afternoon and approved the following NJ Summer Flounder Fishing Regulations.

Bag Limit : (8) Fish @ an 18 inch minimum size limit

Season : From May 7 through Sept. 25

 Source The APP

The 2011 summer flounder season will run from May 7 to Sept. 25 and will allow anglers to keep up to eight fish at 18 inches or larger. This was Option 2, selected from four possible options on the table Thursday at the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Commission meeting in Absecon. The new regulations increase the number of fish that can be kept by two over last season and enable anglers to fish deeper into the fall.

The season will be 142 days long.

Paul Haertel of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association and an advisor on the fluke committee said Option 2 was by far the favorite among those in attendance at the packed meeting.

Haertel also said the matter of black sea regulations was raised at the meeting but that no decision was made. A recent ASMFC mandate has decreed that New Jersey must achieve a 40 percent reduction in black sea bass landings in 2011. It is possible this requirement will be appealed.

John Oswald: 732-643-4245; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


New Budget Immediately Repeals NY Saltwater Fishing Fee

Recreational Fishing Alliance (NY) 
Contact:  Jim Hutchinson, Jr. / 888-564-6732   For Immediate Release
 
 NY SALTWATER ANGLERS DO NO NOT NEED A LICENSE TO FISH!

Question Answered As New Budget Immediately Repeals Saltwater Fishing Fee

New York's saltwater anglers are officially off the hook with regard to paying a fee to fish!

 newyork.jpgGovernor Andrew Cuomo's new $132.5 billion budget passed before the April 1 deadline immediately repeals the saltwater fishing license and replaces it with a free registry coordinated through the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  Swapping out a fee-based saltwater fishing license with a free registry should allow New York to retain its federal registry exemption, thereby allowing state anglers to avoid having to pay a $15 federal fee to fish.  As part of the Environmental Conservation budget bill, the registry will be no cost to anglers for at least the next two years. 
 
According to state Senator Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), an agreement secured through leaders from the senate, assembly and governor's office last week helped pave the way for the repeal, which includes a full refund of the lifetime license fee ($150), no reduction to the balance of the Conservation Fund and an additional $1.9 million in General Fund support for Marine Bureau operations. Also effective immediately, party and charter boat captains no longer have to buy a $400 annual saltwater license to cover their passengers.

Sen. Zeldin, who helped spearhead senate efforts to repeal the saltwater user fee, also said the DEC's Marine Bureau will not be responsible for paying for jobs for which it assumed responsibility in 2009, and added that full compliance with the federal saltwater fishing registry requirements means New Yorkers will not have to purchase any separate registrations.

"This is a piece of legislation that is very important to the needs of my district," Zeldin told NewsLI.com. "I would like to thank not only my senate and assembly colleagues who spent hours listening to me and working with me, but I would also like to thank the thousands of fishermen, including the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), who called, wrote, faxed and signed our petition," stated Senator Zeldin.

In February, Senator Zeldin introduced a bill (S3638) to repeal the saltwater fishing license fee, and has been working the halls of the Capitol ever since to bring a broad coalition together to fight for its repeal. The budget agreement finalized by Governor Cuomo's approved budget now sets the Conservation Fund balance at $22.2 million as of today, with a projected balance totaling more than $38 million in the fund as of April 1, 2012. 

Read more: New Budget Immediately Repeals NY Saltwater Fishing Fee

2011 Fluke Summer Flounder Regulations Options

Below are the options for the 2011 Fluke/Summer Flounder Regulations.  That will be decided at the State Marine Fisheries Council meeting April 7 at 4 p.m. at the Galloway Township Library. 

 

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2010 Target = 997,000 fish      Preliminary 2010 Harvest Estimate = 593,677 fish

2010 Regulations: 18? size limit; 6-fish bag limit; 
open season from May 29 to Sept 6 (101 days)

2011 Target = 1,335,000 fish


1. 18 inches   8 Bag limit  Season  May 14 ? Sept 18   Days Open 128  Liberalization 62%

2. 18 inches   8 Bag limit  Season  May 7 ? Sept 25     Days Open 142  Liberalization 77%

3. 17.5 / 18 inches   1 / 5 bag limit   Season   May 21 ? Sept 5  Days Open 108  Liberalization  81%

4.  17 / 18 inches   1 / 5  Bag limit  Season  May 28 ? August 28  Days Open 93   Liberalization  81%


Option 3 with the dual size limit of 17.5 / 18 inches 1 / 5 fish reads as follows:

1-fish greater than or equal to 17.5-inches plus 5-fish greater than or equal to 18-inches

MORE COMMENTS AND INFO HERE