NJ Gillnet and Commercial netting reports

[fishlipper]

What do you gents know about gill net boats? What species do they target. I was out on a friends boat last fall day and saw some dead bass floating around. He said that was from the gill netters

[DarkSkies]

When was the last time you guys saw a temporary gillnet set up somewhere?
How long did you see it there, and when was it removed?
Did you happen to notice the boat that pulled in, and descriptions or numbers, any details at all?


There's a reason for this thread guys. Let me start out saying that gillnetting is perfectly legal in NJ. According to law and a conversation I just had with a person who has been around a long time, gillnetters are allowed to set up to their nets, even up to the beach, as long as they're not interfering with inlet traffic, or something like that. Anyone who has the exact parameters feel free to post it up.

This thread can also serve to educate those of us who don't have all the knowledge about gillnetters and the boundaries of what they're allowed, and not allowed to do. I don't want to fuel any fires about making characterizations about the commercial guys who work hard to stay within the law and provide a decent living for their families.

So, as I recently learned:
1. Gillnetters ARE allowed to set up in waters off the beach.
2. They ARE allowed to target certain types of fish.
3. They SHOULD be allowed to make an honest living, just like everyone else.

I would like people to keep that in mind when they see these nets, and realize that the guys who comply all have licenses, and should not be judged.

However, some might not be complying, and I wanted to set up this thread to document sightings of when, where, and for how long it is when you see the gillnets.

If this kind of stuff seems like it will make a difference in your fishing future, please get involved and post it up.

If you don't want your name involved with it, send me a pm and I'll post it for ya. However, I would rather you guys post these reports yourselves, we're only documenting what we see out there, nothing more.

It's my goal to make this thread like a log book for this type of netting. It might be needed for the future. That's about all I can say for now. Thanks for any help you can give us, guys. :thumbsup:

Remember, I'm not talking about the permanent fyke nets that you see posted in the bays and the rivers, just the temporary transient gillnets that go up and down.

[gjb1969]

i hate them they are killers of everything that swims once they hit the net and what the netters cant keep just they throw back dead or half dead and that is not cool u see what netters did to our winter flounder fykes included they all suck and they are all a holes this what they need:beatin::beatin::beatin::beatin::beatin::beati n:they take and take and we get slaped around like the dirty step child there should be NO NETS CLOSE TO SHORE THEY DRAG AND NET AT NIGHT WHEN NO ONE IS OUT THERE WHEN DAY TIME COMES WE COME OUT AND WE GET NO FISH OR SMALL FISH BUT ALL THE OVER FISHING IS PUT ON US WE GET HIT WITH *** BACKWORDS REGS AS LONG THE NETTERS RAPE THE BAYS THE NUMBERS WILL BE DOWN PLAIN AND SIMPLE WHOLE GROUP ARE NOTHING BUT A HOLES :burn:

[finchaser]

Biggest offender is Salty Tours out of Point Pleasant targets and kills bass to make a statement been doing it since 1999.

[bababooey]

Here's a gillnet report, came from another site, Dark.

5-20
" It's a beautiful site to see bunker schools as far as my eye could see.....lets hope it stays that way, I could see the gill netters sitting off the coast at the 3 mile mark. A local gill netter did drop his nets just S. of Asbury Park. Catch em up! "

[DarkSkies]

Remember guys and gals, gillnetting is legal. As long as the licensee is following the regs, they are not breaking the law. But what about when they target bluefish, when there are not many around, and come up with a pull of dead bass that they then must discard?

Is this legal? Absolutely. :huh:

Should someone with common sense realize that there is something ethically wrong with this picture? Absolutely.

So if you see gillnets out there, remember that they are legally permitted. If the guys running the nets are not following the rules, by all means you should turn them in.

Sometimes netters are very organized and may be able to hide what they're doing. This shouldn't be tolerated if we are serious about protecting the resource.

Finchaser has some intimate knowledge of how some of these operations are run, as he lives in the area. Take a read of this thread here. Anyone who can help, feel free to contact him privately, or PM me if ya want the cell phones of the NJ CO's in the area.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=4977

We can't stop someone from doing what they are legally allowed to do, and making a legal living, nor should we try to.

But we can function as eyes and ears if we do observe laws being broken. We can't rely on the DFG to be everywhere, they need our help. Thanks guys and gals. :clapping:

If anyone has the time to put up more of what is permitted/not permitted for commercial netters, I would appreciate it.

[crosseyedbass]

Hey fellas he's not the only guy who does this, there are lots more. This report was on another site about gilnetters at Montauk. When I hear about dead 40 pound bass thrown back in the water, it makes me :burn:


"My brother fished montauk yesterday on a party boat and had witnessed a disgusting sight so he called me from the boat. Netters with gill nets caught approximately 500 stripers up to 40 lbs and threw them back dead. Rec boats were gaffing and netting the dead bass before they sunk. Hard to believe they can still get away with this wasteful practice. "

[ledhead36]

There was a gill netter this morning in monmouth county. We were fishing some jetties and we could see him. He was so close maybe he was 2 casts away. He was pulling up the small weakfish, and throwing back dead bass. I didn't think they could come so close to the beach. Also the weakfish he was pulling in were small. Aren't there size regulations for commercial netters?

[basshunter]

I got a call talking about the same thing. A boat from Point Pleasant, I wonder if it is the same offender whom lots of people complain about? They are throwing back dead bass. I heard Fish and game were called.

[finchaser]

A friend of mine watched S***yT***s out of Point Pleasant loading up on spike weakfish and bass off Manasquan yesterday and the day before ,nothing went back dead or alive. They want to shut down recreational weak fishing and they let this a** rape the sea.
There is a meeting in Toms River this Monday on weakfish open to the public.

[fishinmission78]

^^^There were a few at IBSP today. It wouldn't be so bad if they practiced size limits, but they don't. Remember the buffalo? And Salty Tours (are you censoring his name now Dark?) is the biggest mother raper of all. That guy would never last on a desert island because he would eat all his rations the first day.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

[clamchucker]

Salty Tours is as unprincipled as the day is long, in my opinion. The thing is he is slippery as an eel as well, and politically connected. It reminds me of when Mcgreevey was Governor. He did all kinds of misdeeds in office, and because of his political connections did not pay the full price for his abuse of public trust. The same is happening with Salty Tours. NJ and politics as usual, perfect together.

[skinner]

Saltys has no respect for the resource. He is a true scumbucket. We watched him net bunker in Monmouth county this June. He was less than 100 yards offshore and you could see his boat plain as day. We called the F&G to report him and nothing was ever done. I found this pic on the internet of him throwing his nets within sight of shore. He thinks he is bulletproof, untouchable. He does whatever he wants and laughs at the law.:2flip:

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[bababooey]

Wait a minute guys, isn't bunker netting legal within a certain range? Maybe he has a bunker license.

[voyager35]

I don't think he has a license to net bunker. I got a call this morning asking me to report any incidents we see from now on. In the beginning of this thread Dark talks about documentation and detailing what we observe. You folks getting mad at the guy because you're angry there are no fish in the area after he rolls through are misdirecting your anger.
Have you seen him take any striped bass aboard and not discard them back in the water? Have you seen any other commercial catch violations? If so, those are the ones you should be documenting.
It's not illegal for him to clean out all the fish in an area, if he's entitled to catch them. What about the instances where he isn't entitled? There have to be folks out there who have stories of violations. Until you come forward and are willing to speak out to the DFG, nothing will be done.
There are more of us than there are of him, thousands of eyeballs every time he goes out, unless in the dead of night. So let's do what we can to publicize any incidents. Right now I was told he is working the Shrewsbury Rocks. Anyone fishing there today? Let's hear some feedback.

[captnemo]

Why not just call the CG on him. I have been boarded many times by the CG or NY harbor police. They have every right to come on and inspect your vessel and catch, no reason needed. So why doesn't the Coast Guard step on board to check him out while he is at sea?

[finchaser]

Why not just call the CG on him. I have been boarded many times by the CG or NY harbor police. They have every right to come on and inspect your vessel and catch, no reason needed. So why doesn't the Coast Guard step on board to check him out while he is at sea?

they love him he docks at their station

[finchaser]

From another site
"I had the pleasure of watching Salty work last night at Monmouth Beach/ Little Monmouth. I arrived at 6:30pm and he was working, left at 9:30pm and he was still working. From the Condos to the pipe. At one point i was wondering if he was going to beach himself he was so close. Lots of fish coming up in his net. As for me, i got a skunk."

[buckethead]

If everyone stays on top of this maybe he will eventually be busted.

These are some of the gillnetting regs I found. Go to appendix b, using gillnet to refine your search.
http://nefmc.org/issues/sbrm/planamen/SBRM_Omnibus_Amendment_bookmarked.pdf

http://nefmc.org/issues/sbrm/planame...bookmarked.pdf (http://nefmc.org/issues/sbrm/planamen/SBRM_Omnibus_Amendment_Appendices_bookmarked.pdf)

[DarkSkies]

I'll fill this in later. I have a lot more to say on this.

Remember the man is innocent until proven guilty. We all have that protection under the law. If there is anyone with concrete proof, you need to document that, as Joe and I have said on many threads here where potential violation of the law is involved.

How do we effectively document these things? Learn to write in descriptive detail.
Date, hour, time of day, exact location (as close as you can get),

Were there any other witnesses with you when you saw this?

EXACTLY what did you observe? Did you notice any behaviors that were illegal? Was there any method to this behavior that will help the investigation? Was there any interaction with or assistance from other boats? (offloading) Describe in as much detail as possible, including a full description of all actors and boats involved.

There are many things a commercial fisherman does, like throwing back dead fish, that though they may be offensive to us, are not illegal. I think Voyager said it very well in his post about details and documenting. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

If you are still in doubt as to descriptive detail after reading my suggestions, try reading one of my agonizingly long fishing reports to get an idea. Remember I get paid by the word. ;)





NJ
Poaching violations resources
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=45

NJ F&G Undercover officers and development of intel
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=4223

NY/SI DEC officer thread
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=4224

Don't just count on your neighbor to take care of the reporting, or count on F&G to do all the work. Count on yourself.

I have had quite a few private phone calls come in in the last few days from people who want to remain anonymous. Keeping silent because you don't want to bring your name into it solves nothing.

[jigfreak]

It depends on whose law you are going by. The court of law or the laws and intergrity of the fisherman who watch what is being done. If we see it happening we should be taking pictures or video's of the offenses. I am tired of the recreational fisherman being blamed for the dirty work of those not honest commercial fisherman.

[lostatsea]

they love him he docks at their station

To me that's the biggest arrogance of all, he poaches with impunity and docks at the Coast guard station. He must be chuckling to himself every night when he comes into port.:kooky:

[yukon]

I saw him off of MB this morning. Coming in close then going back out a couple of times.:2flip:

[cowherder]

Hasn't this guy ever been busted before? Any fines? It should be a matter of public record with a google search.

[bababooey]

Hasn't this guy ever been busted before? Any fines? It should be a matter of public record with a google search.

His name is Brick Wenzel.
He was a councilman for Lavalette for a while.
His wife is now a councilwoman in Lavalette, and a liason for an environmental committee for Gov Jon Corzine. The internet is a wonderful thing.;)

[buckethead]

This is just a reminder that the weakfish meeting is Tues night in Tom's River. If you are unhappy about the way things are, come and voice your opinion. Otherwise you have no one to blame if we get the shaft. This guy Brick is but one part of the huge problem we face. Silence solves nothing, let your voice be heard.

[fishinmission78]

He was out there the other day, this was posted on another site. I don't have problems with him making a living, but why don't they at least check the guy every now and then? Here's the link for a complaint.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/contactform.htm

[Pebbles]

Isn't it the jurisdiction of the NJSP Marine Bureau to investigate things like this as well? I don't mean to be ignorant about it but I read an article about the Maryland NR Police. They board the vessels and hand out the fines or impound the vessels.

[storminsteve]

Why not just call the CG on him. I have been boarded many times by the CG or NY harbor police. They have every right to come on and inspect your vessel and catch, no reason needed. So why doesn't the Coast Guard step on board to check him out while he is at sea?


they love him he docks at their station


Isn't it the jurisdiction of the NJSP Marine Bureau to investigate things like this as well? I don't mean to be ignorant about it but I read an article about the Maryland NR Police. They board the vessels and hand out the fines or impound the vessels.


Maybe he gives them fish for dinner and they're influenced by that so they let him slide?

[captnemo]

I'll fill this in later. I have a lot more to say on this.

Remember the man is innocent until proven guilty. We all have that protection under the law. If there is anyone with concrete proof, you need to document that, as Joe and I have said on many threads here where potential violation of the law is involved.

How do we effectively document these things? Learn to write in descriptive detail.
Date, hour, time of day, exact location (as close as you can get),

Were there any other witnesses with you when you saw this?

EXACTLY what did you observe? Did you notice any behaviors that were illegal? Was there any method to this behavior that will help the investigation? Was there any interaction with or assistance from other boats? (offloading) Describe in as much detail as possible, including a full description of all actors and boats involved.



Dark, your restraint is admirable here, but I believe you are misguided when you say he is innocent until proven guilty. This guy has a history of not throwing back fish, specifically dead bass which he puts in totes. This is illegal. The only reason he has not been busted is he is a slimy slug. He has people at the dock to inform him if any CO's are waiting for him when he gets back, and he dumps the illegal fish.

We were out at the Shrewsbury rocks last week, and he set up his nets there. I personally saw him pull in dead bass and keep them. Not one bass went back in the water. How many violations would you call that?
And yes, we did call F&G to report him that day, as soon as we saw him doing it, describing what he was doing, and where. Yet no one showed up to bust him, and I would have heard through my contacts at PP if he got busted at the dock. But he didn't. Of course he doesn't always break the law Dark, you are right about that. Scooping up all the legal fish in an area is not illegal. We used to go through the same frustration with the bunker boats. They would sweep by, bunker would be gone, and so would the striped bass. So that's not illegal, I understand. However, he gets away with breaking the law so much I have three theories of how it could be ---
1. He is paying someone off, and they leave him alone.
2. They are afraid to touch him because of him and his wife's political connections.
3. He is doing everything in plain sight for so long, he think's he's invincible.

I have some anger about this. I was boarded once and fined for a fluke that was1/4" short.. while the others were all 2" over the limit. So I had to pay the price, one short and they are on my boat like I am a criminal. I know I was wrong, but how is what he does any better? And he does it on a bigger scale than us, every time he takes that boat out, if he can get away with it.

There are other witnesses out there also. Here is a first hand account from another site.
"Combine that with Salty Tours' quest to kill as many striped bass as he can to protest their gamefish status in NJ (a quote from one of his deckhands). He also monkfishes and has been known to leave his nets fishing for up to 2 weeks (info from another former deckhand). When the nets were hauled in they contained (on various trips): seals, bluefin tuna, dolphin, a great white shark, and countless non-commercial species. Just recently we watched him picking fish from a set right off of Manasquan Inlet. NOTHING was thrown back. Thru binoculars we saw 5 striped bass get tossed in a tote. Fish and Game was notified and a return call from them was received almost 8 hours later."


I was also told that Fish and Game has a boat which docks near his, near the Coast Guard Station. They spend time and money to locate and prosecute poachers, but one of the biggest offenders is almost literally right next to them when they dock!
So if any Fish and Game people are reading or listening, I challenge you to prove that this guy is not paying you off and get the goods on him. I don't know how one person could manage to break the law so consistently and not have been busted even once. Meanwhile I get caught with one short fluke, which I was wrong for, and get treated like a criminal.

[baitstealer]

ISo if any Fish and Game people are reading or listening, I challenge you to prove that this guy is not paying you off and get the goods on him. I don't know how one person could manage to break the law so consistently and not have been busted even once. Meanwhile I get caught with one short fluke, which I was wrong for, and get treated like a criminal.


What he said, why can't they just do more surveillance and catch this turd eater already?:huh:

[stripercrazy]

Or get a bunch of guys with old braid on, say hi to him Brooklyn style. When he gets too close, have about 4 guys tie on a 4 oz sinker with a treble on it. You're just casting for the bunker he's netting, nothing wrong with that, right?:D Then pull as hard as you can, who cares if the braid breaks or the net breaks.
Isn't there some rule about him not being allowed to pass a certain distance from surf fishermen? Let him deal with the tangles and the hassles.
Or, you could just keep writing ineffective letters to your corrupt officials in NJ. It seems from what you guys are saying they don't do anything anyway. At least in LI when we have corruption we know who they are, they can't hide. The newspapers make sure of that.:rolleyes:

[voyager35]

^^^You do that and then criminal complaints get filed, and both parties pay unnecessary costs courtesy of our legal system. Nobody wins. Far better to go after him politically. I think Dark and some others here were involved in Brookhaven where some of the candidates who were not favorable to fishermen didn't get elected.
It would be smart to try to do something like that here. Find a re-election meeting where his wife will be campaigning, have a lot of fishermen show up, start asking her pointed questions about her husband's breaches of the law. Keep at it, apply the pressure, and it's very possible that not only does she not get elected, but politicians get the message that fishermen get involved and have voting power.

[baitstealer]

Isn't there some rule about him not being allowed to pass a certain distance from surf fishermen?


There is a rule, the question is if they have the balls to enforce it.:don't know why:

"One thing to remember is that this is a drift fishery, meaning that the nets are on the move. Therefore, recreational anglers need to be aware of winds and currents when deciding where to fish - it is illegal for a recreational angler to fish within 300 feet of a set net. Vice versa, for a commercial fisherman to set a net within 300 feet of a recreational angler is also illegal. Common courtesy is called for to provide this minimal distance to everyone.
The location of many of the complaints coincides with the main focus of the fall gill net fishery, which is the Long Beach Island/Island Beach State Park area (Table 2). As you can see, approximately 87% of the catch was landed at Long Beach Island (LBI) alone."


http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/marartra.htm (http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/marartra.htm)

[storminsteve]

Well apparently nothing that was said here or on the other web sites means anything guys. He is still going strong and nothing has happened to him, no enforcement of the law. Here are pics I pulled off the MB cam at 4:29 and 4:33pm today Oct 10. He is out there thumbing his nose at us. Is there anyone down there who has a cam with video or a videocam? Start filming this A-hole, and you can bring the videos to meetings as proof. :2flip::2flip:
May sea lice infest all of your catches and bedbugs be the only thing that come in contact between you and your wife, Mr Salty!:burn:


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[Monty]

This guy (Salty Tours) is dragging his gill nets just behind the sand bar. From what I have seen and heard, he is out there a lot. Within casting range often.
It disgusts me.
People complain about fisherman keeping keeper size bass and this guy is out there in nice water, cutting down our resident bass population. Clobbering weakfish. I believe he is really hurting the recreational beach fishing in North Monmouth County.
Lots of us practice C and R and are out there fishing with this guy is 100-200 yards out. Really puts a dent in the fun part.
His wife is in politics. Corruption. Its sickening. There are lots of good people in this world. And then there is the scum of this earth. We are living in a time when corruption in the USA is over whelming. Where greed is rampant.
If anyone has any information on what we can do to protest this or do anything about this please open a new thread and post the information.

[clamchucker]

This guy (Salty Tours) is dragging his gill nets just behind the sand bar. From what I have seen and heard, he is out there a lot. Within casting range often.
It disgusts me.
People complain about fisherman keeping keeper size bass and this guy is out there in nice water, cutting down our resident bass population. Clobbering weakfish. I believe he is really hurting the recreational beach fishing in North Monmouth County.


I had some friends fishing in MB yesterday Monty. He had his nets set close to the beach, and was working up and down all day. He takes the small spike weakfish and sells them for pet food. He also takes striped bass and purposely kills them like finchaser said. He does this to protest the fact that he can not keep bass.
There is a guy who used to mate for him who hangs out at a bar in Point. If you have a chance to talk to him, he will tell you how the bass used to have icepicks stuck in them so they would die. There is nothing about this that is sportsmanlike or even resembles what the other commercial fishermen do. This guy has killed bass to make a statement.
I don't think he does that any more. I have been told that he is selling them when he can get away with it. It seems like they are afraid to prosecute him for some reason. What do I think that reason is? Answer - $$$$$$ and politics.
Something has to be done soon before there are no bass or weakfish left. Go to the meetings, verbalize your disgust by writing a letter, and let Corzine know you will not be voting for people who are connected with this kind of fishing.

[storminsteve]

I can't wait to see this guy get busted.:beatin:

[seamonkey]

I researched the minutes of the Lavalette council, and found the official titles along with some other links. We should all go down there when there is any kind of meet the candidate meeting for re-election, and ask Britta Wenzel why her role on the environmental committee does not conflict with the fishing her husband does.


http://www.lavallette.org/forms/2009MinutesPDF/1-5-09%20reorg.pdf
Environmental Protection Advisory Committee:
Britta Wenzel, Liaison
Anita Zalom, Liaison
Lee Horan, Liaison
Luke Cuccurrullo
John Dolinaj Rosalie Dolinaj
Donna Franzoso Joy Grosko
Patricia Hoffman Kayla Schardien

Brita Wenzel's positions;
Council liaison for the Environmental Protection Advisory Committee
VP of the non-profit environmental organization Save Barnegat Bay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey
Government

Local government

Lavallette is governed under the Borough (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borough_(New_Jersey)) form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey#cite_note-DataBook-0)
The mayoral election on November 7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_7), 2006 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006) was declared null and void after allegations of voter fraud by the losing candidate; a special election to fill the seat was scheduled for March 13 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_13), 2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007).[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey#cite_note-11) In the rerun election, Republican (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)) Walter G. LaCicero was elected Mayor, and his term of office will end on December 31 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_31), 2010 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010). Members of the Lavallette Borough Council are Council President Anita F. Zalom (R, 2008), Joseph Ardito (D, 2008), Joanne Filippone (R, 2008), Robert Lamb (R, 2007), Michael Stogdill (R, 2007) and Britta Wenzel (D, 2008).[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey#cite_note-12)[14] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey#cite_note-13)




[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lavallette,_New_Jersey&action=edit&section=5)] Federal, state and county representation

Lavallette is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 10th Legislative District.[15] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey#cite_note-14)
New Jersey's Third Congressional District (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives,_New_Jersey _District_3), covering portions of Burlington County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlington_County,_New_Jersey), Camden County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_County,_New_Jersey) and Ocean County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_County,_New_Jersey), is represented by John Adler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adler) (D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic_Party), Cherry Hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Hill,_New_Jersey)). New Jersey is represented in the Senate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate) by Frank Lautenberg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lautenberg) (D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic_Party), Cliffside Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffside_Park,_New_Jersey)) and Bob Menendez (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Menendez) (D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic_Party), Hoboken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoboken,_New_Jersey)).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 10th district (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Legislature#District_10) of the New Jersey Legislature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Legislature) is represented in the State Senate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Senate) by Andrew R. Ciesla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_R._Ciesla) (R (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)), Brick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Township,_New_Jersey)) and in the Assembly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_General_Assembly) by James W. Holzapfel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Holzapfel) (R (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)), Toms River (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toms_River,_New_Jersey)) and David W. Wolfe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_W._Wolfe) (R (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)), Brick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Township,_New_Jersey)). The Governor of New Jersey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_New_Jersey) is Jon Corzine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Corzine) (D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Democratic_Party), Hoboken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoboken,_New_Jersey)).[16] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey#cite_note-15)
Ocean County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_County,_New_Jersey) is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Chosen_Freeholders) consisting of five members, elected at large in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms. As of 2009[update] (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lavallette,_New_Jersey&action=edit), Ocean County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett, Jr. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Bartlett,_Jr.) (Pine Beach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Beach,_New_Jersey), term ends December 31, 2009), Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_P._Little) (Surf City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_City,_New_Jersey), 2009), John P. Kelly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._Kelly_(New_Jersey)) (Eagleswood Township (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagleswood_Township,_New_Jersey), 2010), James F. Lacey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_F._Lacey) (Brick Township (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Township,_New_Jersey), 2010) and Joseph H. Vicari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_H._Vicari) (Toms River (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toms_River,_New_Jersey), 2011).[17] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavallette,_New_Jersey#cite_note-16)

[buckethead]

Here are some gillnetters at work. It must be from Alaska. It shows how they do the job.

-r3k6IgJlOU

[basshunter]

This one caught a turtle. Another reason why they are no good.

J3MYoyBssxE

[ledhead36]

Mrs. Wenzel lost her re-election bid on Tuesday. I don't think that will change anything since they have already made their friends.

[finchaser]

Salty Tours back in water today watch out bass:(

[plugaholic]

I read on another site that someone had contact the DEP and received a form letter back. Why is it so difficult to catch these guys? Is everyone getting their palms greased?

[gjb1969]

thats what it seems like we all know what they do but no one stops them u call tell boat name numbers and still nothing its all bs:beatin::2flip::beatin::moon::burn:its all abought money plain and simple

[voyager35]

I know this article on stopping Gillnetters is from far away, but if they can do get a ban on them why can't we. Or at the very least punish the offenders.

Fishing horror revealed as gillnet ban looks likely

Huge deep-sea fishing nets which can be cut loose and left to keep catching fish as they float may be banished from South Pacific high seas.

Efforts led by New Zealand and Australia to ban gillnet fishing were close to succeeding last night after revelations that an illegal 130km-long gillnet bulging with Antarctic toothfish was spotted in the deep ocean off Antarctica.

New Zealand officials have been concerned about gillnets since two Spanish vessels were reported fishing with long, deep versions between Australia and New Zealand this year.
The nets, about 100km long, are indiscriminate fishers and are used to target deep-sea sharks and other species.
The Antarctic discovery was revealed as 150 representatives from Latin America, Asia, Europe and North America met in Auckland to negotiate the final stages of a fishing treaty to apply outside South Pacific countries' exclusive economic zones.

The head of the New Zealand delegation, Gerard Van Bohemen, said he was hopeful nations would adopt a voluntary ban on gillnets today or tomorrow.

Greenpeace and Environment and Conservation Organisations (Eco) representatives at the talks said the ban was essentially a "done deal".


The negotiations are the last in a series of talks to fill a gap in the protection of high seas fish (apart from tuna) by setting up a Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.

The new body will watch over a vast area of ocean, from the far eastern part of the South Indian Ocean through the Pacific towards South America - high seas where fish are vulnerable to illegal and over-fishing because of a lack of governance.

Speaking from the talks at Auckland's Crowne Plaza hotel, Eco's Cath Wallace said the gillnet ban was good news for New Zealand.

The huge nets were cheap, so fishing boats could easily afford to cut them loose and leave them floating around snaring fish as they went, she said.

Gillnets are banned in the northeast Atlantic at depths of more than 200m and in Antarctic seas managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources - where the illegal 130km net was found - but vessels still carry them for fishing in the high seas.

ABC News reported the Antarctic net was set at a depth of more than 1500m and had captured 29 tonnes of Antarctic toothfish by the time it was spotted by Australian authorities.

As well as setting up the new organisation and talking about gillnets, delegates have been debating new interim catch limits for jack mackerel fisheries off the coast of South America.

A science working group chaired by New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries scientist Andrew Penney told negotiators jack mackerel catches were well down on past years.

Ms Wallace said that unless interim limits - which were opposed by several countries - were set there would be a "race to fish" and stocks would be gone by the time yet-to-be-signed limits took effect.

Mr Van Bohemen said nations were likely to agree on the basic operating criteria for the new organisation today. A fishing treaty would come into effect in two to four years, as soon as enough countries had signed it.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10608945&ref=rss

[stripermania]

Does anyone know about the dead bass washing up at Avalon? Sounds to me as if the gill netters are back.

[DarkSkies]

I got a phone call telling me that Salty's tours boat is back in the water as of today.

While the man has a right to make a living, unharassed by anglers, we also have the Constitutional right to observe things as closely as we can to monitor for any possible violations.

The number I was given is NJREG 2690GJ

Let's keep an eye out there to help monitor compliance with the fishing laws, folks, not just for this boat but all gillnetters and commercial boats you may see out there.


The numbers to call are posted in this thread, or you can contact Clinton Dravis directly for observed violations of any boat out there. Thanks for your vigilance people, and be safe fishin.
And above all, please don't confront or accuse anyone without proof. It's not worth the confrontation. :HappyWave:

[bababooey]

I hate Salty that guy is an a-hole times 10. I have seen him come in so close to the beach at times he intimidates all other fishermen. How can you continue fishing when this guy comes in right where you're set up, within 200' of shore, and sets his nets up? I have called up on him, but they said unless he was breaking the law they can't do anything. It's my opinin he could be paying off someone in the state to leave him alone. Otherwise how could he get away with setting up so close to us and shore?:burn:

[basshunter]

They have tried to catch this guy before. Doesn't he have family members on the environmental committee?

[finchaser]

They have tried to catch this guy before. Doesn't he have family members on the environmental committee?


His wife does save the bay they are also politically connected in Lavalette where they run Salty's Ice Cream. she lost in the last election ,rumor has it town and state officials were made aware of her husbands wrong doings. He docks next to the Coast Guard station in Point.:2flip:. Many of the gill netters refer to him as a disgrace to there profession.

[DarkSkies]

Here are some pics I shot. I believe it was Salty's tours boat. Feel free to help out with corrections if this is inaccurate, thanks. :thumbsup:


12082

12083

12084

12085

12086

[finchaser]

That's him:burn: bye bye bass

[finchaser]

Reports from friends and other sites say the past few days there are many dead bass floating near where these pictures were taken :burn:

[Monty]

:burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn:

Frustrates me like crazy.
I have decided if I am fishing an area and see Salty's or another netter I will leave. Its a downer. In the past I would continue to fish, but always came away upset. No more. Will leave and time permitting fish somewhere else.


Reports from friends and other sites say the past few days there are many dead bass floating near where these pictures were taken :burn:

[wish4fish]

i wish god would come out of the sky and take a dump rite on that captains face.:2flip:

[DarkSkies]

:burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn:

Frustrates me like crazy.
I have decided if I am fishing an area and see Salty's or another netter I will leave.

I understand the part about getting upset, Monty. It upsets me as well. Lots of people may feel the same way as there isn't much we can do about it when they are fishing within the law. That law gives them pretty broad leeway unless they're keeping bass.

But what if they are keeping bass, and no one's around to see it? :( I think a good thing to do is document these guys as much as possible. Take pics, and contact NJ F&G if you observe any violations.

Many people have giving up trying, and feel what's the use of doing this? :don't know why:While I understand why folks may feel this, I know that problems are not solved by people walking away. And I'm not specifically referring to you, Monty, I'm referring to all fishermen collectively who may be in a position to help out with info if they do observe any illegal activity.

IMO the worst thing would be if a netter knew no one cared, or fishermen were so apathetic that they could break the law whenever they felt like it. This is where we need more support and eyes out there.

So even though it might be aggravating and frustrating, I'm asking you and others not to walk away, and try to see if we can document any behavior that violates the smallest of laws. That would be a start. :)

Unfortunately, tossing dead bass in the water doesn't violate the law. But...consider the alternative...consider how many bass might be trucked on down to the Phila fish markets if we weren't out there as observers. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

Thanks, guys, and anyone else who reads this, for any help you can offer here. :thumbsup:

[jigfreak]

i wish god would come out of the sky and take a dump rite on that captains face.:2flip:

:clapping:Ha ha, I would love to see that too.

[finchaser]

Salty Tours sneaked back into the inlet under the cover of dark to avoid the storm

[rip316]

Something has to be done about this crap. Between the bunker boats taking away the food they eat, This guy Salty supposedly is out there killing bass and no none wants to stop him, The fact that there are boats out there throwing nets and getting thousands of peanuts and mullet to sell to the shops, and to you geniuses who go on a charter in the spring and have to take to 40lb breeders just so you can throw them in the garbage instead of letting them go to produce millions of eggs, the commercial guys and there effin qoutas, the gov't, all of these factors will lead to inevitable. NO MORE BASS. I do take a bass if I get one to eat for my family but I will be thinking twice about letting more fish go and we all should be able to, don't get me wrong alot of us like to eat them which isn't a problem but if you catch a 40 just to take a pic and let it die in your truck and throw it in the dumpster you should be castrated. JMO

[DarkSkies]

...and to you geniuses who go on a charter in the spring and have to take to 40lb breeders just so you can throw them in the garbage instead of letting them go to produce millions of eggs, the commercial guys and there effin qoutas, the gov't, all of these factors will lead to inevitable. NO MORE BASS. ...but if you catch a 40 just to take a pic and let it die in your truck and throw it in the dumpster you should be castrated. JMO


Well-said Rip, and this is still going on every season. :burn:

I met one of the Sr Shark River members yesterday. We got around to talking about tournaments in general, and the behavior he's seen over the years. The stories he told me about seeing fishermen bring in big fish to B&Ts to win a prize, and then seconds later tossing the fish in the dumpster, were sickening. I don't know how we're ever going to get a consensus on conservation while you still have guys who have no guilt wasting bass like that, and even seem to glorify it on some level. :viking:

I grew up being taught never to waste food. To this day those lessons follow me everywhere. Eat all the bass ya want, but wasting them, it just gets to me. :huh:

I know there are some comms who would argue that if they're forced to throw bass back, they should keep the dead bycatch and not "waste" them.

There's a historical reason the Marine Fisheries Regs don't permit keeping certain fish as bycatch...because if the fish are valuable enough, they then become "targeted" catch. :rolleyes: Based on the past behavior of Comms when there was less regulation, this is a fair assumption to make.

All the more reason why these guys need to be watched. There are thousands of Recs out there every day, and it would be helpful if more of us started observing and documenting violations. :learn:

[finchaser]

well written grasshopper;):thumbsup:

[bababooey]

IMO the worst thing would be if a netter knew no one cared, or fishermen were so apathetic that they could break the law whenever they felt like it. This is where we need more support and eyes out there.

So even though it might be aggravating and frustrating, I'm asking you and others not to walk away, and try to see if we can document any behavior that violates the smallest of laws. That would be a start. :)

Unfortunately, tossing dead bass in the water doesn't violate the law. But...consider the alternative...consider how many bass might be trucked on down to the Phila fish markets if we weren't out there as observers. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif



Maybe we need to bring Chris Hansen in. I bet he gets the job done.:thumbsup:
12145

[nitestrikes]

Love it, Chris Hansen as the vigilante for the aholes killing under-age bass. :laugh:
It could bring new life to that dying "have a seat" theme.

[finchaser]

From another site


Just wanna post that Salty tours had his nets out on Saturday covering half of MB with the closest marker about 25 yards off the beach.... yes 25 yards. This can't continue.

[rip316]

Honestly, after discussing this problem with you what do you think can be done about this guy. Coast guard, Marine police, Fish and Game. These are the people that should be called upon but they won't listen. Tell us what we can do if there is anything.

[storminsteve]

Yeah what is the law on this guys. How can he set up 25 yards away from the beach?:huh:

[finchaser]

Yeah what is the law on this guys. How can he set up 25 yards away from the beach?:huh:


He can drop in the wash if he wants just can't block the entrance to an inlet, bad part is he targets bass in some cases just to kill them.

The Coast Guard thinks he's a Prince and has many of the law enforcement people convinced of that and his Wife is a politician. The other night after staying off the inlet waiting for the coast is clear for over a 1/2
hour, he went in. He has scouts at the inlet and dock. Ironically he docks next to the Coast Guard Station a model citizen.:2flip:

[basshunter]

The Coast Guard thinks he's a Prince and has many of the law enforcement people convinced of that and his Wife is a politician. The other night after staying off the inlet waiting for the coast is clear for over a 1/2
hour, he went in. He has scouts at the inlet and dock. Ironically he docks next to the Coast Guard Station a model citizen.:2flip:


I would love to see a guy like this get his just desserts. Are there no investigative reporters who would dig up the truth on him?

[finchaser]

I would love to see a guy like this get his just desserts. Are there no investigative reporters who would dig up the truth on him?


Google salty tours or Captain Brick Wenzel he's a saint, here's one from Ristori's column -

2003
By Al Ristori
STAFF WRITER Star Ledger

After not having seen a single swirl in two days from Manasquan Inlet to Sandy Hook, I nevertheless cautioned Bob Richards as we started heading north yesterday morning to keep an eye out as birds can gather almost anywhere during the fall. The words were hardly out of my mouth when Richards pointed offshore and said "How about those?"


Sure enough, the sky was black with gulls feeding in depths over 60 feet off Manasquan and it was a wide open bite. One of Richards' colleagues had never fished before and another had never caught a striper, but it only took seconds before Skip Wade, Barry Holsten and Tom O'Leary joined Richards in becoming instant experts by hooking up on Mega Bait metal and SPRO Swimming Jigs as well as 21/8-ounce Yo-Zuri Surface Cruisers.


That surface action, in still-choppy northerly seas, died out after a couple of hours and the arm-weary anglers decided to return early rather than switch to wire line trolling, though those towing bunker spoons reported catching a few 20-pounders from among the schoolies. Many of our fish were from 30 to 32 inches, and every one was released unharmed.


Unfortunately, the crew's conservation was more than offset by gillnetter Salty Tours, which set its curtain of death on those stripers just downwind of us. Since striped bass are game fish in N.J., all must be returned by netters. Salty Tours was tossing them in constantly, while pulling that net two hours later to leave a trail of dead bass floating behind them.


To give you an idea of how many bluefish (which are legal to gillnet) were included in that massive school of stripers, we caught only two on jigs and plugs. Yet, that gillnetter was willing to kill probably 20 stripers for every blue -- the same sort of unconsionable bycatch destruction created by local small mesh draggers that virtually wiped out the once abundant Mud Hole whiting population. It's high time the state stepped in to prohibit such irresponsible gillnetting. "

It's very disturbing to know that this guy is still out there and just destroying the local fish population.

How scary is that this boat owner used to be an elected Councilman. His wife is currently an elected official. She just ran for a NJ Senate seat in Ocean County under a pro-environmental platform as a Democrat . Thank God she lost.

His wife just suggested to create a new "Environmental Committee" for the town she is a Councilwoman in. In a quote from her in the newspaper The Ocean Star dated 01/11/08 she states " In today's world there is lots of environmental work to do".

Correct and why don't you start with your husband !!!!!
Killing everything and anything in the ocean is not very pro-environment.
__________________


Diversity is the name of the game for New Jersey fisherman Brick Wenzel, who ranges along more than 130 miles of coast using one of the few jet-drive boats in the Mid-Atlantic fisheries.

[surferman]

Google salty tours or Captain Brick Wenzel he's a saint, here's one from Ristori's column -


Killing everything and anything in the ocean is not very pro-environment.
__________________




He sounds like he lives a very hypocritical life to me.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

[finchaser]

Well the dog woods bloomed and the first schools of bass to arrive were killed and dis-guarded along with large spawner weakfish by netters on Manasquan Ridge .Salty tours was one of them. They said they were fishing for codfish and had to leave them floating dead because they can't keep them. Same bullsh_t every year they try and make a statement to get the Bush's gamefish law changed.

[surfstix1963]

Might just as well sell everything it is hardly worth the effort to fish anymore.Guess I'll get back into fast cars.

[hookset]

They should lock that slippery basstard up. He's a one man poaching factory. How come hes still getting away with this?

[fishinmission78]

They should lock that slippery basstard up. He's a one man poaching factory. How come hes still getting away with this?

Because hes a ******* pirate and most people think hes a saint

[jigfreak]

salty scalawag. Want stripers for dinner call Brock.

[jigfreak]

They should lock that slippery basstard up. He's a one man poaching factory. How come hes still getting away with this?

He's a saint didn't you know that?:rolleyes:

In 2008 he saved some guys life. He could take a crap in a church and people would pray to it.

"The Coast Guard received a call at 11:12 a.m. from a crewmember aboard the Salty Tours reporting they had spotted a person in the water.
The crew of the Salty Tours arrived on scene and recovered the person."

[Fishman]

I can't begin to tell you how many years I have been hearing about this guy leaving the bass dead in the water. Doesn't his wife (or a close relative) have some high position or something which helps keep him out of trouble? One day it will all catch up to him.

[Monty]

I can't begin to tell you how many years I have been hearing about this guy leaving the bass dead in the water. Doesn't his wife (or a close relative) have some high position or something which helps keep him out of trouble? One day it will all catch up to him.
The sooner the better, I am sick of hearing the same crap every year about this guy.

[bababooey]

I can't begin to tell you how many years I have been hearing about this guy leaving the bass dead in the water. Doesn't his wife (or a close relative) have some high position or something which helps keep him out of trouble? One day it will all catch up to him.

I don't know about that fishman. We have corrupt politicians on the take, accepting bribes, and doing all sorts of unsavory things. They get caught and aren't embarassed. I don't think it will be any different with salty tours. He probably thinks hes invincible. A well placed call to the NJ DFG could get him on their radar though.

[finchaser]

She heads up save the bay talk about a fox in the hen house .she has him made out to be a saint

[fishinmission78]

I saw him weds off the piers in seaside.

[finchaser]

Bass washed up in Manasquan on Friday with throats cut and guess who was just off the beach he usually does this memorial weekend to protest no netting in NJ

[cowherder]

What a scumbag!

[storminsteve]

Who wants to speculate about which gillnetters were responsible for the dead dolphins that have been washing ashore?:beatin:
any ideas?

[finchaser]

Fished 10 hours on boat today burnt about 125 gallons of fuel left 5:30 to troll found no bait no Bonita no albacore no Blues most of the lumps and bumps void of any life. Saw acres of bunker nothing in them. Places that were loaded with sand eels last week nada ( river and along the beach).

Caught a few weakfish on the mussels beds they were being hammered later on by gillnetters even though they were illegal size. :mad:

[basshunter]

Well they were out there again finchaser. This from a report yesterday --

"The birds left and the fish were hard to find. The action moved up to the area around the Axel Carlson Reef and there we found two of the Barnegate Inlet party boats and the Gambler from Pt. Pleasant as well as other bluefish boats.

One last observation was the gill netter that made a set right where everyone was striper fishing. Maybe he was after bluefish, but if he caught any I'm sure some of them didn't have yellow eyes but did have stripes. "

[nitestrikes]

I didn't see one for LI so I'll post this here. Some folks may have seen the internet reports 2 weeks ago of the dead bass laying in a line about 3 miles off Montauk. Capt Gene mentions that in his latest report:

The price for commercially caught striped bass took a hit this week from over $6/lbs. to $3 something as a result of a hit from gillnetters fishing out of Shinnecock. A while back there were a couple of instances of stripers inadvertently being caught by dragger and dumped (which they are required to do by the regulations. That’s bad enough, but putting the two things together might be worrisome for us here in Montauk. The draggers don’t usually fish close to the beach this time of year, and those dumped fish were seen some three miles or so off the beach and those fish caught by the gillnetters have already passed us by.