lostatsea
03-12-2010, 10:59 AM
From the Atlantic City Press:
By JULIET FLETCHER Staff Writer | Posted: Monday, March 8, 2010 | 2
A bill that would create a registry for all saltwater fishermen was approved today by members of the Assembly committee on agriculture and natural resources.
The Assembly bill, which matches an identical one introduced last month in the Senate, allows the state to set up its own database of saltwater anglers without charging any license fee to fishermen.
The law would mean the state does not have to take part in a federal registry, a move that would save fishermen paying a fee next year to Washington, D.C.
Sponsors of the bill, including Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Assemblyman John Amodeo, R-Atlantic, all argued the plan to create a simple database now would be better than waiting to let the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) start charging each state's recreational anglers a fee of up to $25 to put their details, such as name, contact details and fishing habits, on file.
The details are required by administration surveyors who compile the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey, which keeps track of fish stocks.
The statewide bill met opposition Monday from Tom McCloy, administrator for the state's Bureau of Marine Fisheries, who said that if the state set up its own registry without charging at least a nominal fee to fund its operation, the cost would ultimately come from the Department of Environmental Protection's budget.
Amodeo described the question of who will pay for the registry's operation as a "tough call." The committee voted unanimously to move the bill to the full Assembly. The senate version, meanwhile, has not yet been discussed by committee.
By JULIET FLETCHER Staff Writer | Posted: Monday, March 8, 2010 | 2
A bill that would create a registry for all saltwater fishermen was approved today by members of the Assembly committee on agriculture and natural resources.
The Assembly bill, which matches an identical one introduced last month in the Senate, allows the state to set up its own database of saltwater anglers without charging any license fee to fishermen.
The law would mean the state does not have to take part in a federal registry, a move that would save fishermen paying a fee next year to Washington, D.C.
Sponsors of the bill, including Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Assemblyman John Amodeo, R-Atlantic, all argued the plan to create a simple database now would be better than waiting to let the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) start charging each state's recreational anglers a fee of up to $25 to put their details, such as name, contact details and fishing habits, on file.
The details are required by administration surveyors who compile the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey, which keeps track of fish stocks.
The statewide bill met opposition Monday from Tom McCloy, administrator for the state's Bureau of Marine Fisheries, who said that if the state set up its own registry without charging at least a nominal fee to fund its operation, the cost would ultimately come from the Department of Environmental Protection's budget.
Amodeo described the question of who will pay for the registry's operation as a "tough call." The committee voted unanimously to move the bill to the full Assembly. The senate version, meanwhile, has not yet been discussed by committee.