Surfcasters attention! Push to ban jetty fishing!

[plugginpete]

This came from another site. Don't know the guy who started the thread, Sudsy, but someone said he is pretty famous on the internet for publicizing this info. I think it's cool that at least a few people are getting involved, before we have no places left to fish at all. Hope it's ok to post here? I'm going to start calling tomorrow, and if you guys here could start calling, that would be cool.




Long Branch, Avalon, and a few other towns in NJ are at this moment making a concerted push to keep people off the jetties 24/7 as a matter of "Public Health and Safety." There's going to be a meeting this coming Wednesday, July 16, at Lisa Jackson’s office. Lisa is the head of the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection (DEP, the people who take the lead in beach access issues in NJ). The meeting is going to be between the lawyers for the towns and the DEP.

According to DEP rules, the public cannot be denied access to the water, including the jetties except when there's an exigent (exceptional) reason. The towns are using "Public Health and Safety," a buzz term in government, claiming that jetty rocks are slippery and sharp as their exigent reason. They are probably going to use as an excuse the cost of defending injury lawsuits even though they are not legally liable.

The way I see it, this smells suspiciously like Long Branch’s way of using the back door to legislate us off Elberon’s side roads. This is something they are trying to do now with parking regulations. These new parking regulations are probably against the DEP rules, forcing the town to try this angle. I’m not familiar with the other towns’ reasons as they are south of LBI and outside of the area with which I’m familiar.

What we have to do is barrage Lisa Jackson’s office with calls and e-mails letting her know how important access to the jetties is to us. Please be courteous and keep in mind that Lisa and the DEP are on our side. Lisa’s husband surf fishes (though probably not as hardcore as most of us). It's important that the DEP understands how many of us use the jetties and that we are extremely serious about protecting our 24/7 access to them.

For you out-of-state people, please mention the amount of money you spend in NJ on tackle, meals, and lodging and that you will be bringing that money elsewhere if you are denied jetty access.

lisa.jackson@dep.state.nj.us

Lisa.Jackson
Office of the Commissioner
401 E. State St.
7th Floor, East Wing
P.O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402

phone: 609-292-2885
fax: 609-292-7695

[bababooey]

I copied this e-mail from another site, and sent it myself, Anyone who wants to can feel free to c&p. Would be more effective to send something in your own words, but if you're not that motivated, feel free to send this. I did.



Comissioner Jackson,

It has come to my attention, and those of many fishermen, that various towns are meeting with DEP staff on Wednesday to discuss possible ways to close jetty access with the excuse that it's a public safety issue.

Make no mistake, they are targeting fisherman and using the public safety as an excuse.

I expect that DEP will make it clear to the town's attorneys that jetty access is protected by the public's right of access.

I, along with the tens of thousands of members of NJ fishing web communitites, such as StripersandAnglers, BassBarn and StriperSurf, will be watching how your department and Gov. Corzine treat the public's right of access for fishing purposes. Thank you for your time.


Sincerely,
___________


cc: Gov. Corzine
Sen. John Adler
Asm. Lou Greenwald

[buckethead]

I'm in. Where are our rights - BTW - What soul is going to be brave enough to come and get us or wait 4 hours until we leave?

[bababooey]

buckethead, don't think that would work unless we got 30 guys together, called up the PD, and told them we would be fishing XXX hetty at XXX pm, and they should come and arrest us.

Here's a post from another site asking all people who fish to get involved. We need numbers of fishermen on this, not just a select few. Anyone who has ties to or membership on any other sites, please post this info. We could use any help out there from anyone who wants to send and e-mail or make a phone call:



[e-mail sent. If anyone is a member of other boards, please get the message out there as well. We have the numbers to stop something like this, but sometimes we let petty arguments and differences get in the way.

Access, once lost, is rarely if ever regained.

Now is the time for all of us to put our words where our mouths are, please get involved and speak up with a personal e-mail at least.

If we lose this access, at least if we try as a cohesive group, we can stand tall and say we tried, instead of just ranting about it on the internet.

Even if you don't surf fish, but fish in any way, shape, or form, this could happen to your group, or in your area, one day soon. It's already happening in LI at Shoreham beach, check the LI forum for details.

Others have also jumped on board to get this rolling, but Sudsy, and other long standing members lere, like curl, and too many others to mention, IMO, are like the "high caffeine energy drinks" we need to get us motivated. Great job and for all those who are keeping the fires lit, and won't let this go silently.

This is happening in real-time, guys. Please get involved before it's too late.]

[voyager35]

Buckethead has a point. The PD's are not going to wait for us. We still need to get involved. Every time you turn around towns are trying to take away our rights.

[fishinmission78]

e-mail sent today. Any info on the wednesday meeting? I'll bet they will have it during the middle of the day when most guys can't get there.