Quote Originally Posted by apmaurosr View Post
Peter Grimbilas, President, NJOA (CF) said, "A little forethought could have prevented the uncertainty. Deficiencies in a bill are supposed to be addressed before it hits the Governor's desk and we don't know why a deficiency as obvious as delaying the implementation of the registry wasn't caught. We've also alerted the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about our concerns so they can expedite the registry. We got the distinct impression that the DEP is aware of the problem."

The NJOA (CF) is urging people to please call the Governor's office (1-609-292-6000) and request that the funding for Bill S1122/A823 "Free Recreational Saltwater Fishing Registry" come from somewhere other than natural resource accounts and also ask that a viable registry be prioritized and put into effect as soon as possible.

Anthony P. Mauro, Sr

Chair
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Conservation Foundation
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance Environmental Projects


Anthony, thanks for keeping us updated, as always.
I think a lot of this has become confusing for the sportsmen out there.

For example....
They are told that the state registry can be implemented with a nominal cost to the state of $1/angler. Since there are 600,000 anglers in the state who could potentially register, is that where the $600 k figure comes from?

The DEP, as you mentioned, might be aware of the problem. If memory serves me correctly, they were one of the groups pushing for this bill NOT to be signed. Is that still the case, and what can be done about it?

I may be more cynical than most, but to me this looks like a political battle where various groups are lined up to justify taking more $$ fom sportsmen. I see the imposition of an eventual stiff fee for a NJ SW license as inevitable. I don't agree with it, and like others am not happy about it.

One of my chief concerns is where the $$ will go if and when we have to start paying a yearly fee to fish our salt water. If it isn't used for sportsmen programs, then where is the fairness or justification? I wondered if you might address that further as well as respond to some concerns I stated above.

Thanks for all your input and helping to keep us informed!