NJ EEZ fishing, Enforcement of the regulations

[jigfreak]

Dunno as far as I know you cannot target retain or catch stripers in the EEZ. If you are bluefishing and there is incidental catch thats ok. You have to release immediately.

If you're trolling in the eez with niner or shad rigs it should be an automatic $500 fine for each fish. This catch and release stuff is bs. That's what all the guys say "oh officer I was trolling for bluefish and accidentally caught these big bass" Total bs. . Something stronger needs to happen though. Too many laughing at the regs - "yeah just tell em yur fishing for blues, wink-wink".

if you get caught doing this the f&g officer should be allowed to take a dump right on your steering wheel. Obviously my opinion only. Wink at my big brown eye as I dump on your wheelhouse.

[captnemo]

We gave it our best fishing for bass today. Unfortunately the bass did not cooperate. Started just E of the hook where we found and netted bunker. Tossed one out to have it chopped in half by a big bluefish so we decided to move down the beach. We worked bunker pods from the shrewsbury rocks to asbury. No luck. We did see a group of boats clustered off monmouth beach past the shrewsbury rocks. They were way over the line. From the looks of it they were fishing bunker for bass and I did see some busting when I checked with the binocs. We ventured out further and saw they were fishing for bass. Saw some of the big name sponsors and advertisers on some of the fishing websites out there as well as a party boat. The party boat advertises as a bluefish trip but the other private boats and charters were not bluefishing. I put a call in to the CG and hope they did something about it. It is not fair that some of us have to play by the rules and others feel they do not.

[cowherder]

captnemo thanks for taking a stand and calling those scum in! You are right the law should apply to everyone. to the idiots that think they are above it.

[VSdreams]

How can they keep getting away with it. Seems like that boat C-o-c-k Robin is a repeat offender. Cant F&G be notified of this and go out and bust them dudes?

[7deadlyplugs]

Recent news about stepping up enforcement.

"Coast Guard will step up striped bass poaching patrols"
http://www.app.com/story/sports/outd...rols/18849445/

[baitstealer]

Hey guys maybe you can help me figure this one out. I read a recent report where someone was trolling off of manasquan and they got stripers in 65 feet of water. How far out do you have to be off that area for the depth to be 65 feet? I am not looking to stir the pot I really don't know the answer. When I read it it seemed that 65 feet had to be pretty far off. Also wondering why a lot of stripers don't seem to be coming in close to the surf in monmouth county this year? thanks

[finchaser]

2 1/2 to 3 miles

No bait and everything is filled in with sand

[DarkSkies]

Some were asking me about this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Light
Some light summer reading in case anyone has an interest.

[seamonkey]

A lot of guys do this where I fish out of in south jersey because the beaches are so flat and shallow. They claim you don't even begin to find a lot of fish until you come close to the line. That's funny because we have a lot of nice stripers in the surf in april and may. After that they are very hard to catch though.

[surferman]

True. It's so ironic that a lot of the bass are just over the line. I found this from the Coast Guard. If striped bass are in such good shape as some say, why does the Coast Guard say they are not fully recovered?

"Though most striped bass fishing takes place close to shore and in the back bays because that is where the fish are mainly located, some anglers choose to ignore a rule that bans fishing for the species in what is known as the Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ, defined as any distance between three and 200 nautical miles from shore. An uptick in poaching has led the Coast Guard to plan stepped up enforcement of the ban, officials said.

?It?s important to remember Atlantic striped bass have not fully recovered from years of overfishing,? said Capt. Kathy Moore, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, which is responsible for the waters off the New Jersey coast from Shark River Inlet to Cape May. ?Complying with these rules will ensure this resource is available to future generations.

A person caught fishing for, or in possession of striped bass while in the EEZ is subject to civil fines.

As for poaching, the public is being encouraged by the Coast Guard to report any suspected poaching activity to Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay at 215-271-4974. Calls should include a description of the activity, those involved, the location and the time of the suspected offense. Such information greatly increases the effectiveness of law enforcement operations"

[hookedonbass]

What do you guys who go out there every day think of these pics. Does the land look far away? Like more than 3 miles away maybe? They were posted yesterday by a boat who claims they slaughtered bass to 45lbs. Looks a little far off the beach to me. Do you think some of these guys are fishing over the 3 mile limit? If so where is the coast guard? Just wondering, thanks.

[VSdreams]

The shore does look a little far off to me. You can barely see it and the water towers. Looks like lavalette ortley by the towers in the background and where they have been getting them based on the reports I read. I am a bad judge of distance so it's not up to me to judge. I would think the CG should be monitoring that as you said.

[finchaser]

Nope yesterday the head boat fleet stayed past the 3 mile limit most of the day we were about 2 1/2 miles off They did move in for a while when the following happened.


Bounty Hunter regular Ed Sobjak had his annual charter on board today. Along with Ed were Kyle, Steve, Jim, Mike & Bruce. Paul ran to the area where he had the Bass yesterday. The reads were solid and after putting out the Trolling gear the guys were into the Bass big time. We had plenty of hook ups but only managed to put 3 Bass in the box while losing over 10. After some discussion the guys settled down and the next 2 Bass were landed nicely. Steve a member of the charter fought the last Bass a 44 1/2" beauty and as the fish hit the deck Steve collapsed. Paul immediately seen that Steve was in need of medical assistance and called the Manasquan CG. Fortunately the CG had a fast boat within 3 miles of our position and they responded to our call within minutes. We transferred Steve to the CG vessel and they were off to the Hospital where unfortunately Steve did not survive. Steve was an avid fisherman and he passed away doing what he loved. He will be missed by all of us. Capt. Paul and the crew of the Bounty Hunter send their Condolences and Prayers to Steve's family during this very difficult time.

[blitzhunter]

What a bunch of a-holes. Hope their fines are the max. allowed.

December 11, 2015
CAPE MAY, N.J. - The Coast Guard issued violations Tuesday and Wednesday during two separate cases off Cape May due to the possession of Atlantic striped bass within the exclusive economic zone.


Coast Guard law enforcement crews conduct boardings on a routine basis throughout the Mid-Atlantic and place an emphasis on the protection of the Atlantic striped bass against commercial and recreational fishing within the EEZ.


A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May discovered three Atlantic striped bass Wednesday while boarding a pleasure craft approximately eight miles off Cape May.


A boarding team from the Virginia-based Coast Guard Cutter Dependable found five Atlantic striped bass Tuesday while boarding a pleasure craft approximately three and a half nautical miles off Cape May within the EEZ.

In each case, the Coast Guard issued an enforcement action report.
Atlantic striped bass, commonly referred to as stripers or rockfish, normally migrate south during the winter seasons, following their ideal sea temperatures. While striped bass are typically found closer to shore, changing sea temperatures can cause them to migrate farther than three miles offshore.

More stringent regulations adopted in the 1980s were lifted in the mid-90s as stocks replenished; however, the prohibition of catching, fishing for or possessing Atlantic Striped Bass in the EEZ continues to be a federal offense.


"It is illegal to possess or target the Atlantic striped bass in federal waters, which begin three miles from shore," said Lt. Cmdr. Patricia Bennett, the deputy enforcement chief for the Fifth Coast Guard District in Portsmouth, Virginia. "In state waters - waters less than three miles from the coast - each state has its own laws designed to protect stripers. Even though the Coast Guard does not enforce those state laws, if we find a violation at the state level, we may notify state authorities."
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/...f-South-Jersey

[blitzhunter]

Quote from another article
"“The three-mile line is clearly marked on nautical charts,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Stephen Atchley, officer in charge aboard Coast Guard Cutter Cochito out of Portsmouth. “With all the modern navigation equipment, it is every mariners responsibility to know where they are when they are on the water. That means knowing if you’re fishing in state or federal waters.”
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2635546/

Video of them starting out.
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/441916/striped-bass-2015#.VnKfhVLQrMl

[finchaser]

No one enforces it so no one cares right up there with the bonus tag both are total BS in IMO

[finchaser]

Its not allowed to target or catch in the EEZ zone period

[surferman]

well, maybe the enforcement just got a little stricter. I for one am glad to see it.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/n...c8b84dff4.html

[plugcrazy]

Just busted some guys last week. Heads up.
http://www.moremonmouthmusings.net/2...ch-hefty-fine/