Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilson
Mo money!
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There'd be much more money to be made for the state embracing them as a recreational game fish (i'd imagine more licenses sold in south jersey, with their limited species options, they're exciting to catch and could get many more people hooked on fishing imo). Have tournaments with donations to NJFW or whatever. Add them to the skillful angler list turn it into a friendly competition, etc.
They're not making any money on tickets for people releasing them...They'd have to be standing there watching them do it from start to finish, close enough to clearly identify it from a bowfin. In fact, i'd bet money that there has not been a single ticket given for releasing a snakehead caught in NJ...
And just for the record, my total opinion... more regulations are almost NEVER the answer to any fishing problem in NJ! Mostly because they are so short handed they can't enforce them enough! What would be a better option imo is education: things like, stressing releasing bigger game fish from panfish to stripers and everything in between, teaching people how to safely catch, photo, and release a fish (especially in summer) etc, you could go on and on.
bottom line, the only fact is they are not going to be eradicated by anglers killing what they catch and there is no other feasible way to get rid of them; they are here to stay. Telling people to kill them is white noise at this point no matter what your opinion is on the topic.
