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Originally Posted by Flygaff
I agree with the state protecting the fresh water trout fishing regs. However, what exactly does the state do for us in way of managing fluke. I must have missed the states Fluke Stocking Program. In the saltwater environment, the state is nothing more than a pest trying to suck money out of a Public Resource
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Here's a bit more background of for you Fly. The Marine Fisheries Bureau is responsible for countless tasks and projects that impact our saltwater fisheries. A few examples, they constantly monitor the water quality in the back bay areas many of our favorite species need for both spawning and nursery habitats. They work to ensure these areas are able to sustain suitable water quality for these needs. They spend a great deal of time trying to cover 'new', as in formerly un-tested or un-quantified waters/areas to identify places that might need protection from development, pollution, etc to protect and hopefully enhance the populations of our marine species. They also try to monitor the landings both recreational and commercial of all the various species to be able to have data to present to the regional and federal agencies that Gerry referred to in an effort to get higher allocations for us from those controlling bodies.This is just a small slice of the work they do on behalf of us bay and ocean anglers. Of course they also have to deal with the crustacean and shellfish populations, harvests, safe waters, etc. Getting back to the issue of the regional and federal agencies that allocate the annual quotas to each coastal state, part of the allocation equations involve knowing how many salt water anglers there are in each state. Having that figure gives our Marine Fisheries Bureau more ammo to argue for higher allocations for our state, which translates into things like lower size limits, higher bag limits, longer seasons, or any combination of the above. So, contrary to what you may have been led to believe, NJF&W actually does a tremendous amount on behalf of our salt anglers and the species we pursue. The problem is a good portion of the monies for these projects and activities comes from freshwater licenses, hunting licenses, etc. since we have no salt license. Trying to enumerate the volume of salt anglers to have that number as ammo to use with the mentioned agencies was a large part of the push for a salt license some years ago. Having the salt only folks cover some of the expenses currently covered by freshwater and hunting license monies was another factor, and being able to better recoup the federal excise taxes we all pay on saltwater rods, reels, tackle and on the water boat fuel is another huge factor. Those tax dollars are handed over to the US Fish & Wildlife Service for distribution to each coastal state, but the formula for deciding what percentage a given state recieves is dependant on the number of salt water anglers a state can prove. Hopefully this gives you a bit better understanding of the whole situation along with a bit more appreciation for the work of the Marine Fisheries Bureau.
