Fish Code Amendment Information

[AndyS]

New Jersey's Fish and Game Council, and the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is proposing amendments to the 2012 * 2013 Fish Code. The proposed amendments will be published in the August 1, 2011 New Jersey Register, initiating the sixty-day public comment period which will end on September 30, 2011. The Fish Code governs when, by what means, at which locations, in what numbers, and at what sizes, fish may be pursued, caught, killed, or possessed.

Since the turn of the century, the Fish Code has provided a system for the protection, propagation, introduction and conservation of freshwater fish in this State and for their use and development for public recreation and food supply. Biennial revisions of season dates, creel limits and other regulations based on scientific investigation and research ensures the greatest likelihood of success in reaching these goals.

A public hearing concerning the proposed amendments will be held on September 13, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at:

NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife - Central Regional Office
East Branch - Eldridge Road
Assunpink Wildlife Management Area
Robbinsville, New Jersey 08691

Submit written comments by September 30, 2011, to:
Gary J. Brower, Esq.
Attention: Docket Number: 10-11-06
Office of Legal Affairs
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Mail Code 401-04L
401 East State Street, 4th Floor
P.O. Box 402
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0402

The Fish and Game Council requests that commenters submit comments on CD or DVD as well as on paper in order to facilitate incorporation of submitted comments into its comment-response document. For this purpose, the comments on CD or DVD should not be access-restricted (locked or read-only). The Department prefers Microsoft Word 6.0 or above. MacIntosh formats should not be used. Submission of a CD or DVD is not a requirement. Each comment should be identified by the applicable N.J.A.C. citation, with the commenter's name and affiliation following the comment

Proposed amendments include, but are not limited the following:

The Code provides that species of warmwater fish that do not have specific daily creel and possession limits shall have a daily creel and possession limit of 25 in total. The Council is proposing to expand this protection to all species of freshwater fish that do not have a designated creel limit.

Sixty-one species of fish that are native to the fresh waters of New Jersey are proposed to be defined under the term "Indigenous fish".

Proposed dates for the "opening day" of the 2013 to 2016 trout seasons.

The Council proposes to add South Vineland Park Pond (Cumberland County) and Brookaloo Swamp (Warren County) to the Division's trout stocking program. In addition, four waterbodies are also proposed to be removed from the Division's trout stocking program Clarks Pond (Essex), Mullica Hill Pond (Gloucester), Riverview Beach Pond (Salem), and Trout Brook-Hope (Warren).

The proposal also includes adjustments to boundaries of the trout stocked sections of Honey Run and Lopatcong Creek to assure appropriate protection of stocked fish in these waterbodies.

The Council proposes to increase the creel limit on lake trout in Round Valley Reservoir to six fish, 15 inches to less than 24 inches in length, and one additional fish, 24 inches or greater, for a daily creel total of seven lake trout to reduce a current stockpile of fish less than 24 inches.

A 15 inch minimum size limit and a daily creel and possession limit of three for largemouth bass is proposed for Alloway Lake (Salem County).

For consistency with Pennsylvania, the Council proposes to increase the current rod limit from two to three for the Delaware River. To further improve consistency with Pennsylvania, the taking of eels, herring, and bullheads while bow fishing on the Delaware River is proposed to be prohibited while allowing the taking of catfish.

The Council proposes to clarify bow fishing regulations by identifying ten species of fish which may be taken by bow anglers. Currently, the Code identifies thirteen species which may not be taken.