Politics & Government

Senator: Halt Fishing Fines Connected to Registry

Van Drew: Maximum fines 'absurd'

As New Jersey anglers began targeting summer flounder for the first time in 2011, the state Senator who spearheaded the creation of a free registration system for anglers called for a moratorium on fines for anglers who fail to register, as required by law, before they fish.

Senator Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland) has called on Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin to halt plans to charge residents an initial civil penalty of up to $3,000 for failing to register with the new free state fishing registry, the product of a bill he sponsored. The registry system, required under federal law, . Fines can be imposed on those who fail to register as well as those who are registered but cannot produce their registration card.

“The very purpose of creating the free registry was to cut people a break,” wrote Van Drew. “And since it is a new system, it is expected that residents who fish infrequently and individuals traveling from out of state may not be aware of the new requirement to register. A $300 fine for an initial offense of noncompliance is extreme, and the potential maximum fine of $3,000 is just absurd.”

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Van Drew said he intends to introduce legislation immediately to scale back the penalties for noncompliance, imposing a warning for a first offense and a $20 fine for each subsequent offense. He requested the DEP impose a moratorium on fine assessments until the legislation is signed.

Martin, as the DEP commissioner, has the legal authority to establish fines for offenses that violate state environmental policies. A state law outlining specific fines would supercede agency-level fine determinations, however.

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The registry program was spurred by a provision in the federal Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management Act, which requires a registry of the nation's anglers with the stated goal of making it easier for scientists to determine accurate catch data. States with paid fishing licenses could use their licensing systems as registries, but New Jersey had no saltwater fishing license and had to either create the free registry or direct anglers to register at a federal website for $15.

Anglers can register to fish at www.saltwaterregistry.nj.gov.


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