[thyer]

I remember as a kid my father making his comments about the fishermen that leave their garbage and the ones that take everything they catch. Now that I am his age I notice all the same things. Is it because it's happening more or is it that some people just have more of an awareness of their actions and the impact for their fellow fisherman as well as society. Let's face it some people just don't care.
The one thing I find interesting is the lack of updating of our fishing regulations. I found a 1980's ny fishing reg booklet and the limits are the same as they are today. Is it because they found the sweet spot and there's no need to change them? One can't help but think 30+ years of the same regs with triple the population has to have some profound effect.
Trash garbage and debris. Another fact that can not be disputed is the amount of litter in the form of plastics. This could be from the population increase as there will always be douches that litter, more people, more litter. Just look at how many plastic bags line the river and trees, the staggering amount of plastic bottles along river banks, roads and area that see people.
I've been in nj long enough to see a few waters go from productive nice places to fish with family to closed to the public or still open with no fish.
So to answer all your questions I'd say the future of nj is only going to remain the same or improved if action is taken today. If we as a society wait until that ever so famous "oh sh*t" moment it will be too late.