Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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If I could vote, I would for tighter freshwater limits, both by numbers and size. I think a five bass limit is too much, but very few people keep bass. Few keep pickerel, although a single pond can get wiped out quick, as witness Burnham Park, which was fantastic about seven years ago. I think the limit on hybrid stripers--two--is perfect. They are tasty fish, do get taken, and yet they get replenished by the Division each year. Trout, well, what's wrong with a six limit on stocked fish? But wild fish are the other issue, and at least they are more protected, and again, very few people take any.
As for trash. So many people are simply ignorant. They've been in the habit for generations of just tossing trash out the window, rather than dealing with it themselves. People by nature tend to act for their own convenience, it's just that some of us place a value on the world around us as if it's ours, which it is, instead of just feeling our limited space is all there is not to spoil. I accept the situation and really like it when I can get far away from spoils, and yet instead of feeling shat on in most places, where I see some trash here and there, some places a lot more than others, I realize that people will be that way and it's out my control and anyone else's to stop it. But it's in my control to appreciate what is good about the state and not get pissed at what I can't change. Making statement against littering probably does help a little at least. I have told people not to do it...I wish I knew statistics comparing pre-environmental movement to now...
I'm grateful for what the Knee Deep Club, RVTA, and the Division do and have done. And I think this state is amazingly resilient for all the pressure on the wilds by the immense population.
