[Billfish715]

While I am not complaining about opening up the streams to Catch and Release Fishing for the next two weeks, I do have a problem with how we are being notified.

Nothing official is posted yet on the F&G website. The offices are closed so things may be a little slow. The preseason stocking list wasn't posted until after the fact so this may be the same way.

The link to the article is appreciated but the article is weak as a piece of good informative journalism. The State Environmental Director could have and should have issued a comprehensive press statement for immediate release. This article seems to be a snippet of an interview with the Commissioner which leaves out the why's and wherefore's.

In one sentence at the end of the article, it mentions the fact that the fishing is Catch and Release only. It limits the emphasis of the long established traditions of Opening Day. It was a chance to promote trout fishing and the importance it holds for so many people. The Commissioner dropped the ball on this one. She also could have had the statement or comments be directed to the public by a spokesman from the Division of Fish and Wildlife.

For me, the information would have been more effective and meaningful had it come from the Division which is intimately involved with the concerns and interests of the sportsmen and sportswomen of N.J. I also understand that the Division of Fish and Wildlife is a subsidiary of the DEP.

A formal statement has yet to be made and I think we all deserve one. Hearsay and conjecture just does not make it. Whether is was the editor or the reporter, someone did a poor job in getting out the complete information. More than likely though, the blame goes to the Environmental Commissioner's Office.

Just my 2 cents.