We need GWs!!!

[bigfishy85]

2011, 133,357 F license sold. 87,164 Tstamps
2019, 115,473 Licenses sold. 84,723 Tstamps 17,884 All around spots

$2.59 mill in license, $889,590 T stamps alone, $1.29 mill All Around

$3,479, plus million in those 3 resident licenses alone!!!

Avg Game warden pay $88,500 x 21 county's... $1,858,mill

I'm curious as to why license sales dropped 15,ooo almost 10 years!! I noticed fisherman numbers skyrocket! Trout stamps down 3,000 so it's not just the hatchery outbreak. I'd bet people simply don't buy a license because no one to enforce laws. Also, any ideas on how much the hatcherys cost to run? I think there some room in budget for a few more wardens!!

[Jigman13]

They do enforce the laws. Sometimes they need our help b/c there are so few conservation officers. Whenever I'm approached by one and after he or she reviews my documentation, I ask him/her for their contact info and for the areas they cover throughout NJ. I've used the contact info several times in the last 2-3 years with success. I also use the Game Thief hotline on the NJ Fish & Wildlife website--I keep all of the #s saved to my mobile phone.

Just yesterday, while back bay fluking from shore in a spot I frequent all season long, I saw a group of 5 males--late teens to early 20s--sliding way short fluke into a garbage bag, hooting and hollering they didnt care to measure, etc. One guy walked up to them and told them they needed to be 18" but they brushed him off and kept putting back Coronas.

I dialed up Game Thief, provided them with descriptions and who the anglers were I saw catching and putting the fish in the garbage bag. Ten mins later I received a call from the CO. A very thankful, cordial guy asking for a bit more info. And fortunately, he was one town over and had been glassing the group of poachers from another shoreline area after my call went in.

About 10 more minutes later wouldnt ya know... over the dune and reeds comes the CO. He walked up to the group, looked through their stuff, ID'ed them all, pulled out their fish, measured them, confiscated the catch and escorted them out of the area--probably back to his truck to write them tickets.

I play by the rules, I follow them. Conservation officers simply need our help b/c their bandwidth is stretched so thin.

[Flygaff]

I agree with the state protecting the fresh water trout fishing regs. However, what exactly does the state do for us in way of managing fluke. I must have missed the states Fluke Stocking Program. In the saltwater environment, the state is nothing more than a pest trying to suck money out of a Public Resource

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by Flygaff

I agree with the state protecting the fresh water trout fishing regs. However, what exactly does the state do for us in way of managing fluke. I must have missed the states Fluke Stocking Program. In the saltwater environment, the state is nothing more than a pest trying to suck money out of a Public Resource

States have very little influence on salt water regulations. Quotas are assigned by various regional and federal committees based on strict laws put in place years ago in the Magnuson Act to manage sustainability.

Basically we're stuck with what these committees decide our quota is going to be and there is very little wiggle room for individual states to decide what their regulations are. What happens is we are given 3 -5 options for length of season, bag and size limits to meet our quota and we trade being able to keep smaller or more fish for a shorter season.

[june181901]

I've been fishing the Shrewsbury/Navesink area since the summer of '78 and have never seen much less been stopped by any NJ F and G Warden.
US Coast Guard once for a safety inspection.

[Gerry Zagorski]

We've been stopped by NJ fish and game 4 or 5 times in the last few years while fishing the bay and the ocean...

They're in our marina a lot as well and when you dock they come by for a look see too...

[akoop]

When I would launch my boat at of Leonardo State Marina, I would estimate that 6 out of every 10 times when getting back to the dock during fluke season officers were there checking catches. During spring striper trips it was more like 1 out of 15 or 20 trips.

[Duffman]

Originally Posted by june181901

I've been fishing the Shrewsbury/Navesink area since the summer of '78 and have never seen much less been stopped by any NJ F and G Warden.
US Coast Guard once for a safety inspection.

That crazy! Like others have chimed in with ive been checked on the water and at the dock multiple times.

State, Coasties and county. Maybe I’m just a magnet for being checked for some reason . Always a good visit. Guys doing there job and always friendly.

[Dave B.]

Originally Posted by Flygaff

I agree with the state protecting the fresh water trout fishing regs. However, what exactly does the state do for us in way of managing fluke. I must have missed the states Fluke Stocking Program. In the saltwater environment, the state is nothing more than a pest trying to suck money out of a Public Resource

Here's a bit more background of for you Fly. The Marine Fisheries Bureau is responsible for countless tasks and projects that impact our saltwater fisheries. A few examples, they constantly monitor the water quality in the back bay areas many of our favorite species need for both spawning and nursery habitats. They work to ensure these areas are able to sustain suitable water quality for these needs. They spend a great deal of time trying to cover 'new', as in formerly un-tested or un-quantified waters/areas to identify places that might need protection from development, pollution, etc to protect and hopefully enhance the populations of our marine species. They also try to monitor the landings both recreational and commercial of all the various species to be able to have data to present to the regional and federal agencies that Gerry referred to in an effort to get higher allocations for us from those controlling bodies.This is just a small slice of the work they do on behalf of us bay and ocean anglers. Of course they also have to deal with the crustacean and shellfish populations, harvests, safe waters, etc. Getting back to the issue of the regional and federal agencies that allocate the annual quotas to each coastal state, part of the allocation equations involve knowing how many salt water anglers there are in each state. Having that figure gives our Marine Fisheries Bureau more ammo to argue for higher allocations for our state, which translates into things like lower size limits, higher bag limits, longer seasons, or any combination of the above. So, contrary to what you may have been led to believe, NJF&W actually does a tremendous amount on behalf of our salt anglers and the species we pursue. The problem is a good portion of the monies for these projects and activities comes from freshwater licenses, hunting licenses, etc. since we have no salt license. Trying to enumerate the volume of salt anglers to have that number as ammo to use with the mentioned agencies was a large part of the push for a salt license some years ago. Having the salt only folks cover some of the expenses currently covered by freshwater and hunting license monies was another factor, and being able to better recoup the federal excise taxes we all pay on saltwater rods, reels, tackle and on the water boat fuel is another huge factor. Those tax dollars are handed over to the US Fish & Wildlife Service for distribution to each coastal state, but the formula for deciding what percentage a given state recieves is dependant on the number of salt water anglers a state can prove. Hopefully this gives you a bit better understanding of the whole situation along with a bit more appreciation for the work of the Marine Fisheries Bureau.

[Mikey topaz]

They are definitely more present in the saltwater... all I know is just about every trip to the valley last month evreytime there was a game warden there... mind you this is the day time. I also saw on Facebook they had a bunch of new wardens just graduated they had a post up with the new guys and the county they would be watching over. Far as the license sales go it’s a mix of both in my opinion the kids now days want nothing to do with fishing and outdoors very few! Video games destroyed it!!! Need to get this younger generation involved!!!!!! I would imagine sales would be better this year being there was not a whole lot to do??? I don’t know you would think....?? Myself growing up I was riding my bike down the side of rt 22 from bound brook to branchburg just to trout fish lol. IT was pretty regular the bpd would call my home saying we got your son on the side of the highway with his fishing rod and bike and always had that stringer of 6. Kids now days just don’t have the passion like our old mans taught us. Another that hurt the state I feel is that buddy license... I still don’t get the hunting one... but fishing is like most these people fish for free to one time probably don’t catch nothing and are like forget this I ain’t wasting my money. The trout thing is a part of it but it will come back over time right now make the best of what we have, there’s always something to fish for in this state