Continued Discussion of the NMS proposal

[JBird]

I wanted to start a new thread here as a way to move on to the next step.
We are all in agreement in the NJFishing community that the proposed designation of Sandy Hook Bay, The Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers and their tributaries as a National Marine Sanctuary is a terrible idea. It is a direct threat to our rights. So. What next?

We need a coordinated effort to prevent this happening.

Some things I think we should start looking into such as:

-Is this just Rik Van Hemmen's personal pet project or does he have other people/entities/organizations backing or funding him? We need transparency on this so we know exactly who and what we are dealing with.

-Can we somehow block the application process from happening? I don't know if there is a mechanism in place where if enough opposition is generated the application itself can be tossed before it even gets to the desk of the person/entity who could enact the NMS.

-If we can't block it than who or what agency actually gives the thumbs up or down on whether or not the designation goes through. Once we establish who has final say we can begin the process of making our voice heard through petitions, phone calls etc.

Maybe the RFA or anyone else can weigh in here and answer these questions or post more question in regards to this. This is a serious threat and we can't waste a moment getting on the ball.
I want to keep this all fresh in everyone's mind and the last thread has kind of run it's course.