NJ Proposed Ammendments to Fish Code

[Gerry Zagorski]

Public Hearing April 22
Comment By May 14

Amendments to the Fish Code have been proposed for 2022-2025. Among the proposed changes are the following:

Add season dates for the 2022-2025 Trout Seasons.
Remove Hook's Creek Lake from the Trout Stocking Program.
Establish a statewide 12-inch minimum size limit and a daily creel limit of two fish per day for Atlantic (landlocked) salmon.
Add three species of fish to the potentially dangerous fish species list.
A complete summary of the proposed changes can be accessed from the DEP Notice of Rule Proposal.https://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/notices...ce=govdelivery

More information, including how to submit comment and attend the virtual hearing on April 22, is found on the Division's website. https://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ne...ce=govdelivery

[thmyorke1]

Thanks Gerry,

Complete Proposed Amendments can be found in this pdf

https://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/proposals/20210315a.pdf

[thmyorke1]

Invasive species to be added:

Round Goby, Blue catfish, and the "other" black-basses, like Spotted Bass.

"Black Bass species,other than the indigenous Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, and Blue Catfish... Large-mouth and Smallmouth Bass have naturalized in New Jersey and are both recreationally and economically important species.

Others from the same genus such as the Alabama Bass (Micropterus henshalli) and Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) are problem-atic in waters beyond their native ranges; hybridizing with native black bass species.
"

lol maybe a miswording of "indigenous" in the code oh well

[DanH]

Originally Posted by thmyorke1

Invasive species to be added:

Round Goby, Blue catfish, and the "other" black-basses, like Spotted Bass.

"Black Bass species,other than the indigenous Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, and Blue Catfish... Large-mouth and Smallmouth Bass have naturalized in New Jersey and are both recreationally and economically important species.

Others from the same genus such as the Alabama Bass (Micropterus henshalli) and Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) are problem-atic in waters beyond their native ranges; hybridizing with native black bass species.
"

lol maybe a miswording of "indigenous" in the code oh well

True, a lot of people don't realize that the large mouth bass is NOT native to NJ . Some people believe that the SMB may have been present in the upper Delaware watershed.

[thmyorke1]

Originally Posted by DanH

True, a lot of people don't realize that the large mouth bass is NOT native to NJ . Some people believe that the SMB may have been present in the upper Delaware watershed.

Yea I always found native species very interesting. Like how did the species get bounced around etc, before humanity spread em via barrels in trains it's like some huge mystery lol

Also R.I.P. to the "spotted bass" we may have saw in the raritan lol.

[DanH]

I catch a few spots every year out of the Raritan, sometimes don't even realize it till I look at the pictures later.
I just got back from Farrington! Does anybody EVER get any pike out of there? lol All I got was a good drenching ! lol

[FASTEDDIE29]

Great info always! Big thanks to the people at NJ Fish and Wildlife. They work really hard to ensure the species we fish for aren't over harvested. The rules are there to protect what we take pleasure in doing, fishing! Thanks for posting Cap’n Gerry!

[cruiser1234]

I’ve seen two pike caught out of Farrington. One mine. Was so happy to get it. Total accident. The next year I brought my step dad to the same place because before the pike was a a perch bite. Same thing happened, but his was a smaller pike. Eating the Perch I guess?