Saltwater fishing license is coming..!!!!!!

[Oldsalts]

Just wondering if this will affect you guys up north .

This was in the morning paper today ...
Very interesting read...
The Feds are going to stuff it down our throats...




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Local News | Local Sports



Changes ahead for anglers?


By DAVID LEVINSKY
Burlington County Times

Saltwater anglers could be required to register with the federal government before going fishing next year.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed a rule last week to create a federal registry containing the names, addresses, phone numbers and preferred fishing destinations of anglers who fish for fun off the coast and in most tidal waters.
The rule mandates that those who fish in federal waters, defined as 3 miles off the cost, must register along with anglers who fish in waters where anadromous species such as striped bass, shad and salmon are known to migrate.
Anadromous fish are spawned in freshwater rivers and streams but then live most of their adult lives in saltwater oceans and bays.
A NOAA official said the stipulation blankets most of New Jersey's bays and tidal rivers.
“Bays, off the beach, and up rivers; anywhere you're likely to run into an anadromous fish is where (the registration requirement) will apply,'' said NOAA spokeswoman Monica Allen.
Anglers will be required to register annually beginning in 2009. Registration would be free the first two years and annual administrative fee ranging from $15 to $25 would be imposed starting in 2011.
Anglers 16 and under would be exempt as well as commercial fishermen and those who fish from licensed party, charter or guide boats.
Anglers in Alaska, Florida and other Southeastern and Western states that already require saltwater fishing licenses would also be exempt.
New Jersey and other Northeast states do not offer such licenses. However, NOAA officials hope that the new federal requirement would encourage them to create saltwater licenses. Doing so would allow the money collected for licenses to be reserved for state fishing programs instead of federal coffers.
Darlene Yuhas, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency is now researching the creation of a saltwater fishing license. She declined further comment.
The idea of charging a fee to fish is nothing new. For years, freshwater fishermen in New Jersey have been required to buy an annual license and pay an additional fee to fish for trout. The money is used to stock several dozen New Jersey streams, lakes and ponds with trout raised at the state's hatchery.

New Jersey and federal authorities have periodically brought up the idea of a saltwater license, but those initiatives were scrapped due to opposition from anglers.
Tom Fote, legislative chairman for the Jersey Coast Anglers Association, said his organization has traditionally opposed the creation of a saltwater license, but would reserve judgment until the DEP unveils its proposal.
“I think they're using this to force a saltwater fishing license down our throats,” Fote said, adding that the registration requirement would be difficult to enforce outside federal waters.
“Unless you're taking striper or shad, I don't see how they can enforce that,” he said.
NOAA officials said their goal was to create a complete database of saltwater anglers so that more accurate information can be collected about what they catch. Creation of such a database was mandated by the federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
“It will help us conduct surveys to get a more complete picture of how recreational fishing by an estimated 14 million people is affecting fish stocks,” said Jim Balsinger, acting assistant administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Services. “This will lead to better stock assessments and more effective regulations to rebuild and manage these valuable fish.”
Basile Shehady, owner of the Barnegat Light Bay & Tackle shop on Long Beach Island, said he thinks most anglers would be supportive of a license, provided that any fees are dedicated to fish programs and that the state creates a single license for saltwater and freshwater fishing.
“I don't think people will have a problem if it's one license for both. That way guys that do freshwater will be able to come to the ocean and fish without having to jump through hoops,” Shehady said.
Anglers may submit comments on the proposed registry rule until Aug. 11 via the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov/.
E-mail: dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com

June 22, 2008 7:28 AM

[Riverjim]

check out the discussion...

http://www.marshmarauders.org/forums...icenses-28826/

Better to be state run then Fed run.

Another thing about the registry idea ...The health of New Englands Anadromose fish is often dependent upon what is done, and the health of the ecosystem in the chesapeak and off North carolina..We can try to solve our local problems, but without proper practices in N.C ,They could wipe out our fishery..