'Pay to Fish' Averted in New Jersey
Christie signs bill creating free fishing registry
Anglers will not have to pay to fish in 2011, but they will have to register with the state. A week before New Jersey's striped bass season begins March 1, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law a bill designed to create a free registry of the state's recreational anglers. The bill provides for the state to create a registry system to account for recreational anglers, which brings New Jersey into compliance with federal law. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which regulates fisheries management policies on the federal level, all recreational anglers must be registered with either the federal government or a state agency in order for scientists to keep better records of catch data. States with fishing licenses use their licensing regimes as …
Lisa Frankenfeld
5:52 pm on Friday, April 8, 2011
I am glad people who enjoy fishing won't have to pay to do so. It seems like you have to pay for everything that is remotely enjoyable here in NJ. For example, you must pay to be near most bodies of water, be it the ocean, an inlet, a river, or a pool. Next thing you know we will be charged a fee for letting our kids run through the sprinklers. more ›