VHFC's   What's New   Page

The NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is implementing a new angler survey to collect information on certain marine fish important to recreational anglers. Current data collection efforts for recreational fisheries are hindered by sampling only a small portion of the fishing public and from collecting only minimal data on discarded fish. Information collected through this voluntary survey will provide data which may support alternative management strategies that increase fishing opportunities for the public. The focus of this voluntary survey is catch and effort from fishing trips in marine and estuarine waters of the state and surrounding areas. For catch information, we are interested in collecting information on the number and size of both kept and released fish.
Thank you for your assistance with this project. Please note that this is a new survey, so the appearance of the survey page may change slightly over time - we hope you'll be a regular contributor. We value and appreciate your input toward the management of our marine resources. The survey is located at http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/marinesurvey08.htm on the division's website. Anglers are encouraged to submit a survey whenever they return from saltwater fishing.

The 2008 Fluke season opened on May 24. The Winter Flounder season closed on May 21;
The 2008 Tautog season will be closed from May 1 until July 15.

The NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has posted the new 2008 NJ Marine Fishing Regulations on their website. The printed version is available in tackle shops now.

At our May 9th meeting, Jim Hutchinson Sr. unveiled an annual tribute to our dearly departed friend Captain Melanie Boytos. Captain Melanie, also known as the Fisherqueen, was a close friend this club. Many of our members enjoyed the pleasure of fishing with her in the Barnegat Inlet area. This tribute will be in the form of an annual award for the VHFC angler of the year. Since Captain Melanie primarily fished for Fluke, Weakfish, Striped Bass and Bluefish, the award will be based on catching one of each of these coveted species. In our area, catching all four of these species is known as a Grand Slam (or Inshore Slam). Points will be awarded based on the size of the fish, and the club angler who has the most points at the end of the year, will win the award for that year. The rules are available by clicking the link above as well as in our June newsletter; and this year's contest will begin on June 14, 2008. To honor Captain Mel's fishing prowess, you must complete the Grand Slam by weighing in at least one of each species over the course of the year to be elibible to win.

Also at our May 9th meeting, we learned that the Chum Bucket (one or our club's sponsors and weigh-in stations) has started a new web site with an interactive Forum. I checked with Skip and John at the Chum Bucket, and they said we can use this forum to share current fishing information. I encourage all VHFC members to join this forum, so we can share our experience in a more timely and interactive manner. All you have to do is go to the website thechum-bucket.com and click on the button labled "Message Board", then click Register. After you register, go to the Talk about Fishing forum to fnd out what's happening and tell us what you have done.

Coming soon: Vessel Safety Check (click for checklist)
Ed Wetmore has once again offered to provide free vessel safety checks for VHFC members. This year Ed will come visit your home to inspect your boat on June 15. If you would like to take advantage of this generous offer by Ed, and be able to rest assured that your vessel is indeed safe by Coast Guard standards, please contact Ed at 609-294-6956 or by email at ejwetmore@comcast.net

Alert:   New Marine Boating Law  Currently all boat operators born after 12/31/1948 must complete a Boating Safety Course before they may legally operate a power vessel.   Effective June 1, 2009, all boat operators,regardless of age, must complete a Boating Safety Course before they may legally operate a power vessel. Click the link above for the text of the new law. If you have a boating safety certificate, and are not sure if it satisfys the NJ requirements, you can contact the NJ State Police Marine Law Enforcement Division at PO Box 7068 West Trenton, NJ 08628-0068.

Click here for a list of books, videos and DVDs available in the VHFC Library.

Click here for Issues related to regulations, fishing, boating and the environment.

NJ Outdoor Alliance

In 2007, the NJ Outdoor Alliance was formed so that New Jersey's Hunters, Trappers and Anglers would have a unified organization from which to voice common concerns. The mission of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance is to advance and defend hunting, fishing, and trapping in New Jersey. We will enhance and protect New Jersey’s outdoor heritage. The N.J.O.A. will unite and mobilize outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen to further the practice of scientific management of fish and wildlife. We will guard against legal and legislative assaults on hunting, fishing, and trapping. The N.J.O.A. will support those legislators, and the advancement of legislation, that endorse or promote the outdoor experience.
Click on the link above, to find out more about this new organization, and how you can participate.


NJ Reef Rescue

Earlier this year, legislaton was introduced in the NJ State Legislature to maintain the intended purpose of the NJ Artificial Reef Sites, and to insure recreational anglers access to the reef sites. The bill, Assembly, No. 3986, prohibits the use of certain types of fishing traps from being left unattended on the reef sites, thereby preventing access for hook and line angling. Click on the link above to find out more about this important issue.


Fluke Regulations

On Monday September 17, 2007 the RFA hosted a Town Hall Meeting to discuss Fluke regulations and the Blackfish situation. As we have discussed at our club meetings, the problem with Fluke regulations is due to the Magnuson-Stevens act, but it is much deeper than that. RFA director Jim Donofrio highlighted several important factors: 1) the Science, 2) the Language, 3) the Legislative Process, 4) Unity, and 5) Funding. He indicated that efforts are in progress to scientifically analyze the Fluke Fishery through studies to be performed by Rutgers and Cornell. These studies require funding. We will talk more about this at our next meeting.
NJ Congressman Frank Pallone has asked NMFS Director Dr. William Hogarth to request an independent peer review of the summer flounder stock assessment. He has also stated that fisheries managers, elected officials and fishermen need to work together to achieve more consistent quotas.
NJ Assemblyman Sean Kean, who introduced the bill to prohibit fish traps from NJ's artificial reef sites, also spoke at the meeting. He indicated that the Senate version of his bill is likely to come out of committee in October, and could possibly be voted upon, then. We should write letters to our state Senators and Assemblymen as well as Richard Cody, State Senate President and acting Governor.
We have created a page on the VHFC web site with refrences to several documents and articles related to this particular fishery and Legislation which guides the management of the species.

NJ fishing Show (click on the name of the show for their website):
   New Jersey Angler Video Magazine will air on Comcast Sportsnet starting June 7th, three times each week – Wednesdays at 4:30pm, Saturdays at 5:00pm, and Sundays between noon and 2pm, through August, 2006. Viewers are urged to check local listings, as airtimes may change slightly on a weekly basis.
   Read their News Release for additional information.

Local fishing Show (click on the name of the show for their website):
   Northeast Angling Saturdays at 7:30 am on Fox Sports NY (Channel 75 on Comcast in Manahawkin)
They filmed a Barnegat Bay Weakfish show in 2004.