Bill Text: NJ AR249 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Expresses support for New England Fishery Management Council's decision to lift ban on cold-weather dredging.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-06-15 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee [AR249 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR249-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman SAMUEL L. FIOCCHI
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Expresses support for New England Fishery Management Council's decision to lift ban on cold-weather dredging.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution expressing support for the New England Fishery Management Council's decision to lift the ban on cold-weather dredging.
Whereas, The New England Fishery Management Council, one of eight regional fisheries councils established by federal legislation in 1976, is charged with conserving and managing fishery resources from three to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut; and
Whereas, The eight regional councils recommend fishery management measures to the Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and management measures recommended by the councils are not final until they are approved by the Secretary of Commerce; and
Whereas, The management authority of the New England Fishery Management Council extends to the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England, and overlaps with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council for some species, including winter flounder; and
Whereas, Winter flounder are an important commercial and recreational fish throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic, although current harvests are a fraction of their historic levels; and
Whereas, Federal and state authorities cooperatively manage winter flounder as the fish migrate from offshore habitats in federal waters to inshore habitats in state waters to reproduce, and winter flounder are harvested in both federal and state waters along the northeast coast; and
Whereas, The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission coordinates management in state waters and the New England Fishery Management Council is responsible for management in federal waters; and
Whereas, The New England Fishery Management Council recently voted to lift the ban on cold-weather dredging that was initially imposed due to a decline in the winter flounder population; and
Whereas, Winter flounder no longer inhabit the southernmost portion of their range in any significant numbers, moving further north to colder waters; and
Whereas, The cold-weather dredging ban, in effect from January through May, impacts marinas in the southern portion of New Jersey, and lifting the ban would be beneficial to marinas and the boating industry as a whole, allowing marinas to conduct necessary dredging work in the winter months when there are less boats in the water; and
Whereas, The recent vote by the New England Fishery Management Council, if approved by the NMFS and the Secretary of Commerce would provide an economic boost to the marina industry and the economy as a whole; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House supports the New England Fishery Management Council's decision to lift the ban on cold-weather dredging. This House further urges the National Marine Fisheries Service and the United States Secretary of Commerce to approve the New England Fishery Management Council's decision to lift the ban on cold-weather dredging.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce, the Administrator of the Greater Atlantic Region of the National Marine Fisheries Service within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States Department of Commerce, the Executive Director of the New England Fishery Management Council, the Executive Director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.
STATEMENT
This resolution expresses support for the New England Fishery Management Council's effort to lift the ban on cold-weather dredging. This resolution further urges the National Marine Fisheries Service and the United States Secretary of Commerce to approve the New England Fishery Management Council's decision to lift the ban on cold-weather dredging.
The cold-weather dredging ban, in effect from January through May, impacts marinas in the southern portion of New Jersey, and lifting the ban would be beneficial to marinas and the boating industry as a whole, allowing marinas to conduct necessary dredging work in the winter months when there are less boats in the water.
