SENATE, No. 2675

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED JUNE 11, 2018

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  BOB ANDRZEJCZAK

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

Senator  JEFF VAN DREW

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Permits commercial fishing vessels to possess more than daily trip limit of black sea bass and summer flounder, under certain conditions.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act concerning certain commercial fishing possession limits and supplementing P.L.1979, c.199 (C.23:2B-1 et seq.).

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  Notwithstanding any rule or regulation to the contrary, the commissioner shall not limit the amount of black sea bass or summer flounder a vessel may possess in the waters of the State, provided that the vessel has proof, on the vessel, of a legal permit for the additional catch, in excess of the New Jersey daily trip limit, from another state.  This subsection shall also apply in circumstances when there is a closed season for black sea bass or summer flounder in New Jersey. 

     b.    A vessel possessing an excess of the daily trip limit of black sea bass or summer flounder as set by the commissioner shall notify the department of the time and place of unloading of the vessel in the State at least six hours in advance thereof.  The unloading shall not occur except between the hours of 6:00am and 6:00pm.

     c.     A vessel that retains black sea bass or summer flounder after unloading in New Jersey for further sale in another state shall provide documentation of the sale of the excess fish to the satisfaction of the department before the vessel may land black sea bass or summer flounder again in New Jersey. 

 

     2.    This act shall take effect on April 1 next following the date of enactment; however, the Department of Environmental Protection may take any anticipatory action in advance thereof as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act. 

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill would permit commercial fishing vessels to possess more than the daily trip limit of black sea bass and summer flounder if that vessel has proof of a legal permit to unload the additional catch in another state.

     The bill would prohibit the Commissioner of Environmental Protection from limiting the amount of black sea bass or summer flounder a vessel may possess, provided that the vessel has proof of a legal permit for the catch in excess of the New Jersey daily trip limit from another state.  This would include circumstances when New Jersey has a closed season for black sea bass or summer flounder, but another state has an open season.  Thus this bill would allow vessels to unload the legal limit in New Jersey, and proceed to other states to offload any additional catch that the vessel is already permitted to offload in those states.  A vessel possessing an excess of the daily trip limit of black sea bass or summer flounder would be required to notify the department of the time and place of unloading of the vessel in the State at least six hours in advance of unloading, and would be required to unload between the hours of 6:00am and 6:00pm.  Current regulations require that a vessel notify the department two hours before unloading, and that a vessel unload in all cases between 6:00am and 6:00pm from November 1 through April 30.  If a vessel retains black sea bass or summer flounder after unloading in New Jersey, that vessel must provide documentation that demonstrates that it sold the excess fish before the vessel may land black sea bass or summer flounder in New Jersey again.