LoBiondo Addresses Seismic Testing, Flounder Size Limits

AVALON – U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) responded to questions about offshore drilling and flounder size limits during his annual Legislative Update to Cape May County Chamber of Commerce members at their business meeting at Icona Golden Inn in Avalon Aug. 17.
Seismic Testing
LoBiondo spoke out against seismic testing, the process used to determine if there are oil and gas reserves beneath the sea floor.
“I don’t think it should be done at all, but to be done at this time of year when we can look out on the beach and see whales and dolphins, when we have the fourth largest commercial seaport on the East Coast in Cape May, when we have a vibrant recreational fishing community of people who come and vacation here and expect to go out and catch a few fish, it’s devastating,” he said.
LoBiondo cited a past incident where tar balls from a minor oil spill in the Delaware Bay washed up on beaches around Memorial Day. LoBiondo said media coverage made it seem the Jersey shore was devastated, “and we were. We can’t allow that to happen again,” he added. 
There are more than 70 million federal acres that are under lease right now on and offshore that are approved and ready to go, said LoBiondo. “Why are we going to fool around with our most precious resource here and take any kind of a risk?” he asked.
LoBiondo warned chamber members to remain vigilant on the issue.
“If we assume it will never happen here, we’re making a bad mistake,” he said. “There are so many things we have to watch and be careful of and this is a major one because there’s so much at stake with all of our livelihoods.”
Flounder Size Limits
Vicki Clark, chamber president, asked about flounder size regulations for the 2018 summer season, following “a stay for this summer season that regulations would be maintained at 2016 levels.”
LoBiondo said the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the marine fisheries, under the previous administration, was making decisions not based on sound science.
“What they wanted to do was take us to a size limit and a bag limit that was impossible and in addition the size limit that they wanted us to go to was exactly the fish that had the eggs that would provide for future flounder that we would be encouraged to take,” said LoBiondo.
LoBiondo praised the new administration and Secretary Wilbur Ross for overruling the Marine Fisheries Council. 
“We’re working with a group of people, New Jersey and some others, who are sympathetic to see how we can avoid this next year,” said LoBiondo.
Clark said, “It seems that the optimal solution to this is that either New Jersey be a region with Delaware, or at least we go perhaps with the Raritan Bay south and have southern New Jersey and Delaware because we’re in the same waters of the Delaware Bay.”
LoBiondo agreed with Clark’s suggestion. “The Delaware Bay has a boat from Delaware who happens to be on the New Jersey side. They don’t have to go with New Jersey limits, they go with Delaware limits which are altogether different, makes no sense. So that I think is what won the argument for us.”
According to LoBiondo, his office, along with active recreational fishing groups are fully engaged on the issue of flounder size limits, as well as other species that are important for recreational fishing being considered now for next year.
“We’re going to try everything possible to make sure we stay on track,” he added.
Veterans’ Clinic
LoBiondo spoke of progress being made in relation to veterans’ healthcare in the county. He spoke of the approval of the new clinic through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A location for the new clinic has not yet been chosen.
“Our hope is that we can provide this in a location that’s central that the VA will pick along with our vets, and this will be a state-of-the-art clinic,” said LoBiondo.
A clinic currently exists at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May.