The Fishing Line: Saltwater Fishing License? Yes.

A saltwater fishing license is the way to go for New Jersey. The federal taxes generated by New Jersey angler purchases were estimated to be in the $141million range in 2006-07; the highest in the nation.
But New Jersey forfeits Wallop-Breaux federal monies every year by not having a licensing program for saltwater anglers.
What is Wallop-Breaux? The 1952 Sport Fishing and Boating Enhancement Fund or the Wallop-Breaux Trust Fund is derived from fees and taxes imposed on recreational fishing equipment, non-commercial motorboat fuel, imported watercraft, and fishing tackle.
“It’s an invisible tax. Most people don’t even know that they, through the manufacturers, are paying it,” said Dan Tredinnick, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which based its $43 million 2003-2004 budget, almost entirely on license revenues and funds from Wallop-Breaux.
Under this law, 10 percent of the wholesale price is paid by manufacturers and importers to the U.S. Treasury, which gives it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to apportion to states. (This 10 percent excise tax is in addition to NJ state taxes.)
License sales and Wallop-Breaux are what sustain most state fisheries management.
The federal registry that goes into effect in January, 2010 will not meet the guidelines of Wallop-Breaux and by the end of 2009, New Jersey could be the only state without a saltwater fishing license. What do other states know that we don’t?
New Jerseyians are not only losing a revenue source, we are losing fish.
States that receive their fair share of Wallop-Breaux money can afford three biologists per each fish species. In New Jersey we have three species for every biologist.
When our representatives go to meetings to set regulations for species catch allocations, we are up against states that have larger and more secure funding sources and therefore better research data to plead their case. Once we have lost allocated pounds of a particular species, it will be extremely difficult to get it back up again.
The Cape May Party and Charter Boat Association is joining with other groups in the state, including the NJ Federation of Sportsmen, to prepare legislation enacting a saltwater fishing license that would be tourist friendly while securing increased funding for fisheries management.
This consortium is gaining momentum. The goal is to document the number of saltwater anglers in the state and thereby increase our share of Wallop-Breaux funds. Because of the way this bill (Wallop-Breaux) was written, states cannot take monies for their ‘general’ fund. No state has ever successfully raided the Wallop-Breaux funds. It’s our best chance at ‘dedicated’ monies.
Captain Fred MacFarland agrees.
“Wallop-Breaux monies have more strings than a marionette,” he told me.
Another captain said he’d “rather trust the federal government than the state of NJ.”
New York and Delaware have pretty much agreed to reciprocal licenses which is really a moot point if New Jersey doesn’t have one.
“We’re financing our own demise,” argues MacFarland. New York and Delaware will have the funding to garner a greater allocation of fish.
Right now, by merely estimating the number of saltwater fishers in the state, we are entitled only to the minimum return from Wallop-Breaux. For every angler over and above the minimum, fisheries management could see as much as $7 for each in increased funding.
No one ever wants more taxes or licensing fees. However, the reality is that a NJ saltwater fishing license adds basic funding, accesses a greater portion of our fair share of Wallop-Breaux funds and gives us a level playing field when it comes to yearly fishing regulations. It’s time to back up our recreational fishing industry and environmental management data with a real commitment and that means a fee-based license.
Results for the 2009 Stone Harbor American Legion Post 331 25th Annual Fishing Tournament: Kingfish: first place Bill Cathcart; Black Bass: first place Tyler Fruits; Largest edible fish under 10 pounds, first place Rick Olson; Bluefish, first place Scot Brockman, second place Rick Olson; Croaker, first place Paul Sarmousakis, second place Mike Showers. Congratulations to all who participated in ugly weather conditions.
Calendar: Oct. 29-31, Annual Striper Classic, Utsch’s Marina, 1121 Route 109, Cape May, entry fee $400, 884-2051.
Nov. 6-7, South Jersey Big Bass Open, South Jersey Marina, www.fishasa.com.
All photos submitted appear online at SeeMyBigFish.com. Be sure to send your fish stories to cmiller@cmcherald.com. This column appears first online at capemaycountyherald.com