NJ Marine Fisheries Council (NJMFC) 26 March Meeting Notes by John Stuebing
I attended the New Jersey Marine Fishery Council Meeting (NJMFC) in Manahawkin with fellow members Phil Simon, Jerry Nichols and Chuck Dishian. The big topic of the night was regulations on Black Sea Bass for 2026 and 2027. As you may have heard, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (AFMFC) had increased the allowable harvest for this species by roughly 20%. Unfortunately, that increase was not spread evenly between the states from Maine to North Carolina. In the end, New Jersey will realize about a 16% – 17 % increase in our allowable harvest. There were several options considered to incorporate this increase into our Season and Bag Limits in New Jersey. Options #6 and #10 were the final two options discussed. It was apparent that the council already made a decision to go with Option #6 even before public comments were heard.
During Public Comments the room was split between recreational fishermen (and clubs) and the for-hire boat owners/captains. The majority of recreational fisherman were for option #10 while the for-hire captains were for option #6. In the end, the council approved option #6. It gives the most days for an open season and gives the for-hire sector more days with a 10 fish (or more) bag limit.
Sadly, New York and Massecuites lobbied hard and managed to get some of New Jersey’s harvest increase moved to their states. While we realize a net gain of +/- 16.5% in allowable harvest, NY and MA will realize +25% gain! We just don’t have enough seats at the table….
Now that the Black Sea Bass regulations are set, and Bluefish Bag Limits have been increased, all other species will be status quo. The revised New Jersey Saltwater regulations have been published and are available on the NJDEP website and on our website. The digest will be out around 5/1/26.
I asked specifically about the Striped Bass Bonus Tag program for 2026. I was told that it is approved and will be available on line 5/15/26. After the meeting one of the council members pulled me aside and asked if we would help him move the Bonus Tag program to an earlier start date in 2027. He is a Charter Captain, so this would help him and the recreational angler in the early spring. He is suggesting that the Bonus Tag program start mid April instead of mid May in 2027. The VHFC Board will discuss this idea at our next meeting but you may provide any comments to me or any Board Member.
In addition to many other topics, the Council again discussed the subject of adding Season and Bag limits to the “Non-Traditional Species” category. These include species like; Sheepshead, Cobia, Menhaden and more. Very little has been done on this since the January meeting andremains on the “To Do List”.
The council was advised that the Army Corp of Engineers (ACE) is once again asking for a list of “Critical Fishing Spots”. These are areas where sand mining would be prohibited. Apparently, the last list that was provided encompassed too much area and had to be reduced. The Council requested that ACE present their case at a future Council meeting. In my opinion this is a serious issue. The current sand mining operations are unchecked and are destroying our habitat off the beach. I get it: no beach equals no tourism. But there is a lot of sand in our inlets that could be used on the beaches. No one wants to pay the costs to move it from the inlets to the beaches.
There was a report from enforcement that I found interesting. Apparently, they are encountering a surge in individuals digging or seining bait. This surge is due to high bait costs resulting in individuals trying to get their own bait for personal use and to sell. The problem is that some of this activity is in areas where it is either unsafe or not allowed. Also, there are encounters where the bait taken is excessive (Pick Up truck loads) and includes prohibited species. Enforcement is requesting that regulations be set on this activity. For now, it will be included in the Non-Traditional Species To Do List.
Lastly, the Council was advised that due to the multiple Government Shutdowns, things are going to slow down. Hard to imagine the process getting slower!
NJ Marine Fisheries Council (NJMFC) 8 January Meeting Notes by John Stuebing
Enforcement:
- 3 new recruits have now finished training. They will start patrolling at end of the month. One more recruit is starting training. Will take 11 months before that person is ready for the field.
- The marine division is getting two new vehicles this month.
- In 2025 over 250 citations were issued. By far, Blackfish accounted for the most citations. Largest violation was 64 undersized Blackfish by a single individual.
Cod:
- As reported earlier, the retention of Cod in Federal Waters is prohibited. The group managing this fishery is trying to get all the states from New England down to Delaware to close state waters to Cod fishing as well. The council (all) agreed that the total catch of Cod by recreational fisherman in New Jersey waters is insignificant. After much conversation it was decided to leave the current NJ Cod regulations in place. Unless the ASMFC pushes back, our current regulations will stay in place for 2026.
Summer Flounder, Scup:
- Regulations for 2026 will be status quo. The 2026 season will be same (dates, size, limits) as 2025.
Blackfish:
- There has been a lot of discussion about a reduction in the Blackfish harvest for 2026 but there just has not been enough work completed to determine what the reduction should be. It looks like there will not be any recommendations coming forward until late 2026. For now, we will have the same regulations, dates and bag limits as we had for 2025.
Sea Bass:
- Good news! We are looking at a 20% increase in the allowable harvest of Sea Bass. The issue is that information needed from the Technical Committees to set regulations is late in coming and the earliest we can get a look at our options for 2026 will be late March. Even if the Council selects an option, it will still have to be approved by the ASMFC and the Governor’s office. The ASMFC is looking at opening Federal Waters on 5/17/26. But that can be adjusted based on what the states decide to do.
- The next scheduled meeting of the NJMFC is 5 March. A motion was passed to delay this meeting until 26 March so that the data needed will be available to make decisions. Therefore, we will not know the 2026 Sea Bass Regulations until sometime in April and the 2025 regulations will carry over.
Bluefish:
- There will be an increase in our allowable harvest for Bluefish in 2026. Most likely the recreational sector will get an increased bag limit from 3 fish to 5 fish and the “For Hire” sector will go from 5 to 7 fish.
Striped Bass:
- Status Quo for 2026. Expect nothing to change in the regulations. Once again there was a lot of conversation about data collection and several of the Council Members felt the stock assessment did not match what they are seeing on the water. I am confident that Striped Bass will the center of attention as we prepare for the 2027 season. More to come.
New Business – Great News:
- David Gollden, Assistant Commissioner for the DEP was in attendance at this meeting and announced a new initiative to start replenishing our artificial reefs. This will be 5-year plan that will spend $6.0M toward reef replenishment. The funding was secured from the Commercial Business Tax Fund. In 2026 they will spend $150K on the project. That will increase to $250K in year two then $500K in year three. In years four and five they will spend over $2.0M per year. The hope is that this will continue after this five-year period!
- In the first year, they are spending most of the money on a “hydraulic mold” for making reef balls. This will greatly reduce the cost of making the reef balls and will allow the state to deploy them in greater numbers. In addition, the state is working with contractors hired by NJ who replace bridges, to deploy the ruble on our reefs. Currently there are two bridge replacement projects that will provide materials to our reefs.
- In the first two years the department will be concentrating on the construction ruble and deployment of reef balls. In years three through five they will look at securing ships and barges for deployment.
- This effort is to help partially offset the damage caused by sand mining along our coast and is certainly, a step in the right direction!
The Politics of Fishery Preservation
The following link(s) will give you the information needed to send a letter, fax or e-mail to members of congress pertaining to the issues of New Jersey Saltwater Fishery laws and regulations that adversely affect the Recreational Fisherman.
Federal Government
Congress Directory – New Jersey
State of New Jersey
Send e-mail to NJ Governor Phil Murphy
Clubs and Organizations
JERSEY COAST ANGLERS ASSOCIATION
Working For the Saltwater Resource and Marine Anglers
1201 Route 37 East
Toms River NJ 08753
Phone 732-506-6565
Fax 732-506-6975
NEW JERSEY STATE FEDERATION OF SPORTSMEN’S CLUBS
Working For the Sportspersons of New Jersey
PO Box 742
New Foundland, NJ 07435-0742
RFA The Recreational Fishing Alliance
PO Box 98263
Washington, DC 20090
Phone 1-888-SAVE-FISH
