Experts said that the summer shark-fishing season is in jeopardy as New Jersey is trying hard to convince federal fisheries regulators that it is committed to adopting a long-delayed package of rules that include conservation measures for sandbar sharks and other coastal species. The state Department of Environmental Protection is said to work with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to see that the summer shark season goes ahead without disruption.
DEP Assistant Commissioner Amy Cradic told that New Jersey is officially out of compliance with the interstate shark management plan, and potentially subject to a ban on shark fishing enforced by federal order. She further said that the shark regulations need to be published in the New Jersey state Register, public comment obtained and the regulations adopted — a process that could go to September while the commission and federal authorities hopefully delay any further action.
Cradic told that the impending rules, which were initially drafted in 2007 and ready for adoption last year, are not covered by Gov. Chris Christie’s moratorium on new regulations. Atlantic states fisheries commission officials said that regulatory changes aimed at bringing back diminished shark populations include measures such as seasonal fishing restrictions from Virginia to New Jersey to protect sandbar sharks when they are giving birth to their pups.
