CENTRAL NEW JERSEY FISHING NEWS - February 4, 2012

KEEP FISHERMEN FISHING RALLY Department:

Plans Set for Recreational and Commercial Fishermen to Rally in Washington, DC on March 21, 2012

In another show of solidarity, American recreational and commercial fishermen will gather beside the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday March 21, 2012 in a mass demonstration to push for amending the law that directs the regulation of America's fisheries.  The rally will once again unite commercial and recreational sectors under one common message:
Fair Access to the Seas.

Signed into law in 1976, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act has been transformed in recent years from its original intent of conserving our nation's fish and supporting our nation's fishermen, to a weapon used by anti-fishing groups to drive fishermen off the water.  The Act's rigid and inflexible statutory timelines for recovery of fish stocks foster highly restrictive fisheries regulations and a hotly disputed fisheries management effort to privatize the seas (a public commodity) through individualized transferrable quotas (catch shares).

A rally on February 24, 2010, under a United We Fish™ banner, brought some 5,000 recreational, commercial and party/charter vessel owners and folks in associated businesses from all three coasts and Alaska to Washington.  More than two dozen members of the Senate and the House of Representatives took time out from their busy schedules to address the crowd.  This rally helped put the plight of America's coastal fisherman and those in related businesses in the public eye.

However, a continuous stream of regulatory requirements has since led to unnecessary and unacceptable restrictions in demonstrably sustainable fisheries.  As a consequence, the American public is being denied access to the food and fun of this tremendous natural resource.  Most U.S. fisheries are in better shape biologically than they've been for a generation or more.  Last year NOAA Fisheries scientists announced that 84% of U.S. fish stocks studied for fishing activity were not experiencing overfishing as of 2010.

As was the case in 2010, the truly conservation-minded fishermen will be the people who are at the rally on their own dime and who are committed to returning to a federal fisheries management system that recognizes that they and the fishing communities they support are as important as the fish.

Where the people fear the government you have tyranny.  Where the government fears the people you have liberty.

The March 21 Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally will start at noon and run until 3:00 PM at the Upper Senate Park adjacent to the U.S. Capitol building.  Other details of the rally are still being worked out, including bus transportation from coastal communities across the country.

For information on how you can get involved in the national rally to help Keep Fishermen Fishing, call 888-564-6732.  For more information on the rally as it becomes available, including bus sign-up information and details from the 2010 rally, visit www.keepfishermenfishing.com
You can also stay up to date with rally developments via "Keep Fishermen Fishing" on Facebook and Twitter.

"Keep Fishermen Fishing" is an ad hoc group of commercial, recreational and party/charter fishermen and the businesses they support.  Rally organizers include the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), Southeastern Fisheries Association, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen's Association, Viking Village, Long Island Commercial Fishermen's Association, Hull Seafood, Westport Charterboat Association, United Boatmen, Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association, Garden State Seafood Association, National Association of Charterboat Operators, New York Fishing Tackle Trades Association, Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, Monkfish Defense Fund, Lund's Seafood, Atlantic Capes Seafood, Panama City Boatmen’s Association, and North Carolina Watermen United.


SINGIN' THE REGULATORY BLUES Department:

It's yet another sad tune from your favorite fisheries management songsters...  On February 1, 2012, the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife announced new recreational regulations for RIVER HERRING and TAUTOG (Blackfish).  For New Jersey anglers, there is no longer an open season for River Herring, and for Tautog, the minimum size for increases to 15 inches, there are now three closed seasons, and possession limits are lower.  The new regulations are driven by the latest management plans from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and are effective February 1.

According to the NJDEP, "Effective immediately, no person shall take, possess, land, purchase, sell or offer for sale any River Herring (Alewife and Blueback) in the marine waters of the State."  (Last year, NJ recreational anglers were allowed a possession limit of 35 River Herring with no size limit).

Apparently, the ASMFC is concerned about the decline of River Herring stocks and decided to act even though they admit the exact cause for the decline is uncertain.  The 'gotcha' in the federal management plan says that if a state doesn't have a federally-approved sustainable management plan, you cannot harvest River Herring.  New Jersey along with Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island do not have an approved plan and have closed their River Herring fisheries.

Regarding Tautog, the NJDEP says, "The coastwide Tautog resource is currently overfished and the spawning stock biomass – the weight of mature females in the stock – has remained at low levels despite previous efforts to help rebuild the coastwide resource.  ASMFC's Addendum VI to the Tautog fishery management plan required a 53 percent reduction in coastwide harvest to promote the rebuilding of the coastwide Tautog resource.  The new Tautog regulation changes were necessary to comply with the ASMFC-required harvest reduction."

Kindly note that 'overfished' as used by the ASMFC has a statutory and not a biological definition.  According to the NMFS, "When a fish stock is being fished at a fishing mortality rate that exceeds the overfishing threshold set by the National Marine Fisheries Service, then overfishing is officially occurring."  This is a legal definition of overfishing and relies on an arbitrary numerical maximum sustainable yield that NMFS assigns on its own for each particular fish species.  It is contrary to what you would consider 'overfishing' – to fish a body of water so extensively as to exhaust the supply of fish.  The problem is that this crazy statutory meaning is what fishermen are bound to in terms of federal law.

2012 NEW JERSEY TAUTOG (BLACKFISH) RECREATIONAL SEASONS AND LIMITS – EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 1

Open January 1 - February 28 with a 4 fish possession limit

CLOSED March 1 - March 31

Open April 1 - April 30 with a 4 fish possession limit

CLOSED May 1 - July 26

Open July 27 - August 31 with a 1 fish possession limit

CLOSED September 1 - October 17

Open October 18 - November 15 with a 1 fish possession limit

Open November 16 - December 31 with a 4 fish possession limit

The minimum legal size is now 15 inches in New Jersey waters.


In comparison, here were last year's New Jersey Tautog regulations:

Open January 1 - April 30 with a 4 fish possession limit
CLOSED May 1 - July 15
Open July 16 - November 15 with a 1 fish possession limit
Open November 16 - December 31 with a 6 fish possession limit
Last year’s minimum size was 14 inches.

Alas, the latest ASMFC Tautog management plan still uses fatally flawed MRFSS data to substantiate decisions and until this situation is fixed, we all get screwed (again).

As background, Congress requested the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences to perform a comprehensive review of the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS) program used since 1979 to gauge overall harvest and participation trends in the recreational sector.  NRC committee chair Dr. Patrick Sullivan presented a final report to Congress in 2006, and in it deemed MRFSS "fatally flawed".

Given this, ASMFC missives have as much credibility as promises from a used car salesman.


THE FLUKE THAT ROARED Department:

"When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me." ~ Oscar Wilde on Assumption

Depending on your interpretation, whenever you "assume" something, you are in fact asking for someone to help you out with something of great difficulty, or you are simply doing something stupid.

Fishing regulations are based on fish stock assessments.  These key assessments are subject to much conjecture since the available data is often questionable and the statistical models reply on assumed values.  Small changes in the available data and the assumed values make all the difference between a stock assessment that is accurate and one that is way off the mark.

The folks at the SAVE THE SUMMER FLOUNDER FISHERY FUND have the singular mission of safeguarding and maintaining the public's access to the Summer Flounder fishery.  They have commissioned and fully funded independent marine scientists to create a COMPREHENSIVE SCIENTIFIC STOCK REVIEW for Summer Flounder.  This approach has been successful and accepted by National Marine Fisheries Service as the best and most updated available science on the Summer Flounder stock.  The results are increased quotas and relaxed Summer Flounder regulations for anglers for the last several years.

The independent review is ongoing and fisheries biologist Dr. Mark Maunder, an internationally recognized specialist in stock assessments and the computer models they use, recently released a summary of his latest work.

You can read Dr Maunder's summary report by clicking here.  It isn't an easy read, but it debates some of the key assumptions and estimates used by fisheries managers.  It is designed to assist them with the scientific understanding necessary to improve the accuracy of the Summer Flounder stock assessment.

The SSFFF is the 'someone that is helping out with something of great difficulty'.

Mels-Place.com supports the SAVE THE SUMMER FLOUNDER FISHERY FUND
We encourage you to make a donation and help continue this important work.

SAVE THE SUMMER FLOUNDER FISHERY FUND
PO Box 86
Brielle, NJ 08730
www.ssfff.net

Please make your check, or money order, payable to "Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund" or "SSFFF"
If you prefer, you can make your donation on-line using Visa or MasterCard by clicking here (http://www.ssfff.net/id80.html)


MIKE'S MARITIME MEMORABILIA Department:

Our ninth annual Holiday Edition of Mike's Maritime Memorabilia includes fifteen wonderful photographs of party fishing vessels dating from 1925 through 2010.  And the photo captions illustrate some of the rich and interesting history that surrounds them.

We want to make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy this special collection, so our Holiday Edition will remain on the site from Thanksgiving Day until the New Year.

Heartfelt wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year!

We are now displaying more than 1,300 vintage photos of party fishing boats, fishing memorabilia, marinas, lightships, lighthouses and other interesting stuff from the New Jersey/New York saltwater fishing scene on our Mike's Maritime Memorabilia pages.  We encourage you to browse these wonderful pictures and enjoy over
145 years of our fishing heritage.


MAGNUSON-STEVENS Department:

The Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act, a bill sponsored in the House by Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and in the Senate by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) would incorporate some flexibility into the federal fisheries law (Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act) to provide recreational anglers more open access to rebuilt and rebuilding fisheries.  Both bills are gaining traction in the House and Senate, but anti-fishing environmental preservationist groups are fighting against it tooth and nail.

H.R. 3061 – Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011

For a third time on September 23, 2011, Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and other lawmakers introduced H.R. 3061 entitled 'Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011'.  Congressional cosponsors of H.R. 3061 are: Donna Christensen (D-VI), Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Barney Frank (D-MA), Michael G. Grimm (R-NY), Colleen W. Hanabusa (D-HI), Walter Jones (R-NC), Peter King (R-NY), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Tim Scott (R-SC), Steve Southerland (R-FL), John Tierney (D-MA) and Robert L. Turner (R-NY).

Language contained in H.R. 3061 amends the Magnuson-Stevens Act and essentially gives the U.S. Secretary of Commerce the discretion to adjust rebuilding timeframes if specific criteria are present to ensure that the conservation of such fish stocks continues to advance. If passed, H.R. 3061 would:

• Amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require fishery management plans, amendments, or regulations for overfished fisheries to specify a time period for ending overfishing and rebuilding the fishery that is as short as practicable (under current law, as short as possible).  It modifies the exceptions to the requirement that such period not exceed 10 years.

• Require consideration, in evaluating progress to end overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks, of factors other than commercial and recreational fishing.

• Require, when the Secretary of Commerce extends the period under specified provisions, that the maximum rebuilding time not exceed the sum of the initial 10-year period, the expected time to rebuild the stock absent any fishing mortality and under prevailing environmental conditions, and the mean generation time of the stock.

• Direct Regional Fishery Management Councils to consider data on recreational fishermen when specifying annual catch limits in a fishery management plan.

• Authorize the Secretary of Commerce to suspend application of the annual catch limits to a fishery for any period that: (1) the fishery is neither overfished nor approaching such condition, (2) any stock previously affected by overfishing is rebuilt, and (3) scientific advice of the relevant Council committee is insufficient to ensure consistency with the national standard.

• Require the fishery impact statement of a fishery management plan to address the impacts and possible mitigation measures for coastal businesses dependent on recreational and commercial fishing industries.

• Direct: (1) each Council to submit an annual impact statement to the Secretary describing whether each fishery management plan is projected to have any adverse economic impact (and the estimated dollar amount of any impact) on such recreational and commercial fishermen and coastal businesses, and (2) the Secretary to mitigate any such impacts.

The full text of H.R. 3061 is available from The Library of Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.3061:


S. 632 – Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011

A similar bill, S. 632, was introduced in the U.S. Senate on March 17, 2011 by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY).  Cosponsors of S. 632 in the Senate include Scott Brown (R-MA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Kay Hagan (D-NC).

S. 632 entitled 'Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011' amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to:

• Require fishery management plans, amendments, or regulations for overfished fisheries to specify a time period for ending overfishing and rebuilding the fishery that is as short as practicable (instead of as short as possible).

• Modify the exceptions to the requirement that such period not exceed ten years.

• Require consideration, in evaluating progress to end overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks, of factors other than commercial and recreational fishing.

• Require, when the Secretary of Commerce extends the period under specified provisions, that the maximum rebuilding time not exceed the sum of the initial ten -year period, the expected time to rebuild the stock absent any fishing mortality and under prevailing environmental conditions, and the mean generation time of the stock.

The full text of S. 632 is available from The Library of Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.632:

Both the House and Senate bills rely on discretionary decisions made by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.  Former CEO of Edison International, John Bryson, was sworn in on October 21, 2011 as the 37th Secretary of Commerce.  Time will tell if he is a friend of fishermen.  Former Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke , resigned on August 1, 2011 to become the US Ambassador to the People's Republic of China and prior to that, Secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, resigned on January 20, 2009.  Neither former Secretary of Commerce had a great track record for supporting the small commercial fisherman or the recreational fishing industry.

The Rebuilding American Fisheries Act would surely help the commercial and recreational fishing industries and coastal communities, and give anglers better access to the fish.  To top it off, the bill does not require pouring ungodly amounts of taxpayer money down the drain.  You can't beat this deal with a stick (or a fishing rod)!

Let your elected officials know you want the Rebuilding American Fisheries Act to become law.


ROGUE'S GALLERY Department:

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer."  Here are the environmental non-governmental groups, foundations and trusts (ENGOs) who claim that they are working for the good of commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and the public, and that flexibility in the fisheries management process will make things worse.

Baloney!  They and their deeply funded activists are responsible for forcing the National Marine Fisheries Service and other governmental groups to rigidly adhere to arbitrary and unrealistic stock rebuilding goals and schedules.

Their latest ploy has been to infiltrate the ranks of the federal fisheries management agencies with their shills and lackeys.  They are arrogant and their tactics are insidious and egregious.

PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS
This is the 900-pound gorilla of the rogue's gallery and it bankrolls the rest of the groups listed below and many others not shown.  The Pew Trusts was established by the children of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph N. Pew and his wife, Mary Anderson Pew and has about $5 billion in assets.  In 2004, the Pew Trusts changed from a foundation into a nonprofit organization.  As such, it can now raise funds freely and devote up to 20% of its budget to lobbying the public sector.  The Pew Trusts also funds the Pew Research Center, the third-largest think tank in Washington DC.  In 2006, the Pew Trusts had over $670 million in revenues, dispensed nearly $150 million in grants and spent about $50 million to administer their programs.  They are indeed a well endowed and powerful adversary.

2005 Market Street, Suite 1700, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-575-9050
Rebecca Rimel, President and CEO
http://www.pewtrusts.com/

MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK
Suite 210, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
866-823-8552
Executive Committee:
Phil Kline, Greenpeace
Peter Shelley, Conservation Law Foundation
Linda Behnken, Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association
Tom Fote, Jersey Coast Anglers Association
Zeke Grader, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations
Aaron Viles, Gulf Restoration Network
Dana Wolfe,The Ocean Conservancy
http://www.conservefish.org/

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND
257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
212-505-2100
Fred Krupp, President
http://www.edf.org/ or http://www.environmentaldefense.org/

THE OCEAN CONSERVANCY
2029 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
800-519-1541
Vikki N. Spruill, President and CEO
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/

CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION
62 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110
617-350-0990
John B. Kassel, President
http://www.clf.org/

Ask them some hard questions.  They wrongfully portray fishermen (YOU) as greedy and uncaring about the future of any fishery.  Fishing is an environmental issue to them and they don't want you to fish.  Treat them accordingly.


THE BIG QUESTION Department:

Is our fisheries management too important to be left to fishermen?  It must be so, since we continuously suffer the consequences of the decisions made by our federal fisheries bureaucrats.  Unfortunately, these non-elected fishery managers control the federal system and through their mandates, indirectly control the state systems too.  Most importantly, they are not required to directly report to our elected officials and apparently can do what they want without consequence or culpability.

The federal fisheries management system is broken or in bureaucratic vernacular, fatally flawed.  The system is rigid to a fault, unrealistic, filled with incorrect assumptions, bad science, inaccurate and conflicting fisheries data, and strongly influenced by a small, but powerful and well-endowed group of environmental zealots who are more interested in preservation instead of conservation.

By now, it should be clear to all recreational fishermen, party boat operators, charter boat operators, commercial fishermen, marina operators, tackle shop owners, tackle distributors, bait wholesalers, tackle manufacturers and anyone else that makes a livelihood directly or indirectly from fishing activities, that FISHERMEN ARE THE ENDANGERED SPECIES!   The final goal fisheries management bureaucrats have is to eliminate recreational and commercial fishing except for a select few.  They are unfairly picking on the fishing community by mandating ever-harsher regulations that reduce fishing seasons, increase minimum sizes and reduce possession limits for an ever-increasing variety of fish.

Unfortunately, as a group, recreational anglers are splintered and fragmented, and are always in a reactive mode; we jump up and down and scramble every time we hear that a new regulation is coming (and new regulations are arriving with alarming frequency.)  We meet with the bureaucrats to explain our case, we show them contrary data, and we let them know that they are affecting our quality of life.  Alas, our plea falls on deaf bureaucratic ears.

The federal fisheries management system has created debacles with Winter Flounder, Fluke, Striped Bass, Sea Bass, Blackfish and Tuna fisheries, and they are looking to mess with more species.  Enough already!

The fisheries bureaucrats are running amok all across the country and the crazy thing about this is that we have not heard a peep from any of the TACKLE MANUFACTURERS!  You would think that they would be very concerned; if we cannot fish, they will not be able to sell us their fishing rods, reels, lures and all of the other goodies they make.  WHERE ARE YOU Shimano, Penn, Calstar, Accurate, Berkley, Loomis, Plano, Eagle Claw, PowerPro, Mustad, Ande, Braid, Jinkai, Quantum, Sampo, Abu Garcia, Owner, Momoi, Spro and Daiwa???


YOU ELECTED THESE FOLKS Department:

HUNTING AND FISHING ARE OUR RIGHTS – THEY ARE NOT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES!
You are being cheated by unfair regulations from runaway federal bureaucracies.  Let your elected representatives know about it.

YOU FISH AND YOU VOTE – Your comments are important and are indeed heard by your elected representatives.  Here are some links, addresses and telephone numbers for elected officials in this region.  Please note that the United States Postal Service checks snail mail addressed to these folks for security reasons and this delays delivery.  Most of the following links connect you to their e-mail contact page.
Go ahead and give them a piece of your mind!

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie • Office of the Governor, PO Box 001, Trenton, NJ 08625 • (609) 292-6000

US Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ) • 324 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-3224

US Senator Robert Menendez (NJ) • 528 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4744

US Congressman Robert E. Andrews (NJ, District 1) • 2265 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-6501

US Congressman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ, District 2) • 2427 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-6572

US Congressman John Runyan (NJ, District 3) • 1239 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-4765

US Congressman Christopher H. Smith (NJ, District 4) • 2373 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-3765

US Congressman Scott Garrett (NJ, District 5) • 2244 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-4465

US Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ, District 6) • 237 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-4671

US Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ, District 7) • 426 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-5361

US Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ, District 8) • 2370 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 • (202) 225-5751

US Congressman Steven R. Rothman (NJ, District 9) • 2303 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 • (202) 225-5061

US Congressman Donald M. Payne (NJ, District 10) • 2310 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-3436

US Congressman Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (NJ, District 11) • 2369 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-5034

US Congressman Rush D. Holt (NJ, District 12) • 1214 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-5801

US Congressman Albio Sires (NJ, District 13) • 2342 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-7919

NEW YORK

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo • State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224 • (518) 474-8390

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) • 478 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4451

US Senator Charles E. Schumer (NY) • 322 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-6542

US Congressman Timothy Bishop (NY, District 1) • 306 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3826

US Congressman Steve Israel (NY, District 2) • 2457 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3335

US Congressman Pete King (NY, District 3) • 339 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515• 202-225-7896

US Congressman Carolyn McCarthy (NY, District 4) • 2346 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-5516

US Congressman Gary Ackerman (NY, District 5) • 2111 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-2601

US Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (NY, District 6) • 2234 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3461

US Congressman Joseph Crowley (NY, District 7) • 2404 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3965

US Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY, District 8) • 2334 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-5635

US Congressman Robert Turner (NY, District 9) • 2104 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-6616

US Congressman Edolphus Towns (NY, District 10) • 2232 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-5936

US Congressman Yvette D. Clarke (NY, District 11) • 1029 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-6231

US Congressman Nydia M. Velázquez (NY, District 12) • 2302 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-2361

US Congressman Michael Grimm (NY, District 13) • 512 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3371

US Congressman Carolyn Maloney (NY, District 14) • 2332 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-7944

US Congressman Charles B. Rangel (NY, District 15) • 2354 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-4365

US Congressman José E. Serrano (NY, District 16) • 2227 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-4361

US Congressman Eliot Engel (NY, District 17) • 2161 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-2464

US Congressman Nita Lowey (NY, District 18) • 2365 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-6506

US Congressman Nan Hayworth (NY, District 19) • 1440 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-5441

US Congressman Chris Gibson (NY, District 20) • 502 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-5614

US Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY, District 21) • 422 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-5076

US Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY, District 22) • 2431 • Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6335

US Congressman Bill Owens (NY, District 23) • 431 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-4611

US Congressman Richard Hanna (NY, District 24) • 319 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3665

US Congressman Ann Marie Buerkle (NY, District 25) • 1630 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3701

US Congressman Kathy Hochul (NY, District 26) • 1711 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-5265

US Congressman Brian Higgins (NY, District 27) • 2459 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3306

US Congressman Louise Slaughter (NY, District 28) • 2469 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3615

US Congressman Tom Reed (NY, District 29) • 1037 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 • 202-225-3161

DELAWARE

Delaware Governor Jack Markell • Tatnall Building, William Penn Street, Dover, DE 19901 • (302) 744-4101

US Senator Thomas R. Carper (DE) • 513 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-2441

US Senator Christopher A. Coons (DE) • 127A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-5042

MARYLAND

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley • 100 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401 • (410) 974-3901

US Senator Ben Cardin (MD) • 509 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4524

US Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (MD) • 503 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4654

VIRGINIA

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell • P.O. Box 1475, Richmond, VA 23218 • (804) 786-2211

US Senator Mark Warner (VA) • 475 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-2023

US Senator Jim Webb (VA) • 248 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4024

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy • State Capitol, 210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106 • (860) 566-4840

US Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT) • 702 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-2823

US Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (CT) • 706 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4041

RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee • 222 State House, Providence, RI 02903 • (401) 222-2080

US Senator Jack Reed (RI) • 728 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4642

US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) • 717 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-2921

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick • Massachusetts State House, Room 280, Boston, MA 02133 • (617) 725-4005

US Senator Scott Brown (MA) • 359 Dirksen Senate Office Building, WashiNGTON, DC 20510 • (202) 224-4543

US Senator John Kerry (MA) • 218 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-2742

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch • State House, 107 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301 • (603) 271-2121

US Senator Kelly Ayotte (NH) • 144 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-3324

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH) • 520 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-2841

MAINE

Maine Governor Paul LePage • Office of the Governor, #1 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 • (207) 287-3531

US Senator Susan M. Collins (ME) • 413 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-2523

US Senator Olympia J. Snowe (ME) • 154 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 • (202) 224-5344

Don't know who your Senator or Congressman is?  Then use the following links...

CLICK HERE and WRITE YOUR SENATOR
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

CLICK HERE and WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

While you're in the swing of things, you can write to members of the New Jersey Senate and Assembly by clicking here.

For more regulatory madness on our fisheries, see our It's the Law page.   There is more to come on these unsavory topics as they unfold, so hold your nose while we pass out week-old squid for your bait cup.


SUPPORT OUR TROOPS Department:

You can help support our brave troops that are far away from home.  Steer your browser over to the USO (United Service Organizations) web site at www.USO.org.  A nonprofit, congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on our generosity to deliver its special brand of comfort, morale and recreational services to service members and their families during the last seventy years.  Stop on by and spread some cheer.  We wish our troops a speedy return to their homes, their families, and their fishing poles.



Contribute to Operation USO Care Package

www.usocares.org