Jerry Schull, Executive Director of North Carolina Fisheries Association has been leading the fight against a saltwater license: He was quoted in the November 2003 issue of National Fisherman as saying, “Look what happened in other states. In some states you have got game fish status. In other states gill net bans. In Florida, they got the ultimate: a commercial net ban.”
Why does the commercial fishing industry oppose a salt water license?

The commercial fishing industry has been the only paying user group in fisheries management in New Jersey. Pay to play is alive and well here in the Garden State. They realize what they will be up against if a saltwater license is approved; a revenue generating, unified, politically powerful constituency of recreational anglers that will change the way of fisheries management in NJ.

Take a look at what can be accomplished with investing money in our saltwater fish stocks http://www.joincca.org/Accomplishments.html

Most recreational anglers support a saltwater license according to the polls that have been taken after long debate on the subject. Taking into consideration precision and bias, the accuracy of the polls are excellent.

I have made relations with industry leaders and now am considered by many to be the honest angler with nothing more and nothing less than having my heart and passion in the right place.
It’s a shame BassBarn has changed the attitudes of many and awards those who use politics and hidden agendas for personal gain.Ron stated to me it’s all volunteer…Whata crock with all those advertisers…He does not realize that he as an owner of a site is held responsible for the behaior of his members and more so his moderators.
…Little does he know I have the larger amount of money in the coorect brown bags and they are placed on the perfect benches located within the courts…

ever need me,feel free…

Barry
BarryTheBass
BarryTheBassESPN

BarryTheBassESPN@comcast.net

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Quote Capt. Rob:
We’ve had saltwater fishing licenses here in Florida for a number of years. I think everything works pretty well here. It puts a lot of Wildlife officers on the water that helps protect from illegal catches and dumb boaters. You have a hunting lic in NJ why not a fishing lic??? Being an ex Jerseyan I can feel your pain I also don’t remember ever having my catch checked by anyone when i saltwater fished in Jersey and I did for many years. About the only places they ever checked were in the state parks.
CAPT. ROB ___ end quote

I have exposed a couple of organizations for who and what they represent.

I posted a question to the leadership of the RFA asking why they do not poll their membership before taking a position on important issues like the weakfish moratorium and the NJ saltwater license issue. I was banned shortly after this post from NJfishing.com. Take a look at the excerpt from the Newark star-ledger below:

(Newark) STAR-LEDGER STAFF
February 6, 2005
Whether fighting no-fishing zones, keeping white marlin off the endangered-species list or elbowing commercial fishermen out of favored waters, the Recreational Fishing Alliance makes its voice heard.

The New Jersey-based RFA, which has chapters in all coastal states, bills itself as a “grassroots political action organization representing individual sport fishermen and the sport-fishing industry.” It frequently touts its tens of thousands of members in brochures and press releases.

But according to two recent lawsuits against its executive director, there’s only one member that really matters. The suits say that New Gretna-based Viking Yacht Co., one of the nation’s premier luxury yacht manufacturers, tightly controls the non-profit, tax-exempt RFA, and the two operate as a “single integrated enterprise.”

Fishing advocates and environmentalists said they have long believed as much, maintaining that the RFA cares more about Viking’s interests than the fishermen it claims to represent.

kEN