Editor's note: Also see Feds Give N.J. a Chance to Avoid Shark Moratorium

From the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife:

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is proposing amendments to N.J.A.C. 7:25-18 (Marine Fisheries) related to fisheries for Atlantic coastal sharks and smooth dogfish. The proposed amendments are necessary to comply with management measures mandated under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks, which inlcudes smooth dogfish.

States included within the area covered by the ASMFC Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks are required to have recreational and commercial fisheries management measures, which are consistent with the plan. If the state does not maintain consistency, a Federally mandated moratorium may be imposed on the state's recreational and commercial shark fisheries.

The proposal was scheduled to be published in the New Jersey Register on April 5, 2010. Written comments on the proposed amendments may be submitted through June 4, 2010. There will be a public hearing on the proposed amendments following the Marine Fisheries Council meeting on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 6:30 P.M. at the Galloway Township Public Library on 306 E. Jimmie Leeds Road, Absecon.

A copy of the proposed amendments is currently available from the DEP's Web site and from LexisNexis Customer Service at (800) 223-1944 or http://www.lexisnexis.com/bookstore . Please be advised there may be a fee for obtaining a full copy of the proposal from some sources.

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