New Jersey Senate bill S1122, which would help create a state saltwater registry and allow New Jersey anglers avoid the mandatory $15 fee to sign up for the federal saltwater registry, will be up for discussion this Thursday in the Environment and Energy Committee, chaired by Sen. Robert Smith, D-17th District.

An assembly version of the bill has already been approved and the passage of the Senate bill would clear the way for a state registry that would exempt New Jersey saltwater fishermen from the federal requirement.

The senate bill has been down this road before. Last December, the bill was in the same position, only to become stalled without reaching the full senate for a vote.

One big stumbling block facing the registry is who will foot the bill. The cash-strapped Department of Environmental Protection, which would administer the registry, indicates that there is insufficient money to do the job.


http://www.app.com/article/20101206/...017&source=rss