New Jersey Becomes the 47th State to Join The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife will have a new tool to use in its ongoing efforts to enforce wildlife laws as the state joins the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin announced today.

The compact, first developed in western states in the mid-1980s, recognizes the importance of deterrence through the suspension of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses and privileges in all member states resulting from violations concerning the pursuit, possession or taking of a wide range of wildlife, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, shellfish, and crustaceans. New Jersey’s membership will begin on December 1.

“This cooperative and proactive interstate strategy will greatly enhance our Division of Fish and Wildlife’s ability to protect and manage our wildlife resources,” said Commissioner Martin. “Any person who has their license privileges suspended in one member state may now also have them suspended in all other member states. In addition, the compact prevents convicted poachers who are under revocation in one state from hunting, fishing, or trapping in other states.”

For the purposes of the compact, the term “license” means any license, permit, or other public document which conveys to the person to whom it was issued the privilege of pursuing, possessing, or taking any wildlife regulated by statute, law, regulation, ordinance, or administrative rule of a participating state.

In New Jersey this definition includes but is not limited to: all-around sportsman, firearm hunting, trapping, bow and arrow, freshwater fishing, recreational crab pot, non-commercial crab dredge and shellfish licenses, various hunting and trapping permits, pheasant & quail and New Jersey waterfowl stamps, striped bass bonus tags, and saltwater registry certificates.

License and privilege suspensions resulting from wildlife violations committed on or after December 1, 2017 in New Jersey may result in the reciprocal suspension of license privileges in member states.  If a person plans to hunt, fish, or trap in another state, and has a license privilege suspension in New Jersey, it is their responsibility to contact the other state to verify if they may legally hunt, fish, or trap there.

New Jersey residents who fail to comply with the terms of a citation or summons issued for a wildlife violation in another member state may face a $50 fine and the suspension of all privileges to take or possess wildlife in New Jersey until the citation has been satisfied. Failing to appear in court or to otherwise answer a ticket or summons issued for such violations will also result in license, permit, and privilege suspension.

“Our agency has been charged with managing New Jersey’s wildlife resources for 125 years and we take this responsibility very seriously,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Larry Herrighty. “Joining the compact protects New Jersey’s wildlife resources and that of member states by deterring violators from continuing their illegal activities and sends a clear message to all that such behavior will not be tolerated.”
 
The concept of a wildlife violator compact was first advanced in the early 1980s by member states in the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. In 1985 draft compacts were developed independently in Colorado and Nevada. Subsequently, these drafts were merged and the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact was created.

More information on the Compact, including which states are members and which violations with prescribed suspensions will be recognized in New Jersey and shared with member states is available on the Division of Fish and Wildlife website at: www.njfishandwildlife.com/violators_compact.htm

New York DEC Announce $50,000 to Study Livingston Manor Flooding

Flood Study Could Help Advance Resiliency Projects

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced that the State will provide up to $50,000 for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study in the Sullivan County hamlet of Livingston Manor. Funds will be used to undertake the Livingston Manor Flood Control Feasibility Study. The funding was secured with assistance from Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.

"As climate change fuels more intense and frequent storms that threaten communities and infrastructure across the state, DEC experts are on the frontlines everyday assisting local governments in planning for and advancing important flood resiliency projects," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "The Livingston Manor Flood Control Feasibility Study will not only protect this community, it will also improve the natural resources in the Catskills, which are critical to the economic vitality of the region."

"The people who live in Livingston Manor have worked so hard to rebuild and repair flood damage time and time again," Assemblywoman Gunther said. "This study will help find a solution that works for everyone."

"It is with great satisfaction and anticipation that we have been waiting for such needed support from our state agencies. I can't say enough about our Assembly Women Aileen Gunther, who has witnessed first-hand, the devastation of flooding to our communities. Time and time again. We have been working with the ACOE and the DEC for some time now to develop a plan to reduce flooding in our area. Our small town atmosphere is a driving force for many new businesses, and the assistance from our state agency will help bring about positive change, and continued growth for those who look for a more healthy lifestyle and quality of life," said Rob Eggleton, Supervisor, town of Rockland.

A joint effort by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DEC, the town of Rockland, the Livingston Manor Flood Control Feasibility Study was originally initiated in 2009. In 2016, the study was re-envisioned to focus solely on flood control, which required additional funding. In October 2017, DEC committed to providing up to $50,000 to finalize the study.

DEC is currently working with the U.S. Army Corps to finalize a contract for the project. The study is anticipated to be completed in 2018. Following completion of the study, the U.S. Army Corps will begin the design and construction phase of the project with federal, State and local funding.

NYC DEP Statement on the Long-term Agreement for Delaware River Flow Management Program

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection released the following statement from Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush.

“New York City is pleased that the Decree Parties today committed to a long-term agreement that balances the myriad interests connected to the Delaware River. The 10-year program protects public health for millions of Americans by sustaining their supplies of high-quality drinking water. The agreement also expands efforts to enhance flood attenuation and support the outdoor recreation economy of the upper Delaware River through the protection of its natural ecology and wild trout fishery.

“Importantly, the new agreement was built upon untold hours of scientific work and data analyses that aimed to advance the interests of all stakeholders without detriment to any of them.

“That work does not end here. The new agreement requires the Decree Parties to pursue a number of scientific studies related to salinity intrusion in the lower Delaware River, the calculation of water available to be released downstream of New York City’s reservoirs, and other topics related to the natural resources of the basin.

“New York City will approach the work ahead with the same spirit of collaboration that yielded the new flow-management program today.”

More information about the Flexible Flow Management Program will be available on the website of the Office of the Delaware River Master.

Record Number of Americans Support Menhaden Protection

150,000 Public Comments in Support of Menhaden Protection Announced; Most Public Comments Ever Delivered to ASMFC!

 
(New York, NY Nov. 10, 2017) A record number of Americans are urging the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council (ASMFC) to support protection of Atlantic Menhaden in their upcoming decision. Over 150,000 Americans sent public comments in favor of strong Menhaden protections during the recently completed public comment period. The ASMFC will meet November 14^th to decide on Amendment 3—a proposal to provide stronger protections for Atlantic Menhaden that takes into consideration the important role the “most important fish in the sea” plays as both a source of food for other species and filterer of water.

“From striped bass anglers and fishing captains to whale watchers and bird enthusiasts, the varying interests across the east coast that support managing menhaden to account for their importance to ocean ecosystems shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Anyone who pays close attention to life in the water has seen first-hand just how important this fish is, and wants to see the species conservatively managed,” said Zach Cockrum, Northeast Regional Representative for the National Wildlife Federation.

The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board will meet November 13‐14, 2017 to consider approval of Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden and set specifications for the 2018 fishing season.

Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia Tyrannus) play a central role in the ecological and economic vitality of the Atlantic coastal ecosystem as an essential food for whales as well as important commercial and game fishes (striped bass, bluefin tuna, bluefish, weakfish, tarpon, sharks), and a host of other marine wildlife. Menhaden play a key role in the regulation of regional water quality by filtering phytoplankton; its food source and a major cause of algae blooms and brown tides.