Why It Matters: Across the nation, state fish and wildlife agencies, or, more specifically, fish and wildlife boards/commissions/councils, are seeing a push for non-consumptive representation. This poses a threat to conservation, as sportsmen and women are the primary funders of state-level conservation efforts. Such legislation (Assembly Bill 2005 [A2005]/Senate Bill 471 [S471]) seeks to strip three of the six seats for sportsmen on the council and insert three seats for individuals from animal welfare organizations in the Garden State.
Highlights:
- The current composition of the New Jersey Fish and Game Council includes three farmers, six sportsmen/women, one endangered/non-game committee chair, and one land-use expert.
- The legislature has empowered the Fish and Game Council with the independent responsibility to adopt Fish and Game Code for the purpose of providing a system for the protection and conservation of fish and game.
- A2005/S471 Have been assinged to their repsective committees but do not currently having a hearing date scheduled.
The New Jersey Fish and Game Council is invested with certain regulatory powers aimed at protecting and developing an adequate supply of fish and game for recreational and commercial purposes. These powers are expressed primarily by the Council’s determinations as to when and where in the State hunting and fishing shall take place, and which freshwater fish, game birds, game animals, and fur bearing animals may be taken and in what numbers. The Regulated wildlife are fish and game species. In addition, the Council supervises a program of wildlife propagation, the expenses of which are supported by fees for hunting and fishing licenses paid for by sportsmen and commercial fishermen”
Therefore, the Council’s essential and primary responsibility as noted by the Supreme Court is aimed at protecting and developing an adequate supply of fish and game for recreational and commercial purposes. This limited responsibility is implemented through adoption of the Fish Code and the Game Code and in the development of comprehensive policies for the consideration of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Governor and the Legislature.
The new pressure for non-hunter representation on game commissions/councils poses an alarming problem that directly threatens the future of conservation. Sportsmen and women contribute an incredible amount towards conservation efforts through the purchasing of hunting licenses, permits, tags, stamps, and other outdoor-related gear, in addition to the other contributions from habitat organizations. Having commissioners/councilmembers who are neutral on the matter or even directly opposed to hunting, fishing, and trapping can lead to obstructionism, which can in turn restrict access and opportunity for sportsmen and women. If opportunities to hunt are reduced, it follows that sportsmen’s and women’s ability to contribute to conservation efforts will be reduced as well, putting conservation efforts for both game and non-game species at risk.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) continues to work with the New Jersey Angling and Hunting Conservation Caucus and legislators to protect the current makeup of the Fish and Game Council, and subsequently, sound and scientific wildlife and fisheries management and conservation.
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