The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is urging its New Jersey and Pennsylvania members to act now in support of saltwater registry legislation now resting on Governor Chris Christie's desk.  Passed unanimously in the New Jersey Senate in December as Senate Bill 2211 (S1122), the legislation was amended slightly by the Assembly on January 6, 2011 as Assembly Bill 823 (A823), and now requires the Governor's signature in order for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to act.

 

"We were able to clear this legislation through various committees and get it passed by both the Senate and Assembly because of phone calls and faxes, and now it looks as though our coastal community is going to have to speak out in force in order for the Governor to sign it," said RFA Executive Director Jim Donofrio. "The registry opponents have tried desperately to sabotage this legislation, but our RFA members and coastal business owners were not about to sit back and let that happen without a fight, not then and definitely not now," he said.

 

Donofrio said the RFA's New Jersey chapter (RFA-NJ) has been active in supporting saltwater angler registry legislation ever since federal law was changed in 2007 to call for a virtual phonebook of saltwater anglers nationwide.  "It's a simple requirement that's had overwhelming support in our community and throughout the state legislature," Donofrio said.  

 

RFA is urging coastal anglers and business owners to visit the RFA homepage at www.joinrfa.org to download and print out a copy of the letter to Governor Christie which can be faxed to his attention at 609-292-3454.

 

To download the fax directly, visit www.joinrfa.org/Press/RFARegistryfax2011.pdf.