The SWABC s Gift to NICO the Club s Grand Chef.

Transcription

1 January 2019 At The American Legion Hall, Post # 170, 33 West Passaic Street, Rochelle Park, N. J. President/ Writer/ Editor John Toth tothjohn@verizon.net Visit our revised Web page & try some of the new functions 1 st Vice President Craig Zincavage Zincman@ yahoo.com 2 nd Vice President Mark Capalbo markcapalbo@aol.com Membership Secretary. Jack O Hara Jacko5577@gmail.com Treasurer Jim Galanaugh Jr. Jgalan4962@aol.com Assistant Treasurer Charles Santoro Boats62@aol.com The SWABC s Gift to NICO the Club s Grand Chef. Assistant Writer/Editor Fred Villanova Gray13beard@gmail.com Stories & Events Page 2 Presidents Corner, Speaker Schedule, Club Events Page 3 More events, Club Dues & Boat Show Page fishing trips & Fishing Articles Page 5 Roundtable Meeting & Mako Tournment Page 6 Letter to J. Bullard & Club Application Good fishing, good friends. That s what SWABC is all about The Best Fishing Club in NJ The regular meetings will be held every third Tuesday of the month, (except March) at 8:00 PM at the Legion Hall. A $5 fee is required, for non-members. This entitles you to refreshments, snacks, and some new tricks about fishing and participation if you choose in our 50/50 and dark horse drawings. Welcome all; we hope you enjoy the evening.

2 Presidents Corner Happy New Year! Wishing all a Great Fishing Year in 2019! Our club had a lot of activities during 2018 that included a number of charter fishing trips, a Flea Market, participation in three fishing-related fishing shows, a special dinner honoring all our past presidents, a Fishing Derby and even a Beefsteak Dinner! For 2019, we will have similar activities and possibly even a Pig Roast in September! We also have a special bus charter trip during July on the very popular boat Helen H that sails from Massachusetts. This boat is so popular for fishing that it is difficult to reserve a date on its calendar. Our December 18 th Christmas party was meeting to remember with so much refreshments that were brought by 24 members and that number does not include those members who brought in food at the last minute since we do not have a record of their contributions. Members who prepared special dishes for us or purchased food items for us include: Chuck Santoro, John Toth, Don Lohse, Jim Zimmer, Eddie Lopez, Jack Walker, Nico, Mark Capalbo,, Rick Reitano, Miguel Manzano, Mike Peluoso, Debbie & Hector Chacon, Craig Zincavage, Bill Fish, Chuck Routar, Jim Piobino, Tony Lill, Tom Tyls, Tom Orr, Marvin Oresky, Dave Nicholson, Jim Catanzaro, Captain Dave Huebner, Gary Gusterson and Captain John Kolias. This participation in our Christmas party really shows how much our members value belonging to our club! Additionally, our club purchased hot plate food item with a value of $380 to provide even more variety at our three food tables. This was a feast and it had so much to offer with meats, pasta, shrimp, and lots of desserts! Nobody watched their diets from what I saw (including me)! For me, what was so special about this party was watching our members just sitting around the tables and enjoying not only the food but laughing and also enjoying each other s company! There was definitely a positive mood and good karma on display at this meeting! The tables and chairs for this meeting were set up by Chuck Santoro and Carl Bruger and I want to Thank both of them and all of you members who put them all back where they belong after this meeting. Our Grand Chef, Nico, received a club jacket in recognition for all of his efforts in preparing the delicious food for our club meetings that include purchasing the food, waiting in line in the stores to pay for them and preparing the food. Nico ordered a club jacket from Mark Capalbo and Nico was ready to pay for it, but we gave this jacket to Nico for his Christmas present. Nico also won our 50/50 Raffle and went home with $192 and with a big smile on his face! Finally, I want to Thank Kevin Morgan for being Santa Claus and distributing gifts to our members. He plays this part so well that I am beginning to believe there is a Santa Claus since he puts all of us in a Christmas spirit! Speaker for our January 15, 2019 Meeting Doug Zemeckis Climate Change Climate Change is having a direct impact on fish migration and a number of species are moving north due to warming waters. Doug Zemeckis, from Rutgers, will give us a presentation on how our fisheries are impacted by this change. This will be a very interesting meeting to hear about the latest information on this very important topic that affects all of us anglers. Speaker for February 19 th Meeting Andy Still Andy is an avid New Jersey fisherman an environmentalist with his focus being on the cleaning up of the Raritan River. He will describe how this river has come back to life as well as the fish that swim in it. March 19th Past President s Dinner at the Mountainside Inn Clifton, NJ This dinner is held on an annual basis to honor all of the presidents who have served our club over its many years. No meeting will be held in March at the American Legion Post # 170 our regular meeting location. More detailed information on this dinner is in another section of this bulletin. Speaker for April 16 th Meeting Dominic Lammano Backwater Baits Dominic of Backwater Baits will talk about the different styles of jigs he offers and how to use them during different lighting conditions. They will also be available for purchase. In Memoriam Harold Gusterson Harold was our Sergeant at Arms and sold those 50/50 tickets as members first entered our meeting room. Harold also sold tickets for our Past President s Dinner and was an enthusiastic supporter of our club. Harold was very much admired by our membership and in lieu of flowers and at the request of his family members our club made a $100 donation to St. Jude s Children Research Hospital. We will miss you Harold and may you Rest in Peace! In Memoriam John Lewis A Past President of SWABC John Lewis was president of the Salt Water Anglers of Bergen County from 1980 to 1981 and was an active member for many years until his passing on December 2 nd. In addition to his love of fishing, John loved gardening. At the request of his family and in lieu of flowers, our club will send a donation of $100 to the Fresh Air Fund. May you rest in peace John! Big Fish Derby The latest submission of affidavits to enter our club's Big Fish Derby is at our January 15th, 2019 meeting. (Affidavits can be downloaded at our club s web After this January 15 th meeting, no more affidavits will be accepted. Please return them to John Toth at our January 15th meeting or your affidavits to John at (tothjohn@verizon.net) Also, check the listings in the Big Fish Derby to make sure your entries are correct. Prizes for the winners of our Big Fish Contest will be given at out Past President s Dinner that is scheduled for March 19, 2019 at the Mountainside Inn in Clifton, NJ.

3 Past President's Dinner - March 19, Mountainside Inn, Clifton, NJ Save this date! We had a very good time at this dinner in March of last year with a nice crowd and food served Family Style with roast beef, chicken, salad, pasta, potatoes and dessert all for $25. The price for this year's Past President's Dinner remains the same at $25, in spite of inflation! Can't beat the price for what you get! We will have speakers to touch briefly on a variety of fishingrelated topics, a huge Dark Horse, door prizes, and certificates/gift cards to be presented to the winners of the Big Fish contest! Tickets are now on sale for this dinner at $25 and will remain at the $25 price until our February 19, 2019 club meeting. After this February meeting, the price for the dinner will go to $30. We are making this change in the hope that members will buy their dinner tickets at an earlier date. By doing this, we can have a better head count of how many members are coming to the dinner. Tickets for this dinner will start to be on sale at our January 15 th meeting. For more information about this dinner or to order them for you and your friends, please call Art Vrola, our Dinner Chairman, at (201) Flea Market for our Club The date will be February 17 th and it will be held at the Hasbrouck Heights VFW. The cost for a table is $25 and each additional table will only cost $20. Admission will be $5 and kids under 12 free. Door prizes will be announced every hour. Hot dogs, coffee and refreshments will be on sale. Craig is looking for volunteers to help him with this show. Please see him at our January meeting to see how you can help him. He will need help with the tables, parking, 50/50 raffle, taking money at the door etc. If you know of any vendors that would be interested in being at our flea market, please let them know that this flea market is coming and have them contact Craig. Craig can be reached at (973) or at Zincman70@yahoo.com. Club Shirts & Hoodies on Sale Our new club shirts and hoodies are on sale and will be available for purchase at our meetings. The shirts cost $15 each or you can buy two of the shirts at $25. The colors of the shirts are blue and tan with a picture on the back of the shirts of a fluke, striped bass and a bluefish. All these shirts have a pocket. The hoodies are gray in color with the same design on the back. The hoodies cost $25. The shirts and hoodies look sharp and the pictures of fish on the back of them are eye-catching! A Big Thank You goes to Don Lohse for researching the type of shirts and hoodies on the market and selecting the right ones for us. This took a lot of his time and effort to get this project done for our club. Welcome Aboard! Sal Caramanna Hawthorne May the FISH be with you! Club Dues & Purchase of Club s Raffle Tickets Our club membership dues are $55 for an individual and $60 for family membership. The dues for a new member joining our club is $40 for the first year and $35 each year thereafter. Members, current and new, will be required as club policy when renewing their membership to buy two of our club raffle books for a total cost of $20. (Each book has ten tickets in it at a cost of $1 for each ticket). Members selling these raffle tickets can either keep them for their own use to possibly win one of the raffle prizes or sell the tickets and keep the $20 from selling their two raffle books. This membership policy was adopted by our club s board to have an ongoing revenue stream to cover the club s expenses relating to insurance fees, hall rentals, speaker fees, postage, refreshments for our meetings and other expenses. In regard to refreshments, our club puts out a quite a spread of food at each meeting, courtesy of you Grand Chef, Nico, along with free beer and soda. Members have an opportunity while eating their food to sit down at the various tables and chat with each other to hear about fishing and consequently, developing new friendships. That is what our club is all about! February 14-17th - New Jersey Boat Show It is fun to be at a boat show and see new boats and dream about owning one. The location is one that we are familiar with since we were just at it the Raritan show in Edison, NJ Convention Center. Volunteers who work at this show do not pay an entrance fee. Volunteers sell our club raffle tickets and promote our club to those who express interest in it. Here is the schedule for this show and we will need volunteers to work at the various shifts: Thursday (February 14 th ) Noon - 4:00 p.m. - Steve Totten, John Piazza, John Toth 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tom Bornemann, Friday (February 15 th ) Noon to 4:00 p.m. John Toth, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Saturday (February 16 th ) Noon to 4:00 p.m. Steve Totten, John Piazza 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday (February 17 th ) Noon to 2:30 p.m. Steve Totten, John Piazza 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. John Toth (March 15 th to March 17 th - Salt Water Fishing Expo in Three Top Fish Fluke, Sea Bass, Bluefish These are the top three fish landed by New Jersey Recreational anglers, according to NOAA s latest Fisheries Economics of the United Sates Report. The report was released in December but is based on 2016 data. Anglers reeled in 6.1 million pounds of fluke but kept 755,000 pounds. The sea bass harvest was 2.4 million pounds, but anglers kept 294,000 pounds of it and released the rest. Anglers landed over 1.6 million pounds of bluefish and kept 924,000 pounds. (Asbury Park Press, December 19, 2018).

4 2019 Events January 10 th Charter on the Fish Monger Blackfish January 10 th -13 th Raritan Show Our club has booth at this show February th Boat Show Our club has a booth at this show February 17 th Club Flea Market Hasbrouck Heights March 15 th 17 th Saltwater Expo Our club has a booth at this show March 19 th Club Past President s Dinner (to honor all presidents of this club) at the Mountainside Inn Clifton, NJ April 13 th & 14 th No Limit blackfish Delaware April 22 nd Fish Monger Blackfish April 28 th Osprey blackfish Atlantic City (bus Trip) April 26 th Fisnin Fever Cape May - Blackfish May 18 th Booked Off Charters Rhode Island Fluke June 10 th Youth Outreach Trip (Ranch Hope) on the MiJo July 19 th Helen H. - Mass. Fluke Bus Trip (New) For you reading pleasure: A collection of Fish related articles follows: Spearfisher Hits Record Winter Flounder in Shark River Jim Oriscak of Toms River speared a 3 pound, 7 ounce winter flounder while freediving in Shark River during this fall season. It was two ounces heavier than the previous record holder. The fish was 18 ¾ inches long. Freediving is a form of underwater diving where divers rely on holding their breath instead of using scuba gear The state record winter flounder caught on rod and reel is 5 pounds, 11 ounces and was set in (Asbury Park Press, November 30, 2018). 3 Anglers Busted for Poaching Striped Bass Three fishermen from Pennsylvania were caught on August 28th in the act of poaching 87 striped bass on the Manasquan River, including 46 undersized bass. One of the men even had a prior conviction in 2015 for poaching striped bass and he has had his privileges revoked. The three men appeared in court and each were fined with different amounts according to their illegal striped bass in their possession plus court costs - $2512, $2012, and $3, 012. This illegal activity has been reported to the 46 other member states of the Interstate Violator s Compact, which may impose license suspensions as well. This means that the 46 states in this Compact also have the three men in their data bases to help identify them for any illegal activity in their respective states. (Asbury Park Press, November 16, 2018). Codfish Trivia The largest cod ever caught was netted off Massachusetts in May It was 6 feet long and weighed 211 ½ pounds! The hook & line record stands at 98 lbs. 12 oz. Today s cod average 4 to 11 pounds. 60 pounders are unusual. (The Fisherman, November 15, 2018). Warming Seas Send Waves Through U.S. Fishing The fish are moving and so is an entire industry. As sea temperatures rise and Artic ice retreats, the fish appear to be avoiding warming waters and migrating northward. For example, the bulk of black sea bass once lived 700 miles south of North Carolina, they now have moved to Rhode Island and are a staple catch in Point Judith along with summer flounder that also have been appearing. Higher temperatures mean less dissolved oxygen in the waters while increasing a fish s demand for oxygen by speeding up its metabolism. Warming water may also favor predators or drive off species on which commercial fish feed. Warming ocean temperatures are pushing hundreds of marine species outside of their traditional ranges ocean scientists say. In 2011, mackerel for the first time extended its feeding area to Greenland s coast and also to Iceland. In regard to the commercial industry, ships have to sail further to reach their catch and also incur increased fuel costs. With fish on the move so much, ships have to spend more time in locating their prey. (Condensed article from Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2018). Building a Monument for Lobsters Killed in a Truck Crash! It s for a good claws! Animal rights activists want to build a memorial in Maine to honor the lobsters that died in a recent truck crash PETA wants permission from the state s Department of Transportation to erect a five-foot tombstone next to the highway in Brunswick to remember the crustaceans killed when a seafood truck overturned last week (Weird, but True, NY Post, September 1, 2018). Greenland Sharks - Older than George Washington - Life Span of Greenland Sharks - Stuns Scientists! The Greenland shark has long been considered to be sluggish, homely and dim-witted. But now, it can demand respect! Scientists say it is the planet's longest-lived vertebrae, or animal with a backbone. Eight of 28 Greenland sharks profiled in a new study in today's (8/12/12), Science publication were 200 years or older by their estimates. One enormous female was aged at least 270 years and she may well have been 390 years old! That would make her possible birth date in the era of Rembrandt or Galileo! These scientists checked and rechecked their math but kept on coming up with the same conclusions. "Typically, nothing except trees live this long". The Greenland shark has all the hallmarks of an animal that can live at an old age. For starters, females can be as long as 15t feet, which is longer than a station wagon. Those proportions mean the shark has few enemies. The Greenland shark also has a low metabolism, befitting the ultra-cold northern waters where it is most found. It putters along at less than half a mile per hour. The biggest sharks probably don't have to eat every day. They might just have a big meal once or twice a year, says Julius Nielsen of Denmark's University of Copenhagen. The meal most often consists of a seal, large fish and even huge chunks of moose or reindeer. (Asbury Park Press - August 12, 2016)

5 Request for a New Recreational Roundtable Meeting By John Toth On April 3, 2017, John Bullard, the former Regional Administrator of the Greater Atlantic Regional Office, held a Roundtable Meeting to hear firsthand the problems facing recreational anglers. I recorded the major issues that emerged from this meeting, and I sent an April 6 th letter (below) to John Bullard as a follow up to this meeting requesting the next steps for resolution of them. While an Action Plan was offered by Mr. Bullard s staff on June 8, 2017 in an attempt to address the issues of the April 3 rd Roundtable meeting, no movement on this Action Plan has taken place to date. Mr. Pentony has replaced John Bullard and he was the guest speaker at the Jersey Coast Anglers Sportsperson of the Year Dinner held on November 11 th at the Crystal Point Yacht Club. On hearing his presentation concerning the problems we face as recreational anglers at this dinner, I thought that a new Roundtable Meeting should be held with this change in leadership so that possibly new and fresh ideas can emerge to help resolve the issues in my letter to John Bullard. My request (mailed on JCAA letterhead) for this Roundtable Meeting follows: Michael Pentony December 1, 2018 Regional Administrator Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 55 Great Republic Drive Gloucester, MA Dear Mr. Pentony, I want to thank you for coming to the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Sports Person of the Year Dinner. It was interesting and even refreshing to hear you talk about your early fishing experiences in New Jersey s waters. While listening to you, I felt that you have a direct connection with us recreational anglers and that you are in tune with and have an understanding of the issues facing the recreational community. On April 3, 2017, John Bullard held a Recreational Fishing Regional Roundtable meeting at the Manasquan Reservoir Visitor Center. I attended this meeting along with others to express our concerns on a number of issues that are important to the recreational fishing industry. I wrote a summary of this meeting (attached) and sent it to Mr. Bullard asking for his comments and, more importantly, how we can partner together to resolve them. I did receive a Meeting Summary on June 8, 2017 with a proposed Action Plan, but there has been no movement on this Action Plan to date. I, and the JCAA Board Members, request that you hold another Regional Round Table meeting in 2019 to hear our concerns regarding the issues of the recreational community. While the issues raised in the 2017 Round Table Meeting have not changed, let us have a fresh start in looking at them and developing a plan to address and resolve them. I understand that NOAA has three Roundtable meetings planned for the New England Region, but none yet for our Mid-Atlantic region. Thank you for considering this request! John Toth JCAA, 1 st Vice President Cc: Mark Taylor, President Cc:Tom Fote, Legislative Chairman (Letter to John Bullard, NE Regional Administrator is on page 6) Mako Mania s Tournament - $70K Payout is Finally Resolved Jonathan Marotta, the owner of the boat Seaquester and his crew last summer caught a pound mako that was initially qualified before the tournament Mako Mania committee. This shark was measured on its curve with a tape measure and it came to 83 1/4 inches. However, because of this shark s quota decline, the size limit for a mako was increased to 83 inches by fishing management. By measuring this mako with a straight ruler, the size of this shark comes to only 79 inches, making it ineligible to be declared to be the winner of this recent tournament. This is the argument made by Captain Tim O Donnell and his crew who caught a 467-pound thresher shark. Fearing that a mako shark would not be caught at the new 83-inch minimum length, the Mako Mania committee allowed thresher sharks to be qualified for this tournament. This controversy centers on how a mako can be measured by the curve or a straight line. The regulations concerning this issue seem to be somewhat ambiguous and open to interpretations. This issue finally reached an amicable resolution with the two captains sharing the $70 thousand money instead of incurring increased legal fees due to prolonged litigation. (Asbury Park Press, December 2018). More Plastic Then Fish in the Ocean Plastic Could Exceed the Number of Fish in the Ocean! If we continue down our current path, by 2050 it is estimated that the world's oceans are expected to contain more plastic by weight than fish, a recent study has found. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, each year at least 8 million tons of plastic are put into the oceans causing $13 billion in damages to the marine environment. It is equivalent to dumping the contents of a garbage truck into the ocean every minute! If no action is taken, this dumping is expected to increase to two-per-minute by 2030, and four - per- minute by 2050, the report predicts. Already, there are areas in the oceans that have garbage, including large amounts of plastics that are like garbage dumps the size of the United States floating on top of the ocean's waters. While a large amount of plastics are recycled, 32% of plastic packaging escapes collection systems, making its way into the ocean. (Asbury Park Press - January 22, 2018).

6 John Bullard, NE Regional Administrator April 6, 2017 U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries office National Marine Fisheries Service 55 Great Republic Dr. Gloucester, MA Dear Mr. Bullard, I want to thank you and your staff for meeting with representatives from fishing organizations and related industries on April 3rd at the Manasquan Reservoir Visitor's Center as part of NOAA's Round Table Discussion to listen to the concerns of anglers. A number of major issues were raised at this meeting and I would like to have your comments on just a few of them. 1. We have been experiencing cutbacks on our fishing quotas for just about every fishery with the resulting loss of related fishing industries such as tackle shops, charter/party boats and even the loss of anglers buying new boats since they have diminished fishing opportunities. The 19-inch fluke New Jersey's anglers are currently contesting comes to mind. When we protest these continual cutbacks, the reply we always receive is that these quota reductions are based "ON the Best Science Available." At this meeting, it was pointed out to you your own statistics show that black sea bass stocks have increased 230 %, yet we have not received a commensurate increase in the quota. An increased quota would allow us to target sea bass for a longer season thereby reducing pressure on other species such as fluke. It seems to us that this is a "Tails you lose and heads you lose" no matter how the coin is tossed! If your own statistics tell you that the quota for sea bass can be easily raised, then why has this not been done? I understand that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is going to consider raising this quota in the near future. As one person indicated at this meeting, NOAA has a "Loud Voice" when it comes to fishing managers making these types of decisions. We all would appreciate your using NOAA's voice to significantly increase the black sea bass quota for our fishing industry. 2. The data used to justify cutbacks in our fisheries is seriously flawed and this was pointed out to you. As an example, the data showed that New Jersey's anglers caught a lot of fish after Hurricane Sandy, even though a large number of our boats were destroyed, and many marinas closed. Other examples like this abound such as days with high winds that keep boats in the marinas, yet high catches of fish are recorded. This bad data goes into the models used for quota development and bad data in the models produces bad data out. This is a continuing and a major problem that needs serious attention by your staff. Also pointed out at this meeting, it is the continuing loss of marinas, decline in boat registrations, etc., that shows our fishing industry is in a downward spiral over the years. NOAA has to take a serious look at this decline in fishing - related businesses and examine its role in contributing to this decline by its management that continually pursues decisions that damage the recreational and commercial fishing industries. What can NOAA do to reverse this downward trend? As also mentioned at this meeting, we are looking to be a Partner with you and we are looking for a Roadmap from you to follow so that we can both work together on resolving these outstanding issues. John Toth, President of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association (JCAA) President, Salt Water Anglers of Bergen County CC: Wilbur Ross U.S. Commerce Secretary Salt Water Anglers of Bergen County, #1 Salt Water Fishing Club. Please enclose a check in the amount of $60 for a one-year membership, into New Jersey s #1 Salt Water Fishing Club ($60 membership includes 2 raffle books, a $20.00 value) Mail To: American Legion Hall Post # 170, 33 West Passaic Street, Rochelle Park, N.J Name: Phone No.: Address: Address: