The Division, along with the Marine Fisheries Council, has been working with the commercial industry on methodology to reduce bycatch discard. Drift gill nets, combined with the small mesh size, drastically reduces bycatch of unwanted species such as striped bass. The nets are small mesh (up to 3.88 inches stretched mesh), used for harvesting the smaller (between 10 and 20 inches) sized croakers. When a school is located, the captain will set the net and let it drift for as long as they feel necessary to maximize profit while ensuring a good quality product at the market. The commercial boats can easily be seen searching the nearshore waters for schools of croaker and weakfish. Other species of importance include bluefish and menhaden. The main species being targeted from late August through mid-October are Atlantic croaker and weakfish (Table 1). Let's start by explaining why commercial gill-netters are along the beaches in the first place. Both sides have agreed to take the challenge - now it is up to the rest of us to follow through to make sure we all benefit from the result. The outcome of this and future meetings will focus on a continued spirit of cooperation through education, communication and respect. Recent meetings, moderated by Division personnel and New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council members, brought together representatives from the commercial and recreational sectors to develop solutions that should help reduce conflicts. How do we ease the tensions that are stirred up when these two groups come in close contact? Up until now, there has been a significant lack of communication between commercial and recreational interests that has resulted in much ill will. It also means that it is prime time for user conflicts between the commercial gill net fishermen and recreational anglers as they attempt to catch the migrating fish. The fall migration is picking up and there are plenty of croakers, weakfish, bluefish and stripers, to name a few, swimming along our shoreline. Many anglers know that this is the time of year for excellent fishing in the inshore ocean waters of New Jersey. Improving Relations Between Recreational Anglers and Commercial Fishermen Improving Relations Between Recreational Anglers and Commercial Fishermen - Taking The First Step New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
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