Fisheries
The word fishery can have multiple definitions. Primarily, a fishery is the business or location of fishing a certain species. Fisheries are an important part of coastal economies and communities. Fishery management is an essential part of coastal resiliency. Read below for more information.
Main Ports of New Jersey
6 Commercial Fishing Ports
There are 6 main ports in New Jersey for commercial fishing. These ports are located in Atlantic City, Barnegat Light, Belford, Cape May, Point Pleasant, and Point Norris. New Jersey has multiple fisheries that are of importance. A few fisheries of major importance have been identified below.
Fisheries of New Jersey
Sea Scallops
Sea Scallops
Sea Scallops
Image Credit: Dann Blackwood
Image Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placopecten_magellanicus#/media/File:Placopecten_magellanicus.jpg
Surf Clams
Sea Scallops
Sea Scallops
Image Credit: Invertzoo
Image Link:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_surf_clam#/media/File%3ASpisula_solidissima_shell.jpg
Atlantic Mackerel
Atlantic Mackerel
Atlantic Mackerel
Image Credit: Peter van der Sluijs
Image Link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_mackerel#/media/File%3AA_mackerel.jpg
Blue Crabs
Atlantic Mackerel
Atlantic Mackerel
Image Credit: MichalPL
Image Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_crab_in_Dalyan.jpg
In 2003, New Jersey boats brought in over 170 million pounds of fish, valued at over $120 million paid to fishermen at the dock.
New Jersey Department of Agriculture
Managing Fisheries
Importance of Managing Fisheries
Fisheries involve many different environmental and socio-economic factors. Both ecosystem health and fishing economies rely on proper management of fisheries. Failure to properly manage fisheries can result in decreases in fish populations and financial damage to industries and communities. Proper fishery management is done by enacting harvest restrictions, creating marine protection zones, and minimizing pollution to coastal areas.
NOAA fisheries
For more information on how fisheries are run, click the button below for the NOAA fisheries website.
Fishery Management
Magnuson-Stevens Act
Managing fisheries is a complex task that requires extensive efforts to do properly. Essential to these efforts is the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Created in 1976, the Magnuson-Stevens Act helps guide the U.S. in properly managing fisheries. For more information on the Magnuson-Stevens Act, click the button below.
What is Overfishing?
A major issue in fishery management is overfishing. Overfishing is when too many fish are harvested preventing the population from being able to recover. Overfishing can undermine fishery health and in severe cases lead to the collapse of the fishery. For more information click the button below.
Managing Bycatch
While fishing operations target specific species, there are instances when undesired fish are caught accidently. This is referred to as bycatch. Bycatch can lead to declines in protected species and damage fish populations. For more information on bycatch, click the button below.
Climate Change and Fisheries
Climate change is a significant threat to coastal areas. many of the effects of climate change will threaten fisheries. As climate change worsens it is expected to change the quantity of fish available and their distribution. For more information on how climate change threatens fisheries, click the button below.
New Jersey Fisheries and Climate Change
New Jersey Resilience
Climate change has put increasing stress on the fishing industry in New Jersey. In order to preserve New Jersey fisheries, it is important that proper steps be taken to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. For more information on how the New Jersey fishing industry has adapted to climate change and what steps it should take next, click the button below.