sports

outdoors with Lou Rodia Salt Water Specter Looms Again

Once again, the threat hangs over our heads The threat ? A salt water fishing license. This time, it comes from neighboring Deleware, where a movement to get a salt water license is being given some momentum. If it passes there, are we next? As usual, the anti license forces vastly outnumber those in favor of a license. But the group supporting the license if dangling a carrot on a stick to the legislature, to the fence riders on the issue, and even the die-hard opponents. The "carrot" is promises. As usual, the first promise is all of the "free" things that the license will bring Listed are fishing piers, boat ramps, beach access and better fishing for all Other promises include fish management programs, marine studies and water pollution cleanup projects THE INTERESTING thing is that the license proponents no longer dangle formerly touted 'impor tant' things such as a need to count the anglers. For years, we have been told that one of the benefits of a license is to count the anglers... deemed an absolute must if we were to manage the species. Under the new license

proposals, as passed in Maryland for Chesapeake Bay only and as proposed in Deleware. there are so many "exemptions" that no one could logically suggest that a license would even begin to count anything except the dollars which would be milked from the fishermen to go into the hands of the license proponents ANOTHER CARROT was the ability to "count the catch" of the recreational angler. This has long been deemed a benefit of any salt water license. But if you cannot count the fishermen, obviously you cannot count the catch. Counting the catch is a management tool. It is questionable that the count would be worth anything at all if no one knew who fish ed. how many fisherman there were or how often they fished. So much for management. The "carrot" includes such items as free fishing piers and free boat ramps. This argument for a license discounts the fact that the for these projects is coming from licenses paid for by the very fishermen who use them. Except that the boat fisherman's ramp paid for by surf and jetty fishermen and by others who do not have or use

boats that need boat ramps THE SAME applies for piers. If a pier is to be built, it is not "free," since it is paid for from license funds. What the pier fishermen get is a facility paid for by someone else who had to buy the license. Again, it shifts the burden to the nonpier fisherman who is providing facilities for someone else. Before we get too far along, be reminded that piers and boat ramps can be paid for several ways without a salt water license. First, they could be financed out of parks and recreation funding, plenty of which goes into all other kinds of recreation which is not licensed. That's one source of funding which is virtually untapped for fishing projects. A SECOND IS the recapture of some of the funds already paid by fishermen in marine fuel taxes and in sales taxes on items purchased for fishing — be they fishing tackle or related itmes. More on alternative funding sources later As for other negatives about the license. The "carrot" includes the promise of better fishing. Nowhere is there a better bad example of licensing than in California. The

state has had a salt water license for 35 years. Theoretically, good fishing should have accured to the California costal anglers after 35 years of "management" by the professionals who have had millions of dollars with which to manage the marine resources in California. Yet. today's fishing on the west coast is the worst it has been in the history of man. THAT'S HARDLY an accolade for the license proponents. They do not even want to talk about California's bad experience. Instead they harp on things like overfishing and pollu tion causing the California problem. But wasnt that what "managenment" brought about by licensing was supposed to cure? Wasn't the promise of "better fishing" one of the baits dangled in front of Californians when their license plan was proposed? Licensing has failed dismally there. But one thing has been for certain. In 35 years, the license cost has crept steadily upward and more and more regulations have come down. The bureaucracy has absorbed lots of dollars Management has not succeeded. Score one for the antilicense people THE LICENSE proposal should be viewed as it is. It is a tax. pure and simple. And like many other taxes, it starts out low and continues to climb. Taxes never get less and they never go away One of the "carrots" dangled to get support for the license is elitism. It is not talked about. It is never raised as a public issue When braced about it. license proponents bristle and deny it But many elitists who support the license recognize that if the license passes, one effect will be to lose the casual fisherman The number of anglers will definitely drop, making more room for the elitist Who will quit fishing? Not the 'pro's' Not the diehards The ones who are needed most in the sport will be lost. FOR AREAS such as ours, the casual tourist fisherman who is so important to the tourist economy will drop out. So will the novice who won't find the license worth the cost for a trip or two. So will those who cannot afford anymore cost. And, there are those who would have to drop fishing from their recreation because they do not have time to search out a license in a limited vacation stay How do we know? NewJersey in its infinite wisdom once took an Eagleton Survey to deterWomen Only CAPE MAY - There will be a final organizational meeting for the 1985 Cape May Women's Slo-pitch League at Convention Hall 8:30 p.m. April 18. League fees and rosters will be requested at the meeting Those interested in starting a team in the women's league can get further information by calling the Department of Civic Affairs at 884-8411. ext. 20 or 27.

mine the effect of a license on New Jersey fishermen The license proponents in New Jersey offered these figures: THEY SAID that if a license were implemented 82 percent of the 1 .5 million anglers presentiyftshing in salt water who are New Jersey residents would CONTINUE to fish if a license were imposed That means that 18 percent of them would quit, as I see the figures. That drop in numbers by 300.000 of residents would scratch only the surface when compared to the number of visitor anglers who would quit. The state estimates that number at 1.2 million. If 18 percent of them quit, we'd be losing at least a half million anglers a year. See why it is so important that we keep New Jersey free of a salt water license? The sales tax alone on the dollars that half million anglers are currently spending in pursuit of their sport probably exceeds the dollars generated by the license. THAT SAYS nothing about the loss of business for tackle shops, boat livery operators, party and charter boat operators and all of the related businesses which would suffer losses . Restaurants, food stores, motels, gas stations, boats and marine, equipment sales facilities would all suffer business losses. Of the 24 coastal states which have salt water fishing recreational potential. only one has a complete salt water license. That's California. Seven states have some form of combination with their fresh water license Three of those recently tried to have a salt water license imposed THE EFFORTS failed

dismally in the legislature. Maryland has instituted a partial license for Chesapeak Bay, eliminating the ocean fishing on the beach. The powers that be recognize the tremendous negative impact the license might have on tourism in Ocean City, Md. Florida is one state that had a license. It so negatively impacted tourism that the tax was rescinded. Efforts to revive it in that state found I fishermen united solidly against it. Polls pegged the opposition at 95 percent. The license proposal was soundly defeated several times in New Jersey. In New, York, the proponents could not get it out of committee. A recent attempt at a federal license took introduction by an inland legislator from Michigan and it, too, failed in the face of tremendous opposition. DESPITE REPEATED polls opposing, who wants the license? First, the elitists we mentioned above. Second the beneficiaries of the license, usually if we dig long enough we find the state divisions of fish, game and wildlife somewhere mixed in with the pro-license people. Another group which supports the license is that group which has been led to believe the license will give them great fishiifg. Another group is the angler who is doing so poorly with his catching that he will clutch at any straw in the hope that fishing will get better for him So it goes. The license succeds only one place. It divides the fishermen and forces the anti- and prolicense forces to keep fighting each other. While they fight, the fisherman ends up losing.

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Cape May County ALMANAC APRIL 1985

MOON PHASES/POSITIONS The Moon's affect on the Tide is greatest when closest to Earth (in perigee) and when in direct alignment with Sun & earth (full & new moon phases! On and about these dates, low pressure systems and /or strong winds (depending upon direction) may result in flooding, and extremely low tides Moon Phases Full Moon .. .5 Last Quarter 11 New Moon First Quarter 26 Apogee Perigee TIDE TABLE Computed for Cape May City beachfront, for other areas, see Correction Times DATE -HIGH LOW a.m. p.m. a.m. p.m. 3 Wed 5:53— 6 23 11:56— 4 Thu 6 43- 7:10 12 1#- 12;44 5 Fn 7 20— 7:55 I 12- I 32 6 Sal 8:17- 8 42 2:01- 2.18 7 Sun 9:05- 9:32 2:50- 3 03 8 Mon 9 56-10:22 3.40* 3 50 9 Tue 10 51 — 1118^.4 30- 4 40 10 Wed II 50— ' 518 5 36 11 Thu 12 16— 12:50 6 32-- « 44 12 Fri 1 14— I 56 7 39— 7*51^ •3 Sat 2:19- 3 04 8:43- 9 04 > 14 Sun 3:27- 4:10 9:38-10 02 15 Mon 4 26- 5 03 10:28-10 53 16 Tue 5 19- 5 47 11 13-11 39 17 Wed 6:01- 6:24 11:53— 18 Thu 6 43- 6:59 12:22-12 33 19 Fn 7: 18— 7:31 1:05- 1U 20 Sat 7:53- 8 06 1:44— 1 46 21 Sun 8:27- 8 3S 2:20- 2 18 22 Mon 9:01- 9 07 2 55- 2 50 23 Tue 9:38- 9 42 3:30- 3 18 24 Wed W 17-10 20 4 04- 3 47 25 Thu 11 02— 11:07 4:43— 4 22 * Fri It 55- 5:33- 5:12 27 Sal 12:03-12:53 6:37- 6 29 28 Sun 2 03- 2 59 8 46- 8 56 29 Mon 3:11— 4:07 9 45— 10:06 30 Tue 4:22- 5:10 10 43-11:06

CORRECTION TIMES Compute approximate times of high t low water for your area by adding or lubtracfinjt . the following number of minutes for each tide phase in the Tide ToWe LOW HIGH Great Egg Harbor Intel Phis 12 plus 10 Ocean City (9th S». Bridge) plus 35 plus 22 Corson Intel 'bridge) plus 21 plus 7 Sea Isle City ' Ludlam Thoro Bridge) phis 66 plus 43 Sea Isle City Beach minus 2 minus 21 Townsend Inlet plus 21 plus 4 Seven Mile Beach plus IS o Stone Harbor 'Great Channel Bridge) plus 43 plug 40 Hereford Inlet 'Angleseai plus 19 0 Wildwood Beach Minus 2 minus 17 West Wildwood 'Grassy Channel bridge) «. Plus 46 ' plug 43 V Cape May Harbor Plus 1 minus 4 Five Fathom Bank P»us II plus 1 Cape May Point Plus 46 plus 34 McCrie Shoal plus 28 plus 22 Delaware Bay Hay shore Channel (Bay-Canal Junction) plus 47 plus 36 Miami Beach plus 75 phis 61 Dermis Creek Entrance Plus 114 plus 97 Brmndywine Shoal Light Plus 77 plus 52 •" * '