Time to go off: Just got off the phone with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council - very, very helpful and receptive. Smoothies and Spinies - no regs in terms of the feds. I was directed to nj fish and game - and they were kind enough to give me a cell phone # of a guy that actually had a clue - which is shocking considering most of the guys that work up in Trenton. (if anyone reading this works in the state gov. in trenton my apologies, but you can understand my frustration.)

This gentleman was very helpful. He said he was actually in meetings all day to decide whether to include smoothies in this years shark regs which as you know, are stricter. First of all, for those of you reading this, WTF ? I understand this fish takes a long time to reach sexual maturity but do you really think their population is hurting at this point? C'mon. Long story short, he's in meetings all day and I know you guys are all on the edges of your seat to hear what the regs. are on the smoothies, but stay tuned cause the guy said he's going to call me tonight or tomorrow morning with the brain trust's results. I'm sure that this meeting of suits up their is packed with fishermen and scientific data on this species so I'm SURE the right move will be made. This is how our government works. 10 people deciding the fate of what is what - or in some cases - 1 ie. Christie.

Spinies by the way, are not managed whatsoever - recreationally - which again, does that make sense? Am I the only one that catches more smooth dogfish than spiny dogfish and they both take the same time to reach maturity.

Atleast they haven't regulated skate or sea robin yet, but that's next, I'm sure. Next they'll be putting regulations on jellyfish and sea snot.

Brian not sure how much detail they told you about the management plan they are working on...but here is some background for those who don't know about it.

The state is in the process of updating the shark management plan (due to ASMFC finding NJ out of compliance for over 2 years), it has to be accepted by ASMFC and in place by July 18th, or NJ faces a complete shark moratorium. This management plan has 27 regulations changes and affects 40 species of shark. While it is mainly to protect the pupping of browns, dusky and mako we may see changes to species that should have no regulations commercially or recreationaly like smooth and spiny dogfish.

Russ Papp, who is heading up the board says that the spinys are safe. It's the smooths that they will be voting on today. He says, however, it won't go into effect until July 20th - so even if they do manage the smooths - atleast we'll have 20 days to place a smooth under 48 inches. I'll let everyone know what the what is.

On a sad note - I just got off with the Steven Hawkings of the Lacey Township Zoning board and they are telling me that I can't have a garbage fish fry at Fish Bonz because I'm not a non-profit. I tried to apply for a permit just to keep it on the up and up and save Roger some grief and they basically told me they need blue prints of the store - a complete thesis statement - what color underwear I'll be wearing that day - so - contingincies are in the works. It's possible we could do at garbage fish headquarters. We'll see what happens.

If you need blue prints I would be happy to draw them up for you.

I appreciate that Sean. I'm thinking I'm going to do a sketch in crayon and submit it just to show them what jack holes they are.

Haha! Do the sketch in crayon and I will sign and seal it.

That sucks. I can always give you a hand setting up if you decide to do it at garbagefish headquarters

48"??? Better double check that...currently the temp regs are 54" for state and federal waters and should remain that unless they get approval for a different minimum lenght for other specieas. As far as I know it will be one minimum size.

Can you imagine catching a 54" dogfish?

i think we have, last year during the fall bass tournament...had several really big ones on shad rigs.

i think we have, last year during the fall bass tournament...had several really big ones on shad rigs.

Joe - that's shark steaks - I mean c'mon - a 54 incher? Call me next time you get a monster and I'm in the garbage mobile up to Beaver Creek to take that bad boy off your hands. Speaking of which, I have a friend who is a licensed captain and true fishing addict named Mickey. One of Mickey's life's ambitions is to break the state dogfish record which at 54 inches - you might have been close too.

We caught one last year that I thought was close - but it turned out to be a brownie.

I came close last year also. Biggest dogfish I ever saw. It took me around myboat 3 times. I caught it on a Spro Jig and I wanted the jig back. I tried to time the waves and slide it onto my swim platform, but my timing was a little off and the line snapped.

It was easily over 4'. I had a blast fighting it on my fluke rod.

I just got the email, as promised from Russ Bapp, head marine biologist for the DEP division of Fish and Game. Here she blows.

--Hey Garbageman!

Russ, here…we spoke a few days ago about possession limits with smooth dogfish. If you had other specific Qs that I have since forgot about, please email back. Sorry for delayed response, been jammed up until now. I checked out your site, pretty cool - might be buying a shirt! Sea Robins, smoothies and skates have always gotten a bad rap in my book - glad to see you giving them some respect. I know my kids are as happy catching them as anything else.

To follow is a summary of all the things that have gone on with smoothies over the last two years. The take home message for you is that smooth dogfish have no minimum size or possession limit (either for recreational and commercial fishing). I just wanted to confirm what our current rules say and that our latest rule proposal had similar language, as it will be adopted in the middle of your tournament.

The balance of this email is probably of no use to you now, but may be of interest.

We have had a number of efforts at the federal level to restrict the harvest of smoothies bcs we no very little of their status. It looks as though a we will likely be conducting an assessment on smooth dogfish at some point in the near future and to draft a fishery management plan.

The FMP that was created by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (August 2008) had a recreational possession limit of one shark from the federal recreationally
permitted species, which also included smooth dogfish, per calendar day plus each recreational angler was able to harvest one additional bonnethead, and one additional Atlantic sharpnose, and one additional smooth dogfish per calendar day. So, you would have had a bag limit of two smoothies per day. This possession limit issue went to our technical committee and went back to the Management Board. Common sense prevailed and an addendum allowed for the relaxation of the possession limit. These possession limits were established based on recreational possession limits for the Atlantic sharpnose shark, which have a similar life history to smooth dogfish. In the end, since there was no smooth dogfish assessment or other metric, which indicated that recreational possession limits are necessary for a sustainable smooth dogfish fishery, limiting recreational possession was deemed unnecessary. Currently there are no possession limits in the commercial fishery and limiting only the recreational fishery without evidence that doing so is necessary to sustain the stock could be construed to be unfair to recreational fishermen.

Again, way more information than you probably want…but here it is anyway…

Currently, smooth dogfish are not managed in federal waters by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). However, The Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 prohibits finning (the act of cutting off the fins and discarding the body at sea) of smooth dogfish and other sharks in the economic zone (EEZ). This Act also requires that the total wet weight of the shark fins cannot exceed 5 percent of the total dressed weight of shark carcasses found on board a vessel. However, smooth dogfish are included as one of the 40 shark species managed in the ASMFC’s FMP.

FYI, other sharks caught in the recreational fishery must have a fork length of at least 4.5 feet (54 inches) with the exception of Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, finetooth, bonnethead, and smooth dogfish.

So, in the end, smooth dogfish harvest is not limited in state waters and recreational shore and vessel-anglers may harvest an unlimited amount of smooth dogfish.

Here is a summary of the proposed shark rules that will be adopted mid-summer.

NJ Shark Regulations Summary

The following is a summary of the regulations as proposed in 2009, which are slated to be adopted in July 2010!

In response to the adoption of an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks (FMP) (August 2008) and Addendum I to this plan (Sept. 09), many recreational shark regulations will be amended.

Upon adoption of proposed amendments to regulations, the following shark species will be listed as either prohibited or research species only and may no longer be taken by recreational fishermen:

Atlantic angel Squatina dumerili
Bigeye sixgill Hexanchus vitulus
Bigeye thresher Alopias superciliosus
Bignose Carcharhinus altimus
Bluntnose Sixgill Hexanchus griseus
Caribbean sharpnose Rhizoprionodon porous
Dusky Carcharhinus obscurus
Galapagos Carcharhinus galapagensis
Longfin mako Isurus paucus
Narrowtooth Carcharhinus brachyurus
Night Carcharhinus signatus
Reef Carcharhinus perezi
Sandbar Carcharhinus plumbeus
Sharpnose sevengill Heptranchias perlo
Smalltail Carcharhinus porosus

Upon adoption of proposed amendments to regulations, the following shark species of the large coastal group will have a minimum size limit of 54 inches fork length (a measurement from the tip of the snout to the V shaped indentation between the two separate tail segments forming a shark’s caudal fin) and a season from January 1 to May 14 and July 16 to December 31.

This group may not be harvested from May 15 to July 15 to protect pupping females. This group includes:

Blacktip Carcharhinus limbatus
Bull Carcharhinus leucas
Great hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran
Lemon Negaprion breviostris
Nurse Ginglymostoma cirratum
Scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini
Silky Carcharinus falciformis
Smooth hammerhead Sphyrna zygaena
Spinner Carcharhinus brevipinna
Tiger Galeocerdo cuvieri

Upon adoption of proposed amendments to regulations, the following shark species of the pelagic group will have a minimum size limit of 54 inches fork length and a season from January 1 to December 31:

Blue Prionace glauca
Oceanic white tip Carcharhinus longimanus
Porbeagle Lamna nasus
Shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus
Thresher Alopias vulpinus

Upon adoption of proposed amendments to regulations, the following shark species of the small coastal group will have no minimum size limit and a season from January 1 to December 31:

Atlantic sharpnose Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
Blacknose Carcharinus acronotus
Bonnethead Sphyrna tiburo
Finetooth Carcharhinus isodon

“Trash/Garbage fish of Interest to You”

Upon adoption of proposed amendments to regulations, the following shark species of the smooth dogfish species group will have no minimum size limit, no possession limit and a season from January 1 to December 31:

Upon adoption of proposed amendments to regulations, the following shark species of the spiny dogfish group will have no minimum size limit, no possession limit and a season from January 1 to December 31:

The harvest of sharks in the recreational fishery will be limited to a person angling with a hand line or rod and reel only. Each recreational shore-based angler will be allowed a maximum harvest of one shark from the recreationally permitted species, including smooth dogfish, per calendar day. In addition, each recreational shore-based angler may harvest one additional bonnethead, and one additional Atlantic sharpnose, and one additional smooth dogfish per calendar day. Recreational fishing vessels will be allowed a maximum harvest of one shark from the recreationally permitted species, including smooth dogfish, regardless of the number of people on board the vessel. In addition, each recreational angler fishing from a vessel may harvest one bonnethead, and one Atlantic sharpnose, and one smooth dogfish per trip.

All sharks, with a limited exemption for smooth dogfish, caught by recreational fishermen will need to have heads, tails, and fins attached naturally to the carcass. Fishermen may completely remove the fins of smooth dogfish only from March 1 through June of each year.

Anglers may still gut and bleed the carcass by making an incision at the base of the caudal peduncle as long as the tail is not removed. Filleting sharks at sea is prohibited.
Recreational anglers should access the following National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration web site, www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/Rec_shark_ID_placard_09_04_2008.pdf for the publication, “Sharks that can be legally retained by recreational anglers in the Atlantic Ocean, Carribean Sea and Gulf of Mexico”, an excellent pictorial guide to identifying sharks that are legal to harvest.

Regards, Russ


Russell M. Babb, Jr., Supervising Biologist
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Delaware Bay Office
1672 E. Buckshutem Rd.
Millville, NJ 08332
P: (856) 785-0730 / F: (856) 785-0853
Visit our Division Website at http://www.njfishandwildlife.com

:xxx: Brian, they are giving you a hard time A. You need to "write it in crayon" like usual, lol. Nuf said. Good Luck man

It's official - smooths and spineys are officially exempt from any regulations or management with regards to the new shark regs. You may keep anything you can catch regardless of size or limit. The only thing you can't do is fin them. I just heard back from Russ from DEP fish and game to clarify this. Fish on!

can you vent them so they can return to the deep? lol

Sharks don't have swim bladders, so there's really nothing to vent.