Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center Open House June 2 and 3

The Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife is hosting its annual Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center Open House and outdoors recreation flea market on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3.

Pequest Trout HatcheryThe free event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, showcases New Jersey’s natural resources, as well as the hatchery that raises trout stocked throughout the state. The hatchery is in Oxford, Warren County.

“Drawing people from all over the state and region, the open house lets residents and visitors learn about New Jersey’s diverse natural resources through family-friendly activities, demonstrations and exhibits,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Larry Herrighty. “It also gives the public a chance to visit our state-of-the-art hatchery that each year raises hundreds of thousands of trout for stocking of rivers, lakes and streams across New Jersey.”

A large mobile fishing tank holding thousands of gallons of water
and loaded with warm-water game fish from the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery. 

The event typically is held the weekend prior to the early April opening of trout season but was rescheduled this year to June due to snow pack and unsuitable ground conditions at the hatchery.

This year’s Open House will kick off National Fishing and Boating Week, June 2 through June 10, and helps lead up to New Jersey’s first Free Fishing Day June 9. A second Free Fishing Day will be held on October 20. On free fishing days, anyone can participate in freshwater fishing without having to purchase a license.

Open House activities include:

• Professional fishing demonstrations are scheduled throughout the day, with tips for anglers on casting methods, lures and effective fishing techniques.
• NJ DEP Division of Fish and WildlifeThe Pequest fishing education pond, which will be open for children ages 8 to 16 to try trout fishing. Staff and volunteers from the Wildlife Conservation Corps and Trout Unlimited will provide expert instruction. All fishing equipment will be provided.
• Exhibits and information outside the Natural Resource Education Center, where Division of Fish and Wildlife staff and representatives from conservation organizations will explain efforts to protect and manage natural resources.
• An indoor archery range and computerized hunter education training system that will test the skills of visitors.
• Wildlife artists, carvers and taxidermists exhibiting their work and offering items for sale.
• A flea market offering deals on fishing and hunting equipment, outdoor gear and many other items.
• Food vendors will be available on site, or you can bring your own lunch and enjoy one of three picnic areas on the grounds of the 5,000-acre Pequest Wildlife Management Area.

The main entrance to the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center is on Route 46, approximately 9 miles west of Hackettstown in Warren County. Please note that the rear entrance is closed during the Open House, and there is no bus parking available.

For more information on the Open House, including a schedule of events and additional directions, visit: www.njfishandwildlife.com/peqoh.htm or call (908) 637-4125, Extension 0.

For information about National Fishing and Boating week, visit: www.takemefishing.org/how-to-fish/how-to-catch-fish/national-fishing-and-boating-week/

Shad Return to the Musconetcong River

American Shad have returned to the Musconetcong River and the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is asking anglers who see or accidentally catch American Shad or river herring while fishing for other species to report their sightings. Anglers are reminded that it is illegal to take or possess American Shad except from the Delaware River mainstem.

The historic return of this fish to the Musconetcong River is due to the recent removal of several dams that blocked their spring spawning migration for more than a century. Although illegal to specifically fish for American Shad and river herring (Alewife and Blueback Herring) in the Musconetcong River, documenting their presence is very important to the recovery of these fishes.

Anglers are asked to submit reports of shad or herring to NJFWfish@dep.nj.gov or 908-236-2118. Please include the date of sighting, location, species, any photos, and your contact information. The Division appreciates the cooperation of the angling public.

American Shad Return to Musconetcong River After More Than a Century (NJDEP News Release, 6/15/17)

Summer Flounder Season

Paralichthys dentatus, summer flounder or fluke

Memorial Day weekend might be the unofficial start of summer at the Jersey shore, but another sign of Jersey summer is that the summer flounder season opened today, Friday, May 25.

The size and possession limits are as follows:
Island Beach State Park (shore fishing): 2 fish at 16”
Delaware Bay and Tributaries: 3 fish at 17”
All other marine waters: 3 fish at 18”

The summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) is a marine flatfish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean off the East coast of the United States and Canada. It is especially abundant in waters from North Carolina to Massachusetts.

The summer flounder is also called a fluke. It is a member of the large-tooth flounder family Paralichthyidae. There are typically 5 to 14 ocellated (eye-like) spots on the body.

Like most members of the left-eye flounders, they can change the color and pattern of their dark side to match the surrounding bottom, and are also capable of rapidly burrowing into muddy or sandy bottoms.

Watch out - their teeth are quite sharp and well developed on both upper and lower jaws.

The average summer flounder reaches sexual maturity at 2 years and weighs 1 to 3 pounds, typically 15 to 20 inches in length, though they may grow as large as 26 pounds and live up to 20 years with females making up the largest and oldest specimens.

Adults are highly predatory and considered mostly piscivorous (carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish) and often stays buried with only their head exposed to ambush prey which includes sand lance, menhaden, atlantic silverside, mummichog killifish, small bluefish, porgies, squid, shrimp, and crabs.

They are primarily a bottom fish. They are rapid swimmers over short distances and so they can become very aggressive, feeding actively at mid-depths, and even chasing prey to the surface.

Remember you need to go online for your NJ Salt Water Registration - but it is FREE - before you throw that bait into the water. See the "Attention Anglers" summary sheet for more information at nj.gov/dep/saltwaterregistry/

Horseshoe Crab and Full Moons

Each year, around the new and full moons of May and June, the Bureau of Marine Fisheries conducts a horseshoe crab survey at Fortescue Beach and Gandy's Beach on Delaware Bay. This year, the Full Moons are May 29 and June 28.

This survey involves heading out to the beach late at night and counting thousands and thousands of horseshoe crabs into the wee hours of the morning with a head lamp.

A tagged female (left) and male (right) horseshoe crab. Females are usually larger.

"A Night On the Horseshoe Crab Survey" is one of the Day In the Life Of a Marine Fisheries Hourly series on the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife website. 

Other articles in this series:

A Day With Glass Eels
A Day On the Delaware Bay Trawl
A Day on a Recreational Fishing Survey Site Assignment
A Day in the Chem Lab: Aging Weakfish, Atlantic Croaker, and American Eels
A Day on the Bay: On the Hunt for Yellow Eels
A Day On the Ocean Trawl
A Day On the Delaware River
A Day At a Fishing Tournament
A Night On the Horseshoe Crab Survey

27th Governor's Surf Fishing Tournament May 20

The 27th Governor's Surf Fishing Tournament at Island Beach State Park is this Sunday, May 20.  Tournament hours are 6:30am-1:00pm. Registration opens at 5:00am for those not pre-registered.

The individual who catches the overall largest fish wins the "Governor's Award," and has his/her name engraved on the Governor's Cup, which is permanently displayed at the park. There is also a High School Team category! Fishing equipment is awarded to winners who catch the largest fish in each species category.

More information: njfishandwildlife.com/gsft.htm

Clean Waters

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the first major U.S. law to address water pollution. Growing public awareness and concern for controlling water pollution led to sweeping amendments in 1972. As amended in 1972, the law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Clean Water Action is one group that has worked to win strong health and environmental protections. They organize strong grassroots groups and coalitions, and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and to solve environmental and community problems.

Some of those campaignsTake action to protect drinking water and clean up polluted waterways:

• Get health-harming toxics out of everyday products
• Protect our water from dirty energy threats - drilling and fracking for oil and gas, and power plant pollution
• Build a future of clean water and clean energy
• Keep our clean water laws strong and effective to protect water and health.

In New Jersey, you can reach Clean Water Action at:
198 Brighton Avenue
Long Branch, New Jersey, 07740
p: 732.963.9714
and
559 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair, New Jersey, 07042
p: 973.744.3005

A group protecting the water offshore is Clean Ocean Action which helps to identify the sources of pollution and attack each source by using research, public education, and citizen action to convince our public officials to enact and enforce measures which will clean up and protect our ocean.

Clean Ocean Action (COA) is a broad-based coalition of 125 active boating, business, community, conservation, diving, environmental, fishing, religious, service, student, surfing, and women's groups.

Their campaigns include:

• Improve programs and laws that protect public health at swimming beaches.
• Reduce plastics and litter that pollute waterways, spoil beautiful beaches, and harm or kill marine life including turtles, whales, seals, birds, and fish.
• Protect coasts from oil and gas drilling in the ocean, including Maine to Florida.
• Establish the nation’s first Clean Ocean Zone to start a national chain reaction for all coasts.
• Reduce toxins in waterways to ensure fish and shellfish are free of pollution and safe to eat.
• Educate and motivate citizens from the small to the tall.

National Drinking Water Week

As part of national Drinking Water Week, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is working to educate residents about how lead enters drinking water and the steps they can take to reduce any risk to their families.

“Clean and safe drinking water is important to all of us,” DEP Acting Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe said. “As we mark national Drinking Water Week, it’s important for families to take a little time to become better informed about how to find out if lead is in their water and what they can do about it.”

Drinking Water Week is held each May to draw attention to the importance of drinking water and the efforts that government and system operators take to ensure safe and reliable supplies. Drinking Water Week is sponsored by the American Water Works Association and its members.

In New Jersey, the DEP is responsible for enforcing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule. The DEP evaluates results of testing done by water systems at properties most likely to contain lead. If more than 10 percent of the result are above 15 parts per billion, the water system will conduct more frequent sampling and perform corrective actions.

In almost all cases, minute particles of lead enter drinking water as the result of leaching from customers’ service lines, internal plumbing, lead-based solder, and certain fixtures. Lead is rarely found in the source of water delivered by water systems.

While lead is a concern in urban areas with older houses and buildings, it can also be a concern in other areas. According to the EPA, lead is more likely to be present in structures built prior to 1986.

Many factors affect the amount of lead that leaches into the water, including lead content of pipes, fixtures, and solder, the length of time that water remains standing in the plumbing; water temperature; pH; and water hardness.

Lead presents health concerns for people of all ages, but particularly pregnant women, infants and young children. If consumers live in homes where lead is in contact with drinking water, they may be at risk of exposure.

A study from the American Water Works Association suggests that lead service lines (lines that connect a system’s water mains to properties the system serves) may be present in 6 million to 10 million homes nationwide.

Water systems can adjust water chemistry to reduce leaching of lead into water. Property owners can also take steps to reduce potential exposure to lead.

To determine if lead is present in pipes or plumbing, homeowners or tenants can consult with a licensed plumber or their public water supplier. If you are unsure who your supplier is, click here. If lead components are found, it is recommended that property owners explore options for replacing them.

Until lead service lines or plumbing can be replaced, the following steps can be taken to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water:

• Run your water to flush out lead. If a faucet hasn’t been used for several hours, run the water for 15 to 30 seconds or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking.  This flushes any lead particles in water from the pipes.
• Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula.  Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more readily in hot water. 
• Test the water. Contact your water system or a certified drinking water laboratory to have your home drinking water tested for lead. (Please note that the homeowner may be responsible for any costs).
• Do not boil water to remove lead.  Boiling water will not remove lead from the water.
• Use alternate sources or treatment of water.  Consider using bottled water for drinking and cooking, or a water filter designed to remove lead.  Read the package to be sure the filter is approved to reduce lead or contact NSF International at 800-NSF-8010 or www.nsf.org for information on performance standards for water filters.  Be sure to maintain and replace a filter device in accordance with the manufacturer’s standards to ensure water quality.
• Get your child tested.  Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how to get your child tested for lead if you are concerned about lead exposure.
• Ask your school or child care about their lead sampling results. Any drinking water outlet (i.e. fountain or sink) with a result over the action level of 15 ppb should be taken out of service immediately. Click here for more information on school testing. 

Finding information about local water is simple. As required by federal law, water suppliers must provide customers with an annual water quality report, also called a Consumer Confidence Report. This report identifies the quality of drinking water and lists sampling results as well as drinking water standards. Information on each community’s local source or sources for drinking water is also provided in the Consumer Confidence Report.

Although customers are directly notified of any violations by their water system, the DEP’s  Drinking Water Watch website provides current online access to drinking water data, including water testing results and any violations.

More information about lead in drinking water at: www.DrinkTap.org 

and

 www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/dwc-lead-consumer.html

SOURCE: http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2018/18_0036.htm

Upcoming at Sandy Hook

Three upcoming activities at Sandy Hook, NJ

Centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
U.S. Life-Saving Station at Spermaceti Cove
(Between Lot D and Lot E)
Saturday, May 12, 10 AM - 12PM
Celebrate the "Year of the Bird" with a park ranger and commit to protecting birds today and in the future. Visitors will look for osprey, herons, egrets, songbirds and other migrants. Bring binoculars and wear comfortable shoes.

Horseshoe Crab Walk
Parking Lot B
Tuesday, May 15
6 PM - 8 PM
Get up close and personal with a living fossil. Take an evening walk along Plum Island to look for spawning horseshoe crabs. Wear foot gear that can get wet. Free, call the American Littoral Society to make a reservation (732) 291-0055. ♥ 1 mile.

Clean Ocean Action's 30th Annual Spring Student Summit
Wednesday, May 16th & Thursday, May 17th
9 AM - 12:30 PM
Applications are available at www.cleanoceanaction.org
For more information call 732-872-0111

See the listings for these and other events in the program guides posted
on the Plan Your Visit Page nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/

Bats in Your Belfry?

Indiana bat

You probably don't have bats in your belfry. The phrase has come to mean you're a bit crazy. You probably don't have a belfry (bell tower) either, but you my have bats in you attic, barn, garage, eaves or shed.

Now that we have some warm nights and flying insects, bats are out working on regaining weight lost during winter hibernation. They are looking for moths, mosquitoes, and beetles and returning to their summer roosts. 

If you find that bats are roosting in your attic, eaves, or other part of your home, please be advised that bats are protected by law in New Jersey, and there are proper methods to follow if you wish to exclude bats from a building. Bat exclusion cannot be done during the months of May, June, or July, when maternity colonies are present and young pups could become trapped inside the building.

Bats have long been misunderstood and unfairly persecuted by people as fearsome, rabid creatures, and their appearance around the home can cause a lot of panic. While bats actually have a very low likelihood of carrying disease, are quite timid of people, and are excellent to have around for backyard bug control, there is some risk associated with bats in buildings, particularly when they wind up in the living space.

All bats - like all of NJ's native nongame wildlife - are protected by law under the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act of 1973, making it illegal to harm, harass, capture, or kill bats, or to attempt to do so (with the exception of Rabies testing as described above). Physically removing bats or poisoning bats is NOT legal and NOT effective. Fly traps and glue traps should NOT be used in places where bats may encounter them.

From the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife's page about "Bats in Buildings" gives this advice on bat encounters:

If a bat is flying around in your living area and there's no chance that someone was bitten, the easiest way to get it back outdoors is to shut yourself in the same room as the bat, leave a light on so you can see, open a window or door to the outside, and crouch down low away from the opening, staying still and quiet so the bat can calm down, too. Watch until the bat flies out. It should only take a few minutes for the bat to sense the air flow and detect the exit through echolocation. It will not land on you or "attack" you.

If the bat lands in a reachable place, you can put leather work gloves on, cover the bat with a small container or bowl, and carefully slide a piece of cardboard over the opening to enclose the bat inside the container. If it's nighttime, go outside and hold the container up high in front of you (facing away from you), then remove the cardboard and tip the container slightly forward so the bat can crawl to the edge and swoop out. If it's daytime, walk to a nearby tree or forested area and release the bat at the base of a tree so it has a place to climb and seek shelter until dusk. Bats need to swoop from an elevated position to gain flight, so they have a hard time taking off from the ground.

If a bat appears injured or needs care, and there's no chance that someone was bitten, please contact a NJ Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator near you that handles bats. Check njfishandwildlife.com/pdf/rehab_list.pdf

If direct contact may have occurred between a bat and a person or pet, NJ residents should call their local health department  Check nj.gov/health/lh/community

If you're concerned about a colony of bats roosting in your attic, eaves, or other part of your home or building, that's a different process altogether, and a Nuisance Wildlife Control specialist should be called out for an inspection. You can contact mackenzie.hall@dep.nj.gov and report your bat colony to help track the population.

Tracking Sturgeon in Delaware Bay

The Division has again deployed acoustic receivers in the Delaware Bay to track migration patterns of endangered Atlantic sturgeon.

Those fishing inshore waters may encounter the white buoys marked "NJDEP Research" in water depths generally less than 20 feet.

For more information, including a link to a buoy location chart and data from last year's research, visit njfishandwildlife.com/news/2018/sturgeon_research18.htm

Foxes and Piping Plovers

Piping plover eggs and hatchling - NPS photo

The piping plover remains one of New Jersey's most endangered species. Because they lay their eggs in the coastal dunes, but also must go back and forth to the water to forage for food, they and their eggs and young are quite vulnerable to predators.

According to the DEP's New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Service website."The threats that it faces, including increased beach recreation and predation, continue to act as serious impediments to the recovery of this species. Without intense protection and management, it is unlikely that the piping plover would survive in New Jersey."

Plover numbers have dropped to 115 nesting pairs in the state, down from the roughly 135 pairs a decade ago.

One of those predators is the fox which will eat the adult birds, their chicks and their eggs. Eliminating foxes in some of these beach areas has become one necessary protection.

"These are not easy choices," said Dave Jenkins, head of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife's endangered species project. "We don't relish the idea of having to control foxes."

Foxes are not threatened in our state. They are vulnerable to diseases like rabies and mange, and can be aggressive. One fox aggressively approached a young child at Island Beach State Park last summer and had to be put down.

Nesting areas are also subject to human disturbances on beaches and as spring becomes summer you can expect to see more signanage and even closed area on some beaches to protect piping plovers and other shorebird nesting areas.

MORE at state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/plover.pdf