Fishing Education Instructor Training March 16

Are you an angler who wants to share your passion for fishing by learning how to assist our education staff at workshops, events, and programs? 

The NJDEP Fish & Wildlife's R3 Fishing Program is offering a Fishing Education Instructor Training on Sunday, March 16, 2025. The training will cover an overview of fishing programs and volunteer opportunities, the standards and best practices used, knot tying, casting, regulations and more!

As a fishing education instructor, you will help teach parts of the workshops and keep the event running smoothly. Participants must be 18 years or older and willing to volunteer at more than one fishing education program. You don’t need to be an expert angler to help others learn basic fishing skills, and you don’t need any teaching experience. This training will provide you with what you need to help get people fishing.

This free  4-hour training will cover an overview of fishing programs, volunteer opportunities, the standards and best practices used, knot tying, casting, regulations, and more.

When:  Sunday, March 16, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 
Where:  Assunpink Wildlife Conservation Center, Eldridge Rd.; Robbinsville Twp., NJ 08691

REGISTRATION AT https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx

Blue Crabs Are In Decline

 

Crabbing at the Jersey Shore is a summer thing for most of us, but New Jersey’s Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, is important to the New Jersey economy and the species is in a general decline.

Blue crabs are one of the most economically significant species in New Jersey's commercial fishing industry. The annual dockside value of blue crab harvests averages around $5.7 million. The blue crab fishery supports jobs in both commercial and recreational fishing sectors, contributing to local economies, especially in coastal communities.

An article from the Sierrra Club, Blue Crabs Are In Decline Up and Down the Atlantic Seaboard, is about how someone in South Carolina native is helping conservation efforts by connecting people to water.

I remember crabbing on the bay in Seaside Park and on LBI as a kid and now with grandchildren. Though we do catch and release, the recreational harvest of blue crabs may be equal to or even exceed the commercial harvest1.

Blue crabs play a crucial role in the ecosystem, helping to maintain the balance of marine life in New Jersey's waters

Callinectes sapidus, commonly known as the blue crab, is a species of crab native to the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. They are named for their blue-colored claws and olive-green carapace. Males have bright blue claws, while females have red-tipped claws. They can grow to a carapace width of about 9 inches (23 cm).

They are found from Nova Scotia to Argentina, with a significant population along the eastern coast of the United States, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico. They inhabit estuarine and coastal waters, preferring muddy or sandy bottoms.

Anyone who has been crabbing can tell you that these crabs are omnivores and scavengers, feeding on a wide variety of foods, including small fish, plants, mollusks, and detritus.

Females carry fertilized eggs in a sponge-like mass on their abdomen until they hatch. Each female can produce millions of eggs in a single spawning event. They go through several larval stages before reaching adulthood.

Blue crabs play a significant role in the marine ecosystem as both predators and prey. They help control populations of various species and serve as food for larger animals, including fish and birds. They eat mollusks, fishes, and other crabs.

More
https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/dsr/blue-crab-survey-rps.pdf 

Thermonasty for Winter Protection

 

Rhododendron thermonasty

During particularly frigid days, the evergreen leaves of Rhododendron maximum display a unique trait known as thermonasty. In essence, the leaves are a type of natural thermometer. When temperatures dip below freezing, leaf margins curl inward causing the leaf to roll up and droop. Leaves are most tightly curled when temperatures are below 20 degrees.

Thermonasty is a useful adaptation that provides several important benefits. Rhododendron leaves are particularly susceptible to damage from desiccating winter winds—tightly curled leaves ensure surface area is reduced, thereby mitigating this threat. Additionally, during periods of extreme cold leaves are more prone to damage from the sun. Again, a reduced surface area helps to protect the leaves. 

Broad leaves positioned in a way to maximize sunlight collection is a liability when it comes to snow. Narrow, drooping, needle-like leaves help shed snow that could otherwise accumulate and break branches.

Even in late spring, some species of tulips close their flowers in response to cold temperatures at night and open them during warmer days. Similar to tulips, certain crocus species also exhibit thermonastic movements, closing their flowers in cold temperatures and opening them when it is warmer.

Sowing Seeds in Winter

Winter sowing is a method for growing native plants that involves planting seeds outdoors in containers during the winter. It mimics the natural process of stratification, where seeds experience the cold and precipitation of winter, followed by warmer temperatures in spring. This process is critical for breaking dormancy in many species, especially wildflowers and sedges.This process is called cold stratification. Nature does it, well, naturally. People can recreate this in controlled conditions.

I consider myself to be a pretty good gardener - not a master - but I'm new to cold stratification. That probably explains why some seeds that I planted in early spring never sprouted. 

Native plants give food and shelter to bugs and birds, and don't need much to thrive. They stay dormant over the winter, then germinate at the right time in the spring. 

Mixing seeds with barely damp sand, vermiculite, or peat moss is the start. Some people put this damp seed mixture in a container in the refrigerator, but I was told by some other wiser gardeners that it's better to let nature do the job.

The seeds of some species go into a period of embryonic dormancy and often will not sprout, or will have a poor germination percentage, until this dormancy is broken. Other species have seeds with a very hard seed coat, and exposure to the moist cold helps break down this shell for easier germination in spring. 

General Directions
Use containers with drainage holes that are about 3-4 inches tall and have a clear top with ventilation holes. I see that people cut old plastic milk jugs in half, sow seeds and reattched with duct tape. Leave the cap top open.
Cover seeds with a layer of sand to hold seeds in place from rain. Freezing and thawing will works the seeds down as it does with seeds that plants self-sow. I'm using a window screen over them in an old cold frame.

Getting this done before a snow is also recommended.

When they naturally sprout in spring, treat them as you would any seedlings. I worried that if they sprouted too early, they would die in a cold snap but others have told me that nature will take care. Still, I'll probably add some protection in early spring. Keep the seedlings watered throughout the growing season. Plant them directly into the ground or move them into regular containers.

What species should you winter sow? My first thought was milkweed which I planted last spring and had lousy results. You can find lists of species but here is a start: Asclepias, Aquilegia, Amsonia, Aruncus, Baptisia, Chelone, Echinacea, Eupatorium, Eutrochium, Geranium, Spicebush Mountain Laurel Coastal Pepperbush New England Aster White Wood Aster Zigzag Goldenrod New York Ironweed Eastern Bluestar Blue Lobelia Butterfly Weed Swamp Milkweed Common Milkweed Foxglove Beardtongue Wild Indigo. 

More at wildrootsnj.com/blog/sowing-native-seeds-in-winter