Lautenberg, Menendez Announce More Than $128,000 for New Jersey Fisheries
Grant to Implement Reporting Standards to Assist Scientists, Fishermen

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded more than $128,000 in federal funds to the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Division of Fish and Wildlife.  The grant will update the existing data collection program for the state’s commercial fisheries to provide better information to fishermen and scientists.

“New Jersey is a leader in marine science, and this grant aids those research efforts in a way that is both economically and environmentally sound,” said Sen. Lautenberg.  “These funds help to ensure that New Jersey’s fishing community has the tools it needs to thrive for years to come.”

“Our vibrant commercial and recreational fisheries are among the largest in the nation, generating over a billion dollars in revenue,” said Sen. Menendez. “These grants will help update some of the existing New Jersey fisheries data to help manage and protect this important natural resource.”

The grant, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provides $128,536 in federal funds that will be used by the NJDEP to bring New Jersey’s existing commercial fisheries data collection program into compliance with those of the Atlantic Coast Cooperative Statistic Program (ACCSP).

The ACCSP is a cooperative state-federal program to design, implement, and conduct marine fisheries data collection programs and to integrate those data into a single system that will meet the needs of fishery managers, scientists, and fishermen, throughout the Atlantic fisheries area.

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