Petition to Support Responsible Land-Based Shark Fishing & Drone Fishing in New Jersey

 

Safe Fishing. Responsible Angling. Respect for Our Beaches.

 

We, the undersigned, support responsible and legal land-based shark fishing and drone-assisted fishing in New Jersey. We believe these activities can coexist with swimmers, surfers, lifeguards, and other beachgoers when anglers follow clear safety, conservation, and equipment standards.

 

We ask New Jersey officials, municipalities, lifeguards, and the public to work with responsible anglers to establish reasonable regulations that protect public safety while allowing legal recreational fishing to continue.

 

We Support the Following Standards:

 

1. No shark fishing while lifeguards are on duty.

Land-based shark fishing should only take place when lifeguards are off duty, helping reduce conflicts with swimmers and allowing beaches to be used safely during supervised swimming hours.

 

2. Do not fish where people are actively swimming.

Anglers should never intentionally fish where people are actively swimming, regardless of whether lifeguards are present.

 

3. Immediately release prohibited species.

Any prohibited shark or other prohibited species accidentally caught should be released immediately and handled as safely as possible. Prohibited species should not be intentionally targeted, retained, or unnecessarily brought from the water.

 

4. Use barbless hooks.

We support the use of appropriate barbless hooks to help make releasing sharks quicker and safer and reduce unnecessary injury.

 

5. Use the right equipment.

Shark anglers should use appropriate tackle, leaders, hooks, and other equipment designed for responsible shark fishing and safe release.

 

6. Support legal drone-assisted fishing.

We support allowing responsible drone-assisted fishing where legally permitted and under reasonable regulations. Drones should be operated safely, legally, and responsibly, without interfering with swimmers, lifeguards, aircraft, other anglers, or beachgoers.

 

Drone-assisted fishing should be treated as a recreational fishing method rather than automatically prohibited simply because a drone is being used to deploy fishing equipment.

 

7. Put conservation first.

Sharks and other fish should be handled responsibly, kept out of the water for the shortest practical amount of time, and released safely whenever regulations require release.

 

8. Educate new anglers.

Experienced anglers should help newcomers understand regulations, proper equipment, safe handling, species identification, drone safety, and beach safety before participating in land-based shark fishing.

 

We Want to Be Part of the Solution

 

Responsible shark fishermen understand that New Jersey beaches belong to everyone.

 

We respect swimmers.

We respect lifeguards.

We respect other fishermen.

We respect the law.

And most importantly, we respect the sharks and the ocean we fish in.

 

The actions of a few irresponsible people should not define an entire community of anglers.

 

We believe New Jersey can establish reasonable standards that allow responsible land-based shark fishing and drone-assisted fishing while protecting swimmers, lifeguards, sharks, other beach users, and our coastal environment.

 

Our Commitment

 

By signing this petition, we support:

 

Responsible land-based shark fishing.

Safe and legal drone-assisted fishing.

No shark fishing while lifeguards are on duty.

No fishing around active swimmers.

Immediate release of prohibited species.

Barbless hooks.

Proper shark-fishing equipment.

Responsible handling and release.

Following all New Jersey fishing regulations.

Respecting our beaches, our ocean, and each other.

 

We believe responsible anglers can be part of New Jersey’s coastal community and help create a safer, more conservation-minded future for recreational fishing.