Not sure that this is just another NY ripoff, or if it's just being passed along.
I worked at an outdoor store in NJ back when the first iteration of this registration came out. We'd encourage everyone to sign up for it since it was no cost, and the way it was presented was that it would help the FEDS judge how many were utilizing the resource, and allocate funding accordingly. Since NJ had no saltwater license, this should have helped us get some funds. I remember that if you were already registered in another state, you didn't have to register again in NJ, and vice versa. Looks like that isn't the deal anymore. Here's a blurb from the NJ site:
In 2006 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was charged with the creation of a universal phonebook – or registry – of all current saltwater anglers in the United States. The registry was developed to allow NOAA to quickly and easily contact current saltwater anglers in an effort to gain more accurate and timely information on recreational fisheries. States were allowed to establish their own registry program for saltwater anglers that fished in their state. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection established its own registry program, the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program, to exempt saltwater recreational anglers fishing in New Jersey’s marine and tidal waters from the federal registry and the $15.00 federal registration fee imposed in 2011. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) implemented the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program (NJSRRP) effective May 4, 2011 through Administrative Order No. 2011-05 .
They still don't charge in NJ, but you have to register in NJ if you fish there. Seems like it's the Federal Registry that wants the $15.
And from what I'm seeing, there is still no fee in NY either, but you do have to register.
So it looks like the next step in the process, having everyone register in each state individually, is now at hand.
