Think You've Got a Record-size Fish? ~ New Jersey Scuba Diving

Think You've Got a Record-size Fish?

RULES AND REGULATIONS

Fish must be caught in New Jersey waters.
Saltwater species taken from a boat must have been caught from a boat which left from and returned to a New Jersey port during the same trip.
Fish must have been caught on sporting tackle, hooked and landed by entrant.
New Jersey state records are determined by weight alone. There are no line classes.
Fish must be weighed on a certified scale.
A clear photograph of the fish must be furnished for identification purposes. In the case of freshwater species, a yardstick must be placed next to fish to clearly show length.
Fish should be refrigerated to permit inspection by a biologist in cases of uncertain identification.

Catch a fish that may not be of record size but is of sufficient size and weight to have tested your skill and/or be of "bragging" size? Then enter your catch in the Division of Fish and Wildlife's Skillful Angler Awards Program.

Here are some selected state records:

Species	Size	Year
Amberjack, Greater	85 lbs	1993
Black Sea Bass	8 lbs 2oz.	1994
Bluefish	27 lbs 1 oz	1991
Cod	81 lbs	1967
Fluke ( Summer Flounder )	19 lbs 12 oz	1953
Winter Flounder	5 lbs 11 oz	1992
Ling ( Red Hake )	11 lbs 1 oz	2002
Pollock **	46 lbs 7 oz	1975
Porgy	5 lbs 14 oz	1976
Sheepshead	14 lbs 1 oz	1995
Spadefish	11 lbs 6 oz	1998
Striped Bass **	78 lbs 8 oz	1982
Tautog ( Blackfish ) **	25 lbs	1998
** World Record

Spearfishing

Most folks catch fish with hook and line. A successful fisherman combines skill, knowledge, and experience with a good deal of luck to essentially trick a fish into catching itself. If the fish won't bite, you go home empty-handed. However, scuba divers have a much more dynamic method available to them - spearfishing. Spearfishing is more akin to hunting than to hook and line fishing: rather than relying on a convincingly presented bait or lure, the spearfisherman enters the environment of his quarry and pursues it on its own terms.

More: Spearfishing ...

New Developments in Artificial Reefs

The Pauline Marie sinks slowly on the Atlantic City Reef.

By Evelyn DeWitt Myatt & Bill Figley, 1986

It's hard to imagine anything that could have looked more forlorn than the rusty old freighter whose proud seagoing days were a thing of the past. Floating idly at her berth awaiting her fate, she was a victim of nature's ravages that had left her beautiful only in the eyes of her old captain and crew. The Pauline Marie, however, was not destined to be the victim of a cutting torch that would turn her into a tangle of scrap steel. Instead, she was acquired by the New Jersey Artificial Reef Program and went down with dignity as an artificial reef in March 1985. She now provides continuing services from her watery grave in the Atlantic, some twelve miles off Atlantic City, and her appeal to marine life is undeniable. Her interior compartments now shelter fish and crustaceans; her decks now provide substrate for mussels, soft corals, and plant life; and her newfound productivity has put delicious seafood on many tables.