(08/37) TRENTON - If it’s been a while since you’ve gone fishing in New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection has a special message for you: We want you back.

That’s the upshot of a newly launched direct-mail and radio-advertising campaign that invites anglers to rediscover the pleasures of freshwater fishing and reminds them that fishing in New Jersey is time and money well spent.

“New Jersey’s thousands of miles of rivers and streams and more than 4,000 reservoirs, lakes and ponds offer some of the finest freshwater fishing available anywhere on the East Coast,” DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson said. “Find out what you’ve been missing; come back to fishing in New Jersey. It’s top-quality recreation close to home.”

Beginning this week, at least 60,000 anglers who bought a New Jersey fishing license during the past two years, but haven’t yet renewed it, will receive by mail a postcard that pitches license purchases and promotes fishing as one of the best ways to escape, play and reconnect with nature, family and friends.

The promotion is a partnership between the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to boosting participation in recreational angling and boating nationwide through its well-known “Take Me Fishing” campaign.

To reinforce the postcard’s message, five New Jersey radio stations also will air 30-second and 60-second spots that tout the key benefits of fishing - particularly the opportunities for exercise, relaxation and nurturing relationships with family and friends.

Sport fishing is not only good for the body and soul, it also puts muscle in the state economy. Every year, more than 150,000 freshwater anglers and 500,000 saltwater anglers collectively spend about 9 million days fishing in New Jersey. The annual economic impact of their expenditures totals about $1.5 billion, including more than $90 million in state tax revenue, and generates more than 13,000 jobs.

The campaign launch coincides with New Jersey’s Free Fishing Days on June 7 and 8, which offer residents and visitors a chance to wet a line in all waters open to public fishing without purchasing a license or trout stamp.

“We encourage novice and seasoned anglers alike to take advantage of the opportunity to fish for free in New Jersey; once you’ve experienced what you’ve been missing, we think you’ll be hooked on the sport,” Commissioner Jackson said.

On all other days during the year, anglers must purchase a fishing license and, if trying their luck for trout, a trout stamp, too. Children under 16 and seniors 70 or older can fish anytime without a license or stamp. Freshwater fishing licenses and trout stamps can be purchased conveniently and printed immediately through the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Web site at www.njfishandwildlife.com.

A list of license agents statewide is also available on the Web site, along with a wealth of information on fishing in New Jersey. Click on the ‘Take Me Fishing’ link on the Web site homepage.