Bureau of Law Enforcement
Bureau of Land Management
Office of Environmental Review
Office of Fish and Wildlife Health and Forensics
Office of Administration
Bureau of Law Enforcement
Rob Winkel, Chief
The Bureau of Law Enforcement is responsible for enforcing regulations which protect wildlife and its habitat. Highly trained Conservation Officers (C.O.s) patrol the state and its waters using the latest in law enforcement technology as well as traditional methods.
Conservation Officers are among the division’s most visible representatives, contacting thousands of citizens each year. In the field they educate and redirect the actions of wildlife users to ensure compliance with division policies and the specifics of the Fish and Game Codes, marine regulations and other land use regulations. This serves to prevent abuses to the environment and help people enjoy wildlife in safe and ethical ways.
While core responsibilities of C.O.s and their deputies have remained constant for more than 100 years, this report period saw an added emphasis on community policing initiatives. As development continues in areas with abundant wildlife and where hunting occurs, officers must work to balance the safety of the public and the lawful harvest of game. The difficulty increases when people who have relocated into rural areas and enjoy wildlife don’t have an understanding of hunting and wildlife management.
The Bureau of Law Enforcement was proud to join Colorado, New Mexico and Montana in providing segments for the first installment of “Game Warden”, produced for network TV stations. The producers were interested in long-range night surveillance equipment, our K-9 unit, patrol techniques for commercial marine fishing and freshwater boat patrol on Round Valley Reservoir.
The Special Investigation Unit, created in 1996, concluded a 20-month undercover investigation in Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties. As a result, over 200 summonses were issued to 27 individuals from New Jersey and New York. The violations primarily involved the blatant disregard of deer hunting laws by a close-knit group of friends and relatives.In addition to the numerous deer hunting violations, offenses included the illegal taking of turkeys, waterfowl and birds of prey.
Amendments to the 1903 anti-commercialism statute, originally known as the Audubon Law (it was designed to protect wading birds then being killed for feathers for the millenary trade), were enacted in response to the increase in illegal trafficking in wildlife products, especially bear parts and deer. The amendments affect the definitions of hunting and fishing, closing a loophole officers faced during their patrols.
C.O. Dominick Fresco was the recipient of the Conservation Officer of the Year award. He is assigned to Ocean County and has been an officer for twelve years. In addition to his routine duties, he is a firearms instructor and Division representative.
Deputy Program
Deputy Conservation Officers contributed 6,375 hours to the Division in FY98, assisting C.O.s on weekends, holidays and other priority patrol times when recreational participation peaks. Deputies play an extremely important role, making our limited full-time staff more effective. Many law enforcement tasks would not be accomplished without the many hours contributed by these dedicated individuals.
In 1997, Jonathan “Jay” Jonach was recognized for the many hours he contributed to protecting the natural resources of New Jersey. He received the Fish and Game Council’s 1997 Deputy Conservation Officer of the Year award.
Training
Training remains a vital function at the Bureau. In addition to officers and deputies, instruction was provided to other agencies, police recruits and other Division personnel on a variety of topics.
The Bureau is widely recognized as a leader in use-of-force instruction. Officers and deputies re-qualify four times annually with firearms in accordance with Department of Justice guidelines. All personnel received refresher training on the PR-24 baton, hand-held aerosol restraints and defensive tactics. Other topics included vehicle pursuit, domestic violence, blood-borne pathogens and first aid.
Presentations on NJSA Title 23 and the various administrative codes were given at the NJ State Police Academy and Burlington and Ocean county police academies. Instructors were also active at the Gloucester County Police and the Division of Criminal Justice academies.
In October the Bureau hosted a regional training conference sponsored by the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors. More than 50 use-of-force instructors, including representatives of other natural resource agencies, attended. Lt. Mike Boyle, the Bureau’s training officer, attended the association’s annual training conference in Missouri.
Wildlife Law Enforcement
During the FY98, conservation officers inspected 50,247 persons hunting, fishing, clamming or visiting wildlife management areas. Inspections were performed during 73,772 hours of work on 9,750 days of duty. These inspections resulted in the issuance of 4,284 summonses and 555 written warnings. Patrols and investigations revealed a significant increase of violations in the fishing and wildlife management areas categories. Summonses for marine fish violations increased by over 200% from FY97 to FY98. This is largely due to increased regulations for recreational saltwater anglers, including size limits on species that were without any regulations in the recent past.
1998 Summary of Charges:
Fishing - 1109
Hunting - 364
Waterfowl - 109
Deer - 1345
Trapping - 28
WMAs - 520
Striped Bass - 38
Shellfish - 84
Marine Fish - 438
Nongame - 72
Motor Vehicle - 63
Other - 114
Following is general information from the Northern, Central and Southern regions. For detailed information on a specific region contact the editor, Paul Tarlowe at 908-637-4125.
In the north, violations of our nongame and endangered species regulations were actively investigated and prosecuted. Among the more notable were: the confiscation of 77 snakes, possession of a cobra snake, possession of a Burmese python that had bitten a man and possession of a Java monkey that had bitten a woman .
With the continuing increase in our black bear population, C.O.s assisted Wildlife Control Unit personnel with numerous responses concerning displaced and nuisance bears throughout the region.
The central region has made the enforcement of the statutes included in the Sportsmen’s Responsibility Act a priority since the Act’s inception. Through vigorous patrols and an education program that included meeting with sportsmen’s groups, town councils and the farming community, officers have worked to promote Division management programs, and safe and responsible hunting practices. This 1990 act provides the Division with the capability of policing the few individuals that either intentionally or carelessly disregard the rights of the community and sportsmen.
C.O.s contacted farmers in several counties relaying information on season dates, bag limits and permit information, and provided help with law enforcement and wildlife control problems.
The southern region had received numerous complaints concerning the illegal use of off-road vehicles, ATVs and dirt bikes on wildlife management areas. Based on the number of complaints received, officers were asked to target these violations. One Saturday operation at Menantico and Higbee Beach WMAs resulted in the issuance of 71 summonses for illegal operation of motor vehicles.
Higbee Beach remained high on the list of problem WMAs. The natural beauty and relative isolation of the area makes it attractive to numerous user groups. Illegal use of the dune area has decreased with an increased enforcement effort and better posting of the area, while lewd behavior on the beach, parking lots and wooded areas adjacent to the lots showed a marked increase. To date, officers have successfully prosecuted all individuals charged with lewd behavior.
The harvest of illegal fresh-water clams in Salem, Cumberland and Gloucester counties escalated again this year. The volume of clams seized indicates the strong possibility of a commercial trade in this condemned product. Officers will continue to pay special attention to these illegal activities because of possible public health implications.
C.O.s made several nongame cases in Camden and Gloucester counties. This resulted in the seizure of alligators, chameleons, exotic birds, turtles and pythons.
The high tech age of wildlife law enforcement continued to play a big role in the southern region’s success with major illegal deer hunting cases. DNA testing was utilized to match illegal kills with antlers and capes found at taxidermy shops. Officers also utilized advanced projectile and metallic composition analysis. The US Fish and Wildlife Service provided this service at no cost.
Marine Enforcement Region
(Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem counties)
Marine region personnel enforce the ever-changing marine statutes and regulations designed to protect and enhance our marine resources while providing equitable resource allocation to all users. During FY98 officers conducted 10,252 hours of marine law enforcement patrols resulting in 10,541 inspections of commercial and recreational marine resource users. These inspections resulted in the issuance of 683 summonses for a wide range of resource related violations.
During this past year, a minimum size limit was set for possession of the American eel, eliminating the legal harvest and possession of glass (juvenile) eels. Officers logged over 1,000 patrol-hours preventing the illegal harvest and sale of glass eels.
Horseshoe crab regulations in 1998 eliminated all harvest methods except by hand. Conservation officers spent considerable time enforcing the harvest regulations that included closed harvest areas, harvesting without permits, harvesting at times other than permitted and harvesting in areas other than by hand.
Striped bass, a major resource management success story, has kept field officers extremely busy with a tremendous increase in the number of anglers fishing for them. This activity is taking place in all marine waters and complaints of violations have increased.
Marine officers continue to be very active in the enforcement of commercial finfish regulations. Trip limits, seasonal quotas, mesh sizes, days at sea and directed and non-directed fisheries all have a tremendous effect on the success of the various fisheries management plans. As regulations have gotten more complex, so has the detection of violations. One example of this is a case which involved officers from New Jersey, New York State DEC and National Marine Fisheries Service Special Agents.
In addition to open area clamming, officers spend considerable patrol time in condemned water areas where the direct harvest of shellfish is strictly prohibited to ensure public health.
Officers also monitor on a daily basis the hard clam relay and hard/soft clam depuration programs. These programs allow shellfish to be harvested from restricted waters and processed. These programs allow the use of a resource which could otherwise imperil public health if illegally harvested and sold.
The marine enforcement region has also dealt extensively with commercial and recreational enforcement of New Jersey’s summer flounder regulations.
Bureau of Land Management
Tony Petrongolo, Chief
The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the managing the division’s Wildlife Management Area System of more than 255,000 acres. These areas are maintained and managed for a diversity of wildlife species through forest manipulation and habitat improvement, as well as for public access. The bureau is responsible for stocking fish and game birds, maintenance of buildings and grounds, development of visitor facilities, construction of parking areas and boat ramps and projects such as the renovation of the Rockport Pheasant Farm. The bureau is involved in the preservation of open space through the Land Acquisition Program.
Management and Acquisition of Property Section
This section is responsible for the recommendation and purchase of land for the Division’s Wildlife Management Area system. These acquisitions are accomplished through the use of Green Acres, Pinelands, Federal Aid and Division Funds and by gift. This section is also responsible for the inspection and administration of leases and special use permits.
Just over 10,045 acres were acquired and assigned to the Division this year. Since 1932 the Division has purchased or has been assigned for administration 111 Wildlife Management Areas totaling more than 255,478 acres. More than 100,152 acres have been acquired with Hunter and Angler License Funds, Federal Aid Funds or by gift. A total of 103,516 acres have been purchased through the use of Green Acres Funds, and another 41,320 acres with federal Pinelands Funds. In addition, 10,489 acres have been added to the system through the Waterfowl Stamp Program. An average of 2,975 acres per year have been acquired since the first land acquisition activities began in 1912.
For updated information visit the Bureau of Land Management and Wildlife Management Areas pages.
Office of Environmental Review
Andy Didun, Supervising Biologist
The Office of Environmental Review surveys potential development locations and has a significant influence in the way projects are planned. This is to prevent building in areas providing critical habitat for endangered and other species. If an area is to be developed this office devises ways to assist impacted wildlife populations. The Office also provides input for proposed regulations and legislation that may impact fish and wildlife resources and at inter/intra-state fish and wildlife oriented committees. Assistance is given in the development of natural resource maps to develop a Geographical Information System (GIS) database for fish and wildlife resources.
A total of 1,081 reviews were made this year. Comments from several bureaus were consolidated to provide data on known fish, wildlife and endangered species at or near a project proposal. Recommendations on avoiding/minimizing project impacts were provided. Reviews were dominated by coastal developments (66%), followed by stream/wetland/dam projects (28%), major federal/state projects (3%), and other minor/miscellaneous projects (3%).
The Office was successful in modifying major projects, including saving some 8,700 linear feet of Green Brook from rock-lined channelization and Eph Shoal, a Prime Fishing Area, was saved from dredging.
The Office’s coordination with PSE&G on the Estuary Enhancement Program along Delaware Bay has restored approximately 4,300 acres of salt marsh to the tides and seen the construction of two fish ladders. A total of some 10,000 acres of marshland and upland has been preserved.
Office of Fish and Wildlife Health and Forensics
Douglas E. Roscoe, Ph.D., Research Scientist
The Office of Fish and Wildlife Health and Forensics (OFWHF) conducts investigations and research on diseases of captive and free-ranging fish and wildlife. During the past year OFWHF conducted or participated in a variety of studies. Eleven forensic investigations for law enforcement were conducted, and three organophosphate pesticide poisonings of Canada geese were documented.
Trout reared at the two state hatcheries were found to be free from specific pathogens. These health certifications ensure that hatchery-reared fish are not responsible for the spread of pathogens to wild fish and enable the division to maintain its role in fish exchange programs with other states.
Results of a study of a bio-engineered oral rabies vaccine was published in the October 1998 issue of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. This study was the first field trial of the vaccine and led to its licensing by the USDA. It is being used in Cape May, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Texas.
Hunters provided 500 deer heads for a survey for evidence of Chronic Wasting Disease, a new transmissible disease of elk and deer currently restricted to southern Wyoming and northern Colorado. Initial tests were negative. The samples are also being tested for Bovine Tuberculosis; initial tests were negative.
A cooperative study with East Stroudsburg Univ. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed the first evidence of Hantavirus in white-footed mice in the outer coastal plain of New Jersey. The disease causes acute pneumonia in people inhaling dust from mouse droppings. A quarter of the white-footed mice in a Mercer County study site had been exposed to the ehrlichiosis organism, which causes another emerging disease transmitted by the same tick that transmits Lyme disease.
A manuscript describing chlordane poisoning of six species of songbirds and four species of raptors in six counties, with one die-off involving more than 400 grackles, starlings and robins at suburban roosts, has been submitted to the Journal of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. This is the largest such die-off reported in the U.S. A food chain study of chlordane, restricted in 1979 due to its carcinogenicity, from soils to birds has been initiated.
A study of health effects of mercury on largemouth bass was completed. Mercury had no effect on general or reproductive health in male bass.
A muskellunge spawning study on the efficacy of carp pituitary was conducted under an Investigational New Animal Drug permit from the USFDA. Trials were successful: over 30% of hatchery muskellunge in 1998 were progeny of fish spawned with the aid of the drug.
Van Campens Brook was sampled as part of the USFWS National Wild Fish Health Survey. The survey is to determine the distribution of certain disease causing organisms of fish in the wild and to provide a biological basis for management decisions regarding fish stocking and transport activities.
A study was conducted to determine whether early life stage mortalities in several species of freshwater fish were due to a vitamin (thiamine) deficiency. Although no causal relationship could be identified, thiamine levels in eggs of lake trout and muskellunge from several lakes approximated levels reported from other geographic areas which experience thiamine deficiency-related mortalities.
OFWHF, in consultation with North Carolina State University, the USFWS and the Maryland DNR, developed a sampling protocol and trained Division personnel concerning the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida. Pfiesteria has been identified as the cause of fishkills in estuaries and near shore waters of Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina. The toxins produced by the organism have also been linked to human illness.
Office of Administration
Frank Tourine, Business Coordinator
The Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife relies primarily upon funds derived from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and related stamps and permits. The Division also receives substantial funding from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration and Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration programs. These dedicated-use funds, distributed as grants by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, result from excise taxes on sporting arms, handguns, ammunition, archery and fishing equipment, motor boat fuels and small boat motors. The costs are then passed on to hunters, shooters, anglers and boaters, an outstanding example of a “user-pays/user-benefits” system.
