TRENTON, N.J. – A new bill introduced in the New Jersey Assembly aims to clarify how lobster size limits are enforced within the state’s marine waters, ensuring that existing restrictions apply only to lobsters caught in New Jersey waters and not to those imported from elsewhere.
Assembly Bill 1054, sponsored by Assemblymen Paul Kanitra and Gregory P. McGuckin, both Republicans representing Monmouth and Ocean counties, seeks to amend R.S.23:5-9, the statute governing lobster fishing in state waters.
The measure directs the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to continue managing and reporting on the state’s lobster fishery while specifically limiting the application of lobster size regulations to catches originating within New Jersey’s jurisdiction.
New Jersey’s lobster fishing rules focus on size limits (3 3/8″ to 5 1/4″ carapace), protecting egg-bearing females (no eggs, no V-notched tails), requiring licenses/registration, and banning specific gear like spears, with different rules for recreational vs. commercial fishing. Recreational limit is usually 6 per person (unless pot/trawl), while commercial rules involve permits, reporting, and gear restriction
Under the proposed change, any rule or restriction concerning the size of lobsters would apply “only to lobsters taken from the marine waters of the State.”
That clarification would prevent state-imposed size limits from extending to lobsters imported, sold, or possessed from other regions that may operate under different management rules.
The legislation maintains the DEP’s existing authority to oversee lobster harvesting, align regulations with state fisheries policy, and submit annual reports to legislative committees.
Supporters of the bill say the clarification is intended to protect local seafood businesses and ensure consistency with federal and interstate lobster management plans while preserving conservation measures within state waters.
Assembly Bill 1054 would take effect immediately upon passage.