Controversial National Marine Sanctuary Proposed for Sandy Hook Region

Middletown, NJ - Rik van Hemmen, a marine engineer based in Red Bank, has proposed to turn a corner of northeastern Monmouth County into a national marine sanctuary.

The sanctuary, tentatively called the Sandy Hook Bay National Marine Sanctuary, would stretch from the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers and around Sandy Hook and the Sandy Hook Bay. Towns it would include are Middletown, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Tinton Falls, Colts Neck, Red Bank, Fair Haven, Rumson, Little Silver, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Township, Eatontown, Oceanport, West Long Branch, Long Branch, Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright, reports the Asbury Park Press.

A national sanctuary would be similar to say, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. It would promote more respect for the environment and the wildlife there and curtail development, van Hemmen told the APP.

However, Monmouth County fishermen are vehemently opposed to the idea, which they say would very likely result in restrictions or even bans on fishing and clamming in the Sandy Hook region.

"We have all federal, local and state layers of protection. The marine sanctuary doesn't make it any stronger. All it does is, it's going to restrict traditional user groups such as recreational and commercial fishermen, duck hunters, clammers, etc." Jim Donofrio, director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, told the APP.

In fact, more than 200 fishermen showed up to protest van Hemmen's proposal when he presented it at the Red Bank library last month.

"He woke up an army," Phil Sciortino, whose family has owned the Tackle Box in Hazlet since the 1970s, told the APP.

"I think there are 14 marine sanctuaries, and every one of them ends up limiting fishing and clamming. It's crazy this guy wants to do that here," said Sciortino, who was one of the fishermen at the library. "We depend on those waters for our way of life."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would have to approve the designation. Two years ago, NOAA put out a call for proposed marine sanctuaries and said it would start in a bottom-up process, with nominations from ordinary citizens such as van Hemmen.

Read the original story here.