Casting a line into the ocean in New Jersey will still be free.
Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Tuesday letting New Jersey saltwater anglers avoid a $15 federal fee. The bill sets up a free state-run registry to comply with a federal data collection plan to determine who's catching what.
Had Christie vetoed the bill, many saltwater fishermen could have been forced to pay a $15 fee to register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry.
Fishermen in 22 of the nation's 24 coastal states are exempted from the fee if they sign up with state registries.
Striped bass season in bays and rivers begins March 1.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
