While New Jersey has identified the need to protect PFAs, and identified uses that are both permitted and prohibited within PFAs, it has not created rules around whether a prohibited activity like sand mining would have a significant impact. The impact is measured in how the use would change the PFA’s productivity for fish, finfish, and invertebrates. This leaves such decisions to the best professional judgment of agency staff who review the impact of a potential activity in or near a PFA.
Anglers have a wealth of real-time information about Prime Fishing Areas. Through discussions and meetings anglers discussed with us the past, present, and future state of recreational fishing and the special places they fish in given the increasing footprint of Mid-Atlantic offshore wind energy development and sand mining.
See our report to learn more about recreational anglers’ knowledge and concerns around mapped PFAs and competing ocean uses.