NEW JERSEY’S GOVERNOR MURPHY BLOCKS PROPOSAL BY NEW JERSEY FISH AND GAME COUNCIL’S BLACK BEAR HUNT
” As New Jersey’s Black Bear Population Continue To Increase, Murphy & NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette Block Emergency Order Allowing Hunt Potentially Placing Residents In Danger.”
December 23, 2021 Opinion By Ryan Metz Science & Nature Staff Writer For: Englebrook Independent News,
TRENTON, NJ.- In September 2021, The New Jersey Fish and Game Council unanimously approved an emergency order allowing a Black Bear Hunt in New Jersey. Governor Phil Murphy refused to approve the order, as did New Jersey Department of Environmental Commissioner Shawn LaTourette. Murphy was quoted as saying, ” There will be no bear hunt this year. Period. I can say that definitively.” Instead of a bear hunt Murphy has proposed increasing non-lethal means of managing the bear population including the hiring of a Bear Conservation Officer. But, there is a problem with this approach, and it isn’t the effectiveness of non-lethal management, it is the decision making process that has brought us to this point.
The Fish and Game Council’s purpose is to set regulations to effectively and responsibly manage the wildlife that may be hunted or harvested within the State’s boundaries. The Council is comprised of people with the education and experience, and who have a vested interest in managing populations to be healthy and sustainable.
So why would the Governor ignore them? The Fish and Game Council submitted for approval a new comprehensive Black Bear Management Plan, ( the previous plan expired in June)that include limited hunting as a management tool. This plan has yet to be approved by Commissioner LaTourette, which means there can be no hunt as long as the plan is not in place, but it also means that we do not have a Fish and Game Council approved comprehensive management plan. Just think of those words for a moment. “Comprehensive Management Plan.” If the non-lethal management was deemed sufficient, the plan would have called for that.
This brings us to the next point. What plan is the Governor currently using? If there is no approved plan, how is The Governor’s Administration and The Department of Environmental Protection suppose to carry out their duties regarding the management of this natural resource? This is irresponsible at best and potentially deadly. New Jersey has the highest density of Black Bear and Residents in The United States. The probability of dangerous Black Bear Human Encounters increases with their population, not only because there are more of them, but also the increase in Black Bear population puts a strain on the environment to support the bear’s existence. These Bears will have forage further distances to find food. This is not good for residents or bears.
Here is a Governor that is not heeding to data, not listening to The Fish and Game Council, but is abdicating responsibility just because a small number of residents do not like hunting and Murphy wants their votes. Do you know anyone that would have not voted for Murphy if he didn’t stop the bear hunt? I don’t. I cannot even think of anyone who would use stopping the bear hunt as their primary political concern. Nor do I know any other candidates that ran on that platform. So what we have is a lapse in a comprehensive management plan for the scoring of political points that were not going to matter anyway.
What makes this even more reprehensible, is that New Jersey cannot afford to manage well what remaining natural resources we have. Everyday open space in New Jersey is being converted to Apartment Complexes and Cluster Zone Housing Developments. Our natural resources are being stressed and stretched to their breaking point, and the lack of a comprehensive management plan for the Black Bear population will not yield good results.
I for one can only hope there will be a legal challenge that will force Murphy to accept The Fish and Game Council’s plan, since judging by Murphy’s statements, he will not be changing his mind anytime soon.
