All of these benefits and services do not come without a price. The demands to accomplish these programs and develop access to new land acquisitions places a tremendous stress on the Division's budget. The New Jersey Fish and Game Council's funding proposal must be implemented if hunters and anglers expect to enjoy the same quality of hunting and fishing in the future that they enjoy today. Obviously no one wants a license increase of any kind, but the cost of doing business and providing New Jersey's citizens with some of the most progressive management programs in the nation, including some of the most liberal season and bag limits, cannot continue without the necessary funding to provide such opportunity. This, coupled with the reality of an annual 3 to 4 percent cost of living increase, makes a license increase a necessity.
New Jersey offers some of the finest hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities in the country.
Healthy wildlife populations, habitat and sound wildlife management don't just happen. The Division is the reason these are available. A small investment now is critical if we are to successfully maintain existing programs and continue to provide the type of recreational opportunities our constituents have come to enjoy.