New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 25 - DIVISION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE RULES › Subchapter 6 - 2022-2025 FISH CODE › Section 7:25-6.22 - Snapping turtles, bull frogs and green frogs

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) Any person who has a fishing license or is under the age of 16 or over 70 years of age, may in the waters of the State, take snapping turtles, bull frogs, and green frogs by means of spears, angling with hook and line, dip nets not more than 24 inches in diameter, traps, or by hand. Except under commercial harvest permits specified in (d) below, turtles may not be sold. Turtles may not be taken with a gun or bow and arrow. The use of set lines is prohibited.
(b) The daily limit for snapping turtles shall be one with a minimum carapace length of 12 inches and the daily limit for both bull frogs and green frogs shall be 15 in total.
(c) A person shall not take, attempt to take, kill, or have in possession snapping turtles from May 15 to June 30, or from October 31 to April 1. A person shall not take, attempt to take, kill, or have in possession bull frogs and green frogs from April 1 to June 30. Turtle eggs may not be taken at any time. Turtles may not be taken from land at any time.
(d) Snapping turtles, bull frogs and green frogs may be taken in numbers greater than the daily limit under special permit issued by the Division, for the purposes of sale, at its discretion. Permits for snapping turtles will only be issued to permittees who have received a permit(s) from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2014, and have submitted a harvest report(s) prior to January 1, 2015, indicating the harvest of at least one turtle during that time period. In addition to any other Federal, State, or local requirements that may be applicable to any sale authorized under this section, any sale must comply with Department of Health rule
8:23-2.1
.
1. To obtain a special permit an application may be obtained from the Division at:
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
PO Box 420
Trenton, NJ 08625
2. Applications shall be directed to:
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
PO Box 420
Trenton, NJ 08625
3. The permittee shall agree to:
i. Submit annual harvest reports, including the date, waterbody, species, number, and approximate total weights of snapping turtles, bull frogs, or green frogs harvested, and the name, address, and telephone number of purchaser(s), by December 31 of the current permit year. The annual harvest reports shall additionally include the date, waterbody, and number and approximate total weight of sub-legal and legal sized snapping turtles released;
ii. Display his or her name and address on any traps left in the water unattended;
iii. Notify and obtain permission from the owner of the waterbody where the trap is set;
iv. Set no more than 30 traps and tend all traps at least once every 24 hours;
v. Not transfer the permit to other operators;
vi. Use only those traps that provide a means of escape, or survival, of species of turtles other than snapping turtles;
vii. Set traps in a manner that allows at least the topmost two inches of the trap to remain exposed, at all times, above the surface of the water;
viii. Use flotation devices that have sufficient strength to support the weight of the trap and keep it afloat for at least 24 hours;
ix. Comply with any local ordinances and other State laws or regulations;
x. Not harvest from any water subject to a Department of Environmental Protection fish consumption advisory, for the general population, for any fish species of "do not harvest," "do not eat," or "no more than one meal per year";
xi. Only harvest snapping turtles with a minimum carapace length of 12 inches;
xii. Submit a written explanation for the failure to trap or harvest snapping turtles within approved permit timeframe; and
xiii. Report sightings of any State endangered or threatened species of turtle by completing and submitting a Division Sighting Report Form; available at
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/rptform.pdf
.