READER'S WRITE

Dear Editor,

I was overjoyed to see the new “Fish Cleaning Regulations” signs at the Municipal Harbor when I visited on Wednesday, July 12th for the weekly AHYC Wednesday Night Regatta.

As I read the regulations, however, I became less joyful. The regulations stipulate that cleaning is to be performed at notated “stations” and that remains are to be disposed of in plastic bags that will be provided. They also suggest that remains can be returned to the water – to the harbor.

I suspect that the regulations assume that the ecosystem adequately supports the disposal of fish remains in the harbor. And, this might be the case if the harbor was solely recreational in nature, but there is a significant charter fishing fleet that returns to the harbor multiple times a day with a harvest of fresh fish.

As a regular visitor, I find it repulsive to witness fish remains floating in the harbor and lament that the brown color and the particulates suspended in the water are a direct result of the disposal of fishing carcasses in the harbor.

I urge the Mayor and Council of the Borough to take the regulations one step further and prohibit the disposal of fish remains in the harbor.

Sincerely,

Joe Schenk
Lambertville, NJ