Gov. Christie signs bill letting N.J. saltwater anglers avoid $15 registration fee

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — Casting a line into the ocean in New Jersey will still be free. Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill today letting New Jersey saltwater anglers avoid a $15 federal fee. The bill sets up a free state-run registry to comply with a federal data collection plan to determine who's catching what. Had Christie vetoed the...

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerFishermen cast their lines into the Shark River Inlet in this 2009 file photo.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — Casting a line into the ocean in New Jersey will still be free.

Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill today letting New Jersey saltwater anglers avoid a $15 federal fee. The bill sets up a free state-run registry to comply with a federal data collection plan to determine who's catching what.

Had Christie vetoed the bill, many saltwater fishermen could have been forced to pay a $15 fee to register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry. Fishermen in 22 of the nation's 24 coastal states are exempted from the fee if they sign up with state registries.

Striped bass season in bays and rivers begins March 1.

Previous coverage:

• Gov. Christie to decide whether N.J. will charge saltwater anglers to fish

• Saltwater anglers hit with a $15 paperwork fee

• NOAA announces fee for registering with National Saltwater Angler Registry

• Marine Fisheries Council supports saltwater license