BY ALISON MITCHELL
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
On any summer morning along New Jersey’s coast, you’ll find people casting lines from the surf, dropping bait from small boats, or simply standing at the water’s edge, waiting. Fishing here is a tradition, a livelihood, and can be a way for people to learn about and come to care for the environment.
“Natural resources are finite,” says Greg Cudnik, Long Beach Island native, charter captain, and second-generation manager of Fisherman’s Headquarters – a bait-and-tackle shop in Ship Bottom. “There’s not an endless supply of fish in the sea. There’s not an endless supply of clean water.”
Cudnik notes that he has witnessed changes echoing throughout the larger fishing community right now about the loss of Atlantic menhaden, a key species in our coastal ecosystem. Menhaden are small bait fish that support larger fish, mammals like whales and dolphins, and even birds. Concern is growing over large-scale industrial fishing operations that remove hundreds of millions of menhaden annually, processing them into low-value animal feed and oil.
According to Menhaden Defenders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the species, in June 2026, scientists published the results of monitoring 571 osprey nests across the Chesapeake Bay. In the parts of the Bay where ospreys depend on menhaden, two out of three pairs raised nothing at all. The chicks are not failing to hatch. They hatch, and then they starve, because there is not enough food coming back to the nest. In 1985, menhaden made up 67 percent of what those birds ate. Today it is 30 percent, and the rate at which menhaden reach a nest has fallen by 83 percent. This summer on the Navesink River in Monmouth County, Menhaden Defenders’ volunteers counted twenty-two nestlings. Only three lived to fly. On the Shrewsbury River, sixteen nests held no eggs or young at all. Fishermen and environmentalists alike are calling out this environmental catastrophe.
Shaped by time on the water, people who fish interface with ecosystems firsthand, day after day, season after season, and their knowledge can be helpful in advancing conservation. Cudnik explains that anglers witness subtle changes – shifts in water quality, fish behavior, or habitat destruction – long before they show up in formal assessments.
In New Jersey, coastal ecosystems abound. From tourism and local economies to beloved wildlife, our rivers, freshwater and saltwater wetlands, and ocean are some of the most unique and defining aspects of our state.
We’re a small state and our coast is heavily managed. Cudnik points to beach replenishment, or large-scale projects that add sand to shorelines, as one of the biggest challenges facing local fisheries. While designed to rebuild lost beaches and infrastructure, “we’re destroying the essential fish habitats,” he says, describing how sand movement buries the structures and organisms that support marine life. Small creatures like clams and crabs disappear, and with them, the forage that larger fish depend on. “Everything is tied together,” Cudnik notes.
Yet alongside challenges, fishing continues to offer something increasingly rare: a direct connection to the natural world, and to the food it provides. As Cudnik puts it, families who fish here are “enjoying the bounty of the Jersey Shore.” Whether clamming in the bay, crabbing off a dock, or catching fish to bring home for dinner, people are participating in a tradition of wild food that goes back centuries.
In a time when many are disconnected from nature, fishing offers an exciting summer outlet. “Everyone’s plugged in,” Cudnik says. “It’s good for kids to unplug.” Fishing, like other outdoor activities, slows things down. It teaches patience and observation. It also creates lasting memories, like that first catch, and a meaningful relationship to water.
“All walks of life…any age category can go fishing,” Cudnik says. A simple hand line, a hook, and a piece of bait can be enough to get started!
Environmental stewardship lives in the hands of the people, and in this case, people who rely on these waters and who want to see them thrive for generations to come can be a voice for conservation. Cudnik’s observations on the moon and tides, or what fish is running this season, reflects a deep respect for balance, limits, and conservation.
And his enthusiasm for teaching kids about fishing sustainably is compelling since today’s young can become tomorrow’s advocate for clean water, healthy fish populations, and responsible coastal management.
To fish in saltwater, individuals 16 and older must register – it’s free and required. Visit https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/saltwater-registry/ to learn more. For freshwater fishing (including privately owned waters), anyone age 16 and older must purchase a license with handline, rod and reel or with a bow. To fish for trout or salmon requires a trout stamp. Learn more athttps://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/freshwater/buy-a-license/.
To learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation at www.njconservation.org or contact info@njconservation.org.
