Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 06/28/07

BY TERRY GAUTHIER
MUESSIG
KEYPORT BUREAU

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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS — Should fishermen who have lured in their catch of the day be allowed to return fish heads and other fish remains to the harbor?

For now, the answer is yes.

After an almost two-hour discussion, the Borough Council determined Wednesday night that fishermen will be allowed to dump the waste in the water.

But many who attended the meeting were against the plan, saying the practice is not environmentally sound and that the waste should be disposed of in trash receptacles.

The Borough Council voted against an ordinance to establish a Clean Marina Program, which also sets other restrictions at the marina regarding things such as sandblasting or painting a moored boat. But the part of the ordinance on "cleaning of fish" caused controversy at the meeting.

The council held its public hearing and adoption of the ordinance per the recommendation of the borough's Harbor Commission.

"The ordinance is dead. They (the council) killed it," said Jane Frotton, chairwoman of the borough's Harbor Commission.

During the discussion, Jacob Hoffmann, a member of the commission, said the harbor did not have any ordinance in place to stop people from dumping fish waste in the water. In recent weeks, there have been fish heads floating in the harbor.

"We need something in place," he said. "We can work on finding another solution."

The commissioners have been working on the ordinance for about 14 months.

The ordinance establishing the Clean Marina Program was brought to the council for its introduction two weeks ago. Since that time, residents have voiced their opposition.

The ordinance would have allowed fishermen to dump fish heads and fish waste into the harbor if the fish remains are properly cleaned. Critics of the ordinance said fish remains should not be returned to the water.

At the commission's June 12 meeting, Commissioner William Eaton wanted the section of the ordinance dealing with cleaning fish revised to require fishermen to dispose of fish waste only in trash receptacles, not the water.

"I think floating fish waste is filthy and disgusting," Eaton said at that meeting. "I'm opposed to fish-waste dumping."

Eaton was at the council meeting when the ordinance was introduced, and at Wednesday's meeting. His opinion has not wavered from his original statement.

The section concerning the cleaning of fish is as follows: fishermen are prohibited from cleaning fish in the parking lot; fish must be cleaned in designated fish cleaning stations; discarding fish and fish remains in the harbor Dumpster is prohibited unless properly packaged in a sealed plastic bag; and returning the remains of any cleaned fish into the water at the marina is prohibited unless properly cleaned.

The ordinance reads that the proper way to clean a fish for disposing it in the harbor is: puncture any cavity which would permit the remains to float; remove the intestines; puncture the eye cavities and remove the fish head.

Frederick Rast of Eighth Avenue brought a grinder to the meeting.

"I have an economical proposal," he said. Rast purchased a $49.95 meat grinder, a metal tube costing $4.99 and a metal elbow for $6.99.

He placed the grinder on the dais, attached the elbow and the tube to the grinder and said the fishermen could grind up the fish remains at the piers. The tubing would allow the fish remains to go into the water.

Ed Downs from Middletown and Ed Spinks of Hunterton County also were at the meeting. Both identified themselves as fishermen.

"I don't like seeing the fish floating in the water either," Spinks said. "Nobody does."

Councilman John Archibald motioned to vote on the ordinance as is. Councilwoman Kim Spatola seconded his motion.

Archibald, Spatola and Councilman Louis Fligor voted for the ordinance. Councilmen Roy Dellosso, Robert Sutton and Peter Doyle voted no. Mayor Peter E. Donoghue broke the tie by voting no.

The ordinance will have to be readvertised, be introduced and have a public hearing at the commissioners' meeting before coming back to the Borough Council, Frotton said.

"It will be September before we can get this passed," she said.

View All Comments great idea now we can have a forty yard container of rotting fish,maggots,one hell of a nasty stench and whatever else people decide to throw in there THAT'S GOING TO SIT THERE UNTIL IT'S OVERFLOWING JUST LIKE OUR REGULAR DUMPSTERS and who cares we'll just pass the cost on to the boaters and we'll have to write more tickets to people going 26 in a 25 to promote more tourism in the shore area and then we can charge more for the ramp and put up a parking meter in every spot. good job council now lets give ourselves a new crown for our big heads. EVER WONDER WHY EVERYONE IS MOVING OUT OF STATE? Posted by: codfather on Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:30 pm

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