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A1563 • 2026

Requires DEP to establish artificial reef plan for commercial and recreational fishing.

Requires DEP to establish artificial reef plan for commercial and recreational fishing.

Agriculture
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Kean, Sean T.
Last action
2026-01-13
Official status
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Requires DEP to establish artificial reef plan for commercial and recreational fishing.

Requires DEP to establish artificial reef plan for commercial and recreational fishing.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires DEP to establish artificial reef plan for commercial and recreational fishing.
  • Topic: Agriculture and Natural Resources Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

Official Summary Text

Requires DEP to establish artificial reef plan for commercial and recreational fishing.
Topic:
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A1563

ASSEMBLY, No. 1563

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman SEAN T. KEAN

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Scharfenberger

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DEP to establish artificial reef plan for
commercial and recreational fishing.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

concerning artificial reefs and supplementing
Title 23 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.�� Within one year
after the date of enactment of this act, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, in
the Department of Environmental Protection, shall develop a plan for, and
determine the use of, the two artificial reefs within State waters.� The plan
shall consider the history of the fishing grounds and the commercial and
recreational uses of the reef sites.

���� b.��� The Department of
Environmental Protection shall, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,�
P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations concerning
the use and quantity of fish and lobster pots on the artificial reefs within State
waters.

���� c.���� The Department of
Environmental Protection may apply to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council to designate all artificial reefs in federal waters off the State�s
coast, constructed under the Division of Fish and Wildlife�s Artificial Reef
Program and permitted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, to
duplicate the management program created for the artificial reef sites within
State waters pursuant to this act.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would require the Division
of Fish and Wildlife, in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), to
determine the use of artificial reefs within State waters, within one year
after the date of enactment of this bill into law.

���� Under the bill, the division
would develop a plan which would take into consideration the history of the
fishing grounds and the commercial and recreational uses of the reef sites.�
The DEP would also establish rules and regulations concerning the use and
quantity of fish and lobster pots allowed on the artificial reefs within State
waters.

���� Currently, there are 17
artificial reefs off New Jersey�s coast, of which two reefs are within State
waters (i.e., within three nautical miles of the State�s coast), and 15 reef
sites are in federal waters.� The two artificial reefs within State waters
require a DEP permit, in addition to a United States Army Corps of Engineers
permit, and would be the only two artificial reef sites subject to the
provisions of this bill.

���� Under the bill, the DEP may
apply to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) to designate all
artificial reefs in federal waters off the State�s coast, constructed under the
division�s Artificial Reef Program and permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, to duplicate the management program created for the artificial reef
sites within State waters pursuant to this bill.� The MAFMC is responsible for
the granting of Special Management Zones on artificial reefs in federal waters,
which are areas that have special restrictions on fishing gear.