Development and Evolution of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education and Urban Fishing Program

Author: Lynette R. Lurig and Kerry K. Pflugh

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s Urban Fishing Program started in 1996 as a one-day fishing excursion. The four-day program, as it exists today, evolved from a community-based public outreach effort to inform citizens about the dangers of consuming recreationally caught fish and crabs in the Newark Bay Complex. The Complex, a highly urban industrialized area, is part of the Port of NY/NJ, the third largest port in the country.  Recreational anglers heavily use the Complex, which has been closed to commercial fishing for many years because of sediments contaminated with dioxins and PCBs from historical industrial pollution. Studies showed that many people were catching and consuming contaminated fish and crabs in this area.  Educating local youth about the contamination was considered an important part of the overall outreach effort. The primary goal of the Urban Fishing program is to make young people aware of the complexity and interrelated nature of their urban ecosystem, both in the classroom and through hands-on contact with local waters. Over the past eight years, we have attempted to determine to what extent students are learning and retaining the concepts presented in the Urban Fishing program.  A survey is administered to participants, to determine the effectiveness of the program in meeting learning outcomes.  Most of the participants have never fished, and prior to the program, do not even know the name of the closest waterbody to where they live. The Urban Fishing Program provides the foundation on which to develop a positive interaction and a sense of stewardship with natural resources in the state.  In order to sustain this learning outcome, the schools and communities involved with the program are encouraged, and provided assistance to integrate water resource management and fishing clubs into their curriculum.