Wildlife Advocacy
Hunting is the past. Currently available nonlethal wildlife science is the future. APLNJ is on the front lines working to advance this approach.
We encourage you to get involved in your local community so that you can help advance effective 21st century nonlethal methods.
APLNJ works with town officials across New Jersey promoting humane resolution strategies for conflicts between people and animals.
Conflicts create an opportunity for ecologically and ethically sustainable and modern, science-based solutions, such as:
- modification or restoration of degraded landscapes that attract Canada geese
- tunnels and overpasses for wildlife
- beaver bafflers
- restricting access to human-derived foods in Bear Smart communities
- fences that exclude coyotes
These, and so many more, are enterprising solutions that address potential conflicts with both knowledge and morality.
Unfortunately, entrenched views persist, especially within the wildlife agency-industry-conservation alliance. Clearly, ammunition and gun manufacturers have every interest in advancing lethal policy.
Join us for:
- better representation for the majority of New Jersey citizens disenfranchised from wildlife policy
- modernization of the New Jersey Fish and Game Council
- promotion of legislation that preserves wildlife and habitat, and that challenges an antiquated, self-interest system that values the lives of so-called “game” animals as mere gun fodder.
IN THE HANDS OF KILLERS
The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) and the Fish & Game Council (FGC) are not what you think they are.
DFW and FGC have complete authority over all wildlife in New Jersey. Their management practices result in the killing of over a million animals annually in our state.
They operate for the sole benefit of their constituents (hunters, fishers, and trappers), who represent less than 0.4% of New Jersey’s population. DFW conserves animals for hunters and trappers to kill, manages habitats by burning and cutting to increase hunt-able animals, and maligns animals and promote negative attitudes toward them to garner support for their lethal management objectives.
To pay the salaries of its employees, DFW is funded in part from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and related stamps and permits.
Can you say conflict of interest?
DFW could be protecting wildlife. Instead, it relies on revenue generated from their slaughter to insure its very existence. Mandated by law to provide “recreational” services to fewer than 0.4% of New Jersey’s population, the DFW acts more like a private hunting club than a state agency.
FGC is archaic and out of touch with the times. The FGC:
- has total lethal control over New Jersey’s wildlife.
- is an 11-member board, comprised, by NJ law, of 6 hunters, 3 farmers, 1 public member and the chair of the endangered species program.
- contains not one member that represents the 99.6% of the non-hunting population of New Jersey, yet they decide the fate of all wild animals in NJ
- votes annually on the Game Code where they determine which animals will be hunted, by what means, in what numbers and when.
- never approves any meaningful nonlethal wildlife management and focuses on increasing hunting. The state Game Code is actually a killing manual.
THE NUMBERS
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s most recent survey, the “2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation,” showed that hunters (aged 16 and older) numbered 14.4 million and spent $45.2 billion on hunting.
The Survey also showed that wildlife watching participants (those who observe, photograph, and learn about wildlife) numbered a staggering 148.3 million, over 10 times the amount of hunters. The wildlife watchers spent $250.2 billion, approximately 5.5 times the amount hunters spent.
Yet, at every turn it is the hunters who are given deference. They are holding public lands and animals hostage, taking over our state and county parks and aggressively pursuing more days, and more ways, to kill.
WHO THEY KILL
Since 1892, when the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) was formed, tens of millions of animals have been hunted, trapped and killed in New Jersey. Many millions more have been wounded, crippled and left to die.
Instead of protecting and cherishing wildlife, DFW looks at wildlife as nothing more than moving targets. The arguments that they put out to the public to make their case for hunting (starvation, public health, public safety, etc.) are merely smoke screens aimed at hiding the real issue, attempting to make their killing more palatable.
Click on this link to see an image of the number of days in a year that wildlife can be killed and the species who are the victims. The amount of days is staggering.
Education is Key
The more educated people become about wildlife protection issues, the clearer it emerges that DFW and FGC are the problem, not wildlife. They victimize and demonize wildlife to further their agenda.
APLNJ’s presentation on Wildlife Mis-Management in New Jersey provide a short, but comprehensive view of hunting. It introduces the players, money connections, state policy, debunks myths, and explains what you can do to help. Click here to view the slide presentation.
WHITE-TAILED DEER
New Jersey needs to focus less on how to reduce deer and more on mitigating problems. Going forward, disclosure of conflicts and industry affiliations should be mandatory. Unelected game managers cannot continue to summarily deny townships the modern and humane deer management desired by residents.
BLACK BEARS
Since 1992, APLNJ's Bear Education And Resource (BEAR) program has educated residents all over New Jersey about peacefully co-existing with black bears. Our efforts have stopped 8 bear hunts since 2000 and we will not stop fighting for bears until they are permanently protected.
CANADA GEESE
Sagacity, wariness, strength and fidelity are characteristics of the Canada goose which, collectively, are possessed in the same degree by no other bird. (Ducks Geese Swans of North America, F.H. Kortright)
SUBURBAN TURKEYS
Remember: wild turkeys have a pecking order and habituated birds may respond to you as they do to another turkey. The best defense against aggressive or persistent turkeys is to prevent the birds from becoming habituated in the first place by being bold towards them.
NON-HUNTING LICENSE
Proclaim your support for wildlife protection. Make a statement with our NON-hunting license.
START A CONVERSATION!
Ask us for your FREE NJ NON-Hunting License and let friends and family know that you support nonlethal means of handling conflicts with wildlife.
Every year, hunters purchase licenses that allow them to kill New Jersey wildlife – deer, raccoons, cottontail rabbits, squirrels, mourning doves, bears and many more.
Statistics show that hunters number 0.4% of New Jersey residents.
To give voice to the 99.6% who do not hunt, APLNJ created our own license — one that will proclaim the owner's commitment to the protection of wildlife, your pledge to live in harmony with wildlife and your support of peaceful means of coexistence. The official New Jersey Non-Hunting License!
THE LICENSE
This 2-sided license is laminated and comes with a lanyard to wear, or otherwise display. Also included is a NON-Hunting License window decal and bumper sticker to proudly display on your vehicle.
As a license holder you will receive timely information on how you can help APLNJ enact stronger laws to protect wildlife.
Please fill out the form below today to receive your free NON-hunting license packet!
Request your NON-Hunting License
