Bill > A5241

Introduced Session

This bill would establish a four-year pilot program and create a Triploid Grass Carp Commission (commission) in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to study use of triploid grass carp in freshwater lakes for weed control. The purpose of the four-year pilot program is to evaluate the use of triploid grass carp as an alternative to the use of herbicide in freshwater lakes, while ensuring the protection of native plants and aquatic ecosystems. The pilot program would provide matching grants to three qualified lake management organizations for the purchase of triploid grass carp and the construction of the containment barriers necessary to introduce the carp into a freshwater lake. To be eligible for a grant pursuant to this program, a lake is required to be between 10 and 25 acres in size. The bill requires the DEP to develop criteria for the evaluation of applications. The commission would be charged with: (1) considering the efficacy of using triploid grass carp as an alternative to herbicides for aquatic weed control in freshwater lakes; (2) evaluating whether triploid grass carp may be safely used in the State without negatively impacting native fisheries or aquatic ecosystems; (3) evaluating current laws, rules, and regulations in effect in other states concerning the use of triploid grass carp and the effectiveness of the use of triploid grass carp in other states and the protection of native fisheries and aquatic ecosystems; and (4) at least annually, evaluating the pilot program established pursuant to the bill. In addition, the commission would be required to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature at the conclusion of the four-year pilot program. The commission would be comprised of seven members appointed by the Governor, as follows: a representative of the DEP's Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring; a representative of the New Jersey Audubon Society; a representative of Rutgers, the State University, with expertise in freshwater fisheries and aquatic ecosystems; a representative of Rowan University, with expertise in freshwater fisheries and aquatic ecosystems; and a representative of each lake management organization selected to receive a grant pursuant to section 1 of the bill. The commission would expire 30 days after submission of its final report. The bill would appropriate $150,000, from the General Fund, for the purposes of providing the matching grants to be issued by the pilot program established by the bill. Grass carp are an aquatic plant-eating species of carp native to eastern Asia, and the "triploid" is a genetically altered form thereof which is unable to successfully spawn. Stocking triploid grass carp in certain bodies of water can substantially aid in managing vegetative growth and improve the overall health of the waterbody.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Raj Mukherji (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Food Security Committee (on 02/27/2023)

Official Document