News

November 29, 2006 (New Jersey)


Through its inaction New Jersey’s highest court blocked the state’s 2006 black bear hunt.

On Nov. 29, the Supreme Court refused to consider an emergency injunction that would have compelled the state to proceed with the 2006 hunt set to begin on December 4. The court ruled that the cancellation of the season would not cause sportsmen ‘irreparable harm.’ The bear hunt had been terminated by the state’s top environmental official.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF), along with Safari Club International and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, sought the court order to allow the hunt to go on while a lower court decides whether Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa Jackson has the authority to discard the state’s black bear management plan and cancel the hunt.

The state’s black bear management policy was adopted based upon recommendations made by wildlife professionals.  It was debated by the Fish and Game Council, and reviewed and approved by the previous DEP Commissioner.  The USSAF maintains that Commissioner Jackson cannot toss out the policy just because she does not agree with it.

Sportsmen argue that Jackson’s decision was arbitrary and ignored sound science. Jackson and Gov. Jon Corzine, who indicated publicly that he opposes bear hunting, are stopping the hunt because it goes against their political beliefs, not because of scientific reasoning.

Despite increasing bear sightings and incidents, and successful hunts in 2003 and 2005, Jackson and Gov. Corzine have put politics ahead of public safety.

A New Jersey appellate court is scheduled to hear the full case on Jackson’s decision in late March.

The USSAF, Safari Club International, and the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs filed suit against the state on Nov. 3 to force the issuance of bear hunting permits as required by law. The groups amended the suit when Commissioner Jackson cancelled the hunt on Nov. 15.