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Members of the Regulatory Committee of the Bird Clubs of New Jersey (BC of NJ), representing Central Jersey Bird Club, Garden State Exotic Bird Club, Sussex County Exotic Bird Club, The Real Macaw Parrot Club, Ruffled Feathers Parrot Society, and South Jersey Bird Club, met with Larry Herrity and Paul Kalko of the Fish, Game and Wildlife Department of New Jersey (the Department) on December 11, 1996. The purpose of this meeting was to review the current regulations governing the possession, breeding and sale of exotic birds, and to suggest modifications in these regulations. The Regulatory Committee had met over a period of approximately 9 months and had developed a proposal for several specific changes in the regulations. This proposal was given to the Department in November 1996. The Fish, Game and Wildlife Department responded with a preliminary draft of a proposal for changes in the regulations. The proposed changes are presented below, many of which were suggested in the proposal submitted by the Regulatory Committee of the BC of NJ. The changes still require internal approval in the Department of Environmental Protection before publication in the New Jersey Register as a proposed change to the regulations. Final approval is not expected until late 1997. Current permit fees and regulations are in effect for 1997.
The Department has proposed that the Hobby permit for possession of exotic birds be changed and the yearly $20 fee be dropped. Instead, birds would receive a permit at the point of sale and a fee would be charged for each bird at the time of change of ownership. The amount of this fee is still to be determined.
Additionally, the Department has proposed that a major change be made in the permit for possession and breeding of endangered species. Birds listed as endangered species, not found in the wild in the continental US and commonly bred in captivity would be exempted from the current regulations. This would include birds that might be added in the future (such as many of the commonly kept Macaws and Amazons) as well as some species that are currently on the Endangered Species Act list. Suggestions for species currently listed which might be exempt from these regulations included the Scarlet-chested Parakeet and the Red Siskin. The Department indicated that they would be open to suggestions for other species to exempt from these regulations, but would require some data on how common they are in captive breeding programs in the US. The Regulatory Committee recommended that the Department specifically cite the Endangered Species Act list in the NJ regulations to clarify which list they are using for regulation.
The Department suggested removal of the Patagonian Conure and The Ring-necked Parakeets from the list of birds whose possession is illegal in NJ as potentially dangerous species. Remaining on this list of birds whose possession is illegal in NJ is the Monk (or Quaker) Parakeet.
A major point of discussion involved a proposal by the BC of NJ Regulatory Committee for the establishment of a Hobby Breeder Permit. The Department was open to this suggestion and a variety of proposals were discussed. It was agreed that a yearly permit fee substantially less than the current $100 fee was a goal. In addition, some mechanism for a per bird fee upon sale or change of ownership was also discussed. The details are still to be worked out, but the Department was clearly open to developing a permit structure that would be less expensive for the hobbyist who is breeding and selling a small number of birds per year. The distinction between a Hobby breeder and a pet shop/animal dealer also needs to be developed.
The Department responded to the suggestion by the Regulatory Committee to enlarge the list of species that are exempt from a permit by indicating that they were not able to entertain a change at this time, since the permit exempt list was specifically stated in the 1991 Wild Bird Act. A specific amendment to the Wild Bird Act could be proposed by the Department to expand the list, but is not planned at this time.
The Department responded to the question of the Regulatory Committee about the apparent requirement for inspections for the hobby permit holder. The Department indicated that currently, they do not do inspections of hobby permit holders and have no intention to do so in the future. They continued to emphasize the need to inspect breeders, pet shops and animal dealers. In addition, if they establish a hobby breeder permit, these permit holders would be subject to inspections by the Department. They indicated that if they had questions about the care and welfare of birds held under a hobby permit, standard animal welfare channels would be used to address the issue.
The Regulatory Committee of the BC of NJ will continue to monitor these activities of the Department of Fish, Game and Wildlife. The Regulatory Committee will review and comment on the proposed regulations when they are officially published in the NJ Register. If you have any questions and/or comments, please contact the representative(s) from your bird club.
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