SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 216

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 17, 2025

      The Senate Environment and Energy Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 216.

      As amended by the committee, this bill requires the Department of Agriculture to advertise and promote aquaculture products as part of the Jersey Fresh Program.  The Jersey Fresh Program is the marketing and quality grading program that is currently used, by the department, to advertise and promote the availability of fruit and vegetable agricultural commodities that have been produced in the State and graded for quality.  This bill would expand the Jersey Fresh Program to additionally include marketing for fish and shellfish that are produced in the State, or in State waters, through means of aquaculture, and the quality of which complies with standards adopted by the department and is verified thereby through the use of an appropriate quality grading system.  The bill would require the department to develop and implement a quality grading system that is specific to the grading of aquaculture products, as distinguished from wild-caught seafood products, which system is to be consistent with, and similar to, the quality grading system that is used, by the department, to grade the quality of other agricultural commodities for the purposes of the Jersey Fresh Program. 

      The bill provides an initial appropriation of $100,000 for the bill’s purposes, and it additionally provides for an annual appropriation of $100,000 to be made in each fiscal year after the bill’s effective date, in order to facilitate the ongoing marketing and promotion of aquaculture products under the Jersey Fresh Program.  The monies made available under the bill would be in addition to any other monies that may be appropriated or allocated to the Jersey Fresh Program.

      As amended and reported by the committee, Senate Bill No. 216 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 3034.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments to the bill:

      (1)  define the term, “aquaculture product,” to clarify that the term includes both fish and shellfish that are produced in the State, or in State waters, through means of aquaculture;

      (2)  require the department to establish a quality grading system, similar to the existing quality grading system used for other agricultural commodities, for the purpose of determining the quality of aquaculture products being newly marketed under the Jersey Fresh Program;

      (3)  clarify that the quality grading system being established under the bill is to focus on the grading, marketing, and promotion of aquaculture products, as distinguished from wild-caught seafood products being marketed under the Jersey Seafood Program (an existing variant of the Jersey Fresh Program);

      (4)  clarify that aquaculture products may only be marketed under the Jersey Fresh Program if they have been determined to satisfy the quality standards established by the department, as verified through use of the new quality grading system being established under the bill;

      (5)  revise the definition of “Jersey Fresh Program” to clarify that the term refers to the agricultural commodity marketing and quality grading program that has been established by the department pursuant to R.S.4:10-6, P.L.1971, c.308 (C.4:10-43 et seq.), and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto; and

      (6)  make technical changes to reverse the order of subsections and incorporate other minor, clarifying changes.