Harbor Close to Capacity

Atlantic Highlands Yacht Harbor

Harbor Commission revenues are up seven per cent compared to the same time last year, commissioners learned at their meeting Tuesday.

Besides that, reported finance chairman Jim Krauss, more than 90 per cent of all slips are already leased for the upcoming season, and both the Harbormaster and the harbor employees deserve praise for keeping the town’s greatest and most used asset at the high standards that encourage such use.

Krauss outlined the leases pier by pier, noting that piers 2 3 and 7 are at 100 per cent capacity rental, while piers 4 and 5 only have two slips left, and piers 8 and 9 only have 3 slips left. Pier one has two slips still available, he said, meaning each slip is filled to no less than 91 per cent capacity.

On the two fixed piers, Frank’s has 22 slips available and Pier 6 has 14 vacancies. That also means, he told the commission, that there are only ten slips vacant of the harbor’s 366 slips for lease. However, the vacancies at the fixed docks will be leased to transient boaters, he said.

In addition the 171 mooring sites available are already leased to 91 per cent capacity, and the 130 land storage sites are also leased to capacity.

“This is a good indication of a successful season once again,” Strauss said, praising the harbor employees for “making the Atlantic Highlands harbor the place they want to be.”

Strauss noted there are some less positive news as well, noting that the harbor is only home to three head boats now, with the possibility of a fourth head boat arriving in the next few weeks. While the party boats that have been here for years will be missed, some of the vacant spots will be used by firms doing construction in the area, he said. But more good news indicates a 55 foot charter boat is also expected to be arriving on pier 1, the commissioner continued, indicating it appears that will be welcomed as a long time tenant

The decrease in the number of popular day and half day fishing boats is evident of what is happening across the state, he explained, noting that state fishing regulations are making it more difficult to entice recreational fishermen, citing the differences in the seasonal dates as well as the increase in the minimum size of fish anglers can take. The only good news on that front is the dates of this year’s seasons mean there are only five days between the striped bass and fluke seasons, a time when fishermen can only hook porgies.