license fees to go up

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Fishing license fees will almost double - Top Stories

Fishing license fees will almost double
By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer State lawmakers didn't raise the sales tax, add a fee on new construction or mess with the price of cigarettes.
But they did pass a bill that makes it more expensive to go fishing.
For Maryland residents, the price of a nontidal license for freshwater fishing will just about double from $10.50 per year to $20.50 per year. The cost of a sport license for saltwater fishing will go from $9 to $15.
License fees also will increase for nonresidents who fish here, as well as for boat owners who get a license that covers their passengers.
If Gov. Martin O'Malley signs the bill as expected, the new fees will go into place July 1.
"This is a good opportunity for people to buy their license now. If you're going to fish in '07, don't wait until after July 1," said Eric Schwaab, deputy secretary of the Department of Natural Resources.
The push for higher license fees didn't come from DNR officials or the O'Malley administration. It actually came from a coalition of fishing clubs and environmental groups.
A group called the Maryland Aquatic Resource Council - which includes the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association, Trout Unlimited, the Maryland Bass Federation, the Federation of Fly Fishermen Mid-Atlantic Council and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - worked with Sen. John C. Astle, D-Annapolis, who sponsored the bill.
Noel Gollehon, chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Council of Trout Unlimited, said the license increase is a small price to pay for improved fishing.
"The fundamental issue that Trout Unlimted observes is DNR's budget is shrinking, rather than growing ... You simply have to have the boots on the ground, the people in place, to manage fisheries," he said.
The higher license fees should generate about $2.2 million a year for the DNR. Initially, the bill also required a certain amount of matching money to come from the state's general fund, though that was struck from the final version.
Mr. Schwaab said he expects, however, that future state budgets will include general fund increases. Combined, the DNR should get $3.5 million more per year for its Fisheries Service.
"That puts our fishery agency back at the level where it was four years ago," Mr. Schwaab said.
That money is sorely needed in an agency that has been hit repeatedly by budget cuts, some say.
"They need the funding," said Rich Novotny, executive director of the Pasadena-based Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association.
The Fisheries Service plan on using the money for activities like fishery management plans, stock assessments and restoration activities, Mr. Schwaab said.
The bill also requires the DNR to set up a new advisory committee. Called the Task Force on Fisheries Management, it will be made up of DNR officials, recreational fishermen, commercial watermen and charter boat captains.
The group will be charged with reviewing how the DNR manages fisheries, including a look at trying more "ecosystem-based management." Instead of looking at species one at a time, ecosystem-based management evaluates multiple factors, such as predator-prey relationships and the quality of the environment where the species lives.
The task force is charged with presenting its first report on Dec. 1, 2008.
Mr. Novotny said he thinks anglers who know about the task force and how the money will be used will be OK with paying more for a license.
"I think overall it definitely will benefit the recreational fishery," he said.
At least one fishing group, however, didn't support the bill. The Coastal Conservation Association raised concerns that the money wouldn't be spent on fisheries as promised.
Bill Curry, chairman of association in Maryland, said other special funds - such as land-preservation money - has been diverted to fill budget gaps in past years. The same could happen with the fishing money, he said.
"I think most anglers would agree to reach in their pockets for a few more (dollars), if they have assurances it's spent well," Mr. Curry said.



Published April 13, 2007, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2007 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

[Torn-Again]

I have no problem paying a little more for liscense fees. what really needs to happen is for mountian bikers to pay for a liscense to to ride offroad. Fishing and hunting liscenses pay for a lot of trail maintainence and patrol. Not fair that such a large group of outdoor enthusiests get to utilize all the benefits and pay nothing. Just venting a bit - would it kill them to lay down 20 bucks to ride?

[Randy Stinchcomb]

...I don't mind paying more IF my tax dollars go to a good cause, like cleaning-up this sewer of a bay we have
due to the heavy rain, more sewers backed-up and over flowed into homes in Baltimore City and INTO the rivers and streams around the city
Gov O'maully, why didn't you fix this @#$% sewage system as mayor BEFORE you became gov

NO, I did NOT vote for him and YES, I am PO'ed