31-03-2009, 10:37 AM
The saltwater fishing license is a hot button issue for me. I have never nor do I think I will ever see anything come out of it other than a revenue stream for the government. that isn't to say that there are not people who could do some good with the money. I just view it as giving money to do with as they please because they don't have the manpower to enforce almost any regulations they put forth. I can remember one year fishing for blackfish in RI and calling DEM to come down because I saw a a family let a kid keep what must of been a 8 inch tog and every time the kid reeled it in they would cast the fish back out so he could do it again. when the officer showed up they cut the line that was out the window the DEM office didn't have a tape measure on him to measure the other fish. I gave him mine. then he measured some guys scup and didn't even realize that the scup season was closed at that point. all this just for nothing no one ticketed nothing. they don't know what they are doing and that is one of the two times i have ever sen a DEM officer in my 18 years of fishing salt water. it is waste to support something they cant.
here is what I do know about the fishing license as it stands today. Mass will be implementing a license next year the almost final plan is to have it cost 15 flat for either in or out of state. RI finance committee tried to pass through a license fee recently without even the DEM director knowing. apparently he showed up at the meeting and said he would neither support or enforce any license that was not able to support fishing (I gave him a round of applause for this at least he stuck up for us). the talk now is for RI to be 20 for resident 45 for non resident. although this is in the preliminary stages and will most likely be reconsidered. the thought behind this is that if your state does not have a license in place within two years I believe you will have to buy a 40 dollar federal stripper license so it is a case of pay the devil you know or the one you don't.so expect Mass next year and RI in 2010.
my hope is that RI goes with the inclusion instead of exclusion policy that mass has adopted. make it affordable for everyone if we have no choice. and it makes way to much sense to make a regional license like a MA, RI , CT because there is no way to properly distribute funds based upon that fishing population don't contribute equally based upon population. So although I am not excited about it and think I will never see a return on this money other than the cost going up over the years. there is a study out there on fishing license cost over time and RI and MA at the current rate it will cost the average person over 100 dollars for the right to fish within the next 15 - 20 years. although I don't really agree with some of the variable calculations at least someone took a stab at it. that's my peace hope it was helpful and informative. also some of what I understand to be true was told to me second hand so please don't take this as absolute scripture.
here is what I do know about the fishing license as it stands today. Mass will be implementing a license next year the almost final plan is to have it cost 15 flat for either in or out of state. RI finance committee tried to pass through a license fee recently without even the DEM director knowing. apparently he showed up at the meeting and said he would neither support or enforce any license that was not able to support fishing (I gave him a round of applause for this at least he stuck up for us). the talk now is for RI to be 20 for resident 45 for non resident. although this is in the preliminary stages and will most likely be reconsidered. the thought behind this is that if your state does not have a license in place within two years I believe you will have to buy a 40 dollar federal stripper license so it is a case of pay the devil you know or the one you don't.so expect Mass next year and RI in 2010.
my hope is that RI goes with the inclusion instead of exclusion policy that mass has adopted. make it affordable for everyone if we have no choice. and it makes way to much sense to make a regional license like a MA, RI , CT because there is no way to properly distribute funds based upon that fishing population don't contribute equally based upon population. So although I am not excited about it and think I will never see a return on this money other than the cost going up over the years. there is a study out there on fishing license cost over time and RI and MA at the current rate it will cost the average person over 100 dollars for the right to fish within the next 15 - 20 years. although I don't really agree with some of the variable calculations at least someone took a stab at it. that's my peace hope it was helpful and informative. also some of what I understand to be true was told to me second hand so please don't take this as absolute scripture.