License Saltwater Anglers

Connecticut's fisheries managers have a necessary and good idea: start licensing saltwater anglers and put the money into a dedicated conservation fund. Why is this a good proposal? There are many reasons, but the most important is that the fisheries division needs more money to sustain basic research and services for both freshwater and saltwater.

•Current funding levels for conservation and management of the state's natural resources are not sufficient to meet the basic needs. Freshwater fishing license sales now produce only $2.7 million annually and license sales continue to decline. Connecticut sold 222,867 licenses in 1989 and 227,510 in 1990. Sales are down 31 percent since 1989 and the licenses purchased in 2003 were just 153,810.
•Connecticut's freshwater anglers are second-class citizens. They have to pay a license fee to sustain their fishing programs, but their counterparts fishing the saltwater do not. About 25 percent of all revenues from freshwater angling goes to support saltwater programs.
•Coastal development of apartments, offices and condominiums, coupled with outdated sewage treatment facilities are placing a strain on marine environments for fish. The state needs more money for research on the health of saltwater species.
•The federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires a national registration of saltwater fishermen. Connecticut would be exempt from this mandate if it had its own saltwater licensing program.
All coastal states in the United States outside of New England, New York, New Jersey and Delaware require saltwater licenses. Only nine of 23 coastal states do not have saltwater licenses.

Saltwater fishing is a big deal in Connecticut. The state's marine fisheries support 1.5 million fishing trips a year and the Connecticut DEP spends more than $2 million per year on marine fisheries monitoring and management.

Connecticut proposes to keep its freshwater license fee at $20, but a fisherman could buy a combination freshwater and saltwater license for just $25. A saltwater license alone would cost $15. Fishermen on party, head and charter boats would not be required to have a saltwater license.

People turning 65 prior to Jan. 1, 2008 would have to carry a license, but there would be no fee. Those turning 65 after Dec. 31, 2007 would pay a reduced fee of $10 for fishing on salt or fresh water. Anyone under age 16 would not need a license for either fresh or saltwater. Connecticut also proposes to have reciprocity with Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York if they implement saltwater fishing licenses.

The money crunch for the fisheries unit is a continuing problem. Inconsistent revenues for freshwater license sales are at the core of the issue. Connecticut maintains a number of trout hatchery operations, including the huge Quinebaug hatchery in Plainfield where the vast majority of the 800,000 adult trout it stocks each year are raised.

The state has an excellent trout stocking program in hundreds of lakes, ponds, rivers and brooks statewide, but maintaining that fish-rearing operation and distributing the fish are expensive. The department simply is under-funded. A dedicated conservation fund is a good idea. The DEP could use the fund to support conservation and preservation programs and do accomplish basic research on what's happening in both saltwater and freshwater environments.

This change is inevitable because of the federal registration requirements. The fisheries unit under the innovative leadership of Chief of Fisheries Wiliam Hiatt, is progressive, forward-looking and willing to try new policies to enhance fisheries. The legislature should approve this sensible change in policy, for it recognizes both economic and environmental realities.