Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2014 12:21:36 GMT -5
By Bob Frye
Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014, 6:30 p.m.
Updated 13 hours ago
FARMINGTON — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is decreasing the cost of fishing licenses and is seeking an increase in the cost of trout stamps.
Next up are boat registrations.
On Tuesday, the agency's board voted unanimously to decrease the cost of an annual fishing license by $1 for 2015. That will knock the price down to $20 for residents and $50 for nonresidents, plus fees.
Those who buy a three- or five-year license will be able to save $3 and $5, respectively, though the discount will apply only if they buy their license in December.
The idea behind the price cut is to encourage people who have gotten away from fishing to come back to the sport, executive director John Arway said.
The commission also plans to talk to state legislators about increasing the cost of a trout stamp, which is $8.
The size of increase the commission will seek hasn't been determined.
The commission may also ask lawmakers — as early as January — to consider changing the fees for boat registrations and/or launch permits.
The commission needs $6.1 million in new boating revenues over the next three fiscal years to cover rising pension, health care and personnel costs, Arway said.
He outlined three options for increasing revenues.
The commission could ask lawmakers to: increase the cost of registering a boat, which would raise $1.4 million; ask them to require unpowered boats be registered for the first time, generating $750,000; and/or increase the cost of launch permit fees, which would raise $225,000.
He said it might be time for unpowered boaters in particular to pay more.
There are more of them out there now, based in launch permit sales, and they have involved in a disproportionate number of boating fatalities.
They account for 18 percent of permitted and registered boats but 47 percent of fatalities, Arway said.
That “puts a tremendous demand” on the agency in terms of time and resources, he said.
Commissioner Rocco Ali of Kittanning wondered, though, if requiring unpowered boats to be registered would apply to craft like small rowboats used only on farm ponds.
“I would see that as being a major stumbling point,” Ali said.
Arway said the commission could exempt such boats.
Commissioner Warren Elliott had a different concern, saying it might be unrealistic to think lawmakers will increase the price of trout stamps and boat registrations at the same time.
“We've found out in the past we can't get everything we want from legislators at once,” Elliot said. “We may have to pick and choose and prioritize what we want to go after first.
Boat fee specifics
Here's a look at the three options Pennsylvania Fish and Boat commissioner John Arway put forward Tuesday for increasing boat revenues:
Option 1: Increase the cost of boat registration fees. Annual costs would go from $9 to $12.50 for unpowered craft, from $13 to $17 for motorboats shorter than 16 feet, from $19.50 to $24 for boats 16-20 feet and from $26 to $31 for all bigger boats. It would raise an estimated $1.4 million in new annual revenue.
Option 2: Require all unpowered boats — rather than just motorboats, as is the law now — to be registered. Cost would be $9 annually, though those who wanted to avoid putting letters and numbers on their boat could get that alternative registration for $12. It would raise an estimated $750,000 in new annual revenue.
Option 3: Increase the cost of launch permits, required on unpowered boats that are to be used at a commission or state park-owned boat launch. Cost of a one-year permit would go from $10 to $13.50, and of a two-year permit from $18 to $25. It would raise an estimated $225,000 in new annual revenue.
Bob Frye is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com
Read more: triblive.com/sports/outdoors/6833190-74/commission-boat-cost#ixzz3EumGg1Fr
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