Post by pfsc on Mar 6, 2015 20:05:04 GMT -5
House Game and Fisheries Committee
3/4/15, 9:00 a.m., B31 Main Capitol
By Trevor J. Monk, PLS
The House Game and Fisheries Committee held an information meeting to discuss the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Annual Report.
John Arway, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), provided a summary of the PFBC 2014 Annual Report. Arway explained the PFBC Board of Commissioners voted in September to reduce the price of a fishing license for the first time in the history of the agency. He added the price reduction is an attempt to reverse the paradigm of declining license sales in the wake of license fee increases. He stated the discounted licenses are marketed under the promotional slogan Catch the Value!. Arway announced that 2014 also marked the return of the PFBC’s popular fishing license button as an alternative to the display requirement. Buttons are available online or at any of the 900 license issuing agents across Pennsylvania. Arway explained how the PFBC is expanding mentored youth trout fishing opportunities statewide. He said that in 2013, the PFBC piloted a program in southeastern Pennsylvania which allowed children under 16 and their adult mentors to fish in select waters a week before the opening day of trout season and keep two fish apiece. Arway thanked the committee for including the PFBC in Act 89 of 2013 and directing the full amount of taxes paid on motorboat fuel to the PFBC. Arway explained that every project is different, and all require creativity and flexibility to identify and secure funding sources necessary to design, repair, and construct the multi-million dollar, Commonwealth-owned facilities over the course of many years. He added that thanks to Act 89, PFBC has begun the repair process on some facilities and has a plan in place to complete designs for all of the high-hazard dams managed on behalf of the Commonwealth. Arway stated a study issued in March by the bipartisan Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) concluded that merging the PFBC and the Pennsylvania Game Commission would not produce substantial cost savings and would not likely result in a streamlined, smaller government agency, but would create a less efficient mega-agency. Arway reminded the committee the PFBC depends almost entirely on fishing licenses, boat registrations, and federal funding tied to fishing and boating to pay for almost everything. He added that in a 2010 triennial performance audit of the agency, the LBFC recommended that the General Assembly “consider providing additional resources to the PFBC so it can continue to make efforts to protect water resources from potential degradation by Marcellus Shale drilling efforts.”
Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks) asked for an explanation of the working relationship with co-op nurseries. Arway explained the PFBC provides the co-ops with fish eggs and the PFBC releases them into the wild. He noted that it has been financially difficult to keep nurseries alive. Rep. Maloney asked who owns the co-ops properties. Arway said most of the co-ops own the properties and volunteer to help the commission.
Rep. Maloney asked about the working relationship with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Arway explained he recently met with DEP Acting Secretary John Quigley, and is confident they will be able to work effectively together. He said he would like to see a joint effort to fix the Susquehanna River.
Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams) asked if there is a five-year fishing license button, like the five-year fishing licenses. Arway stated the color of the button changes each year, so a new button will have to be purchased before each new fishing season.
Rep. Moul expressed his concern with DEP’s regulations on treating hatchery water, and asked what can be done to make treating the hatcheries more cost efficient. Arway explained the treatment facilities are already installed to meet those standards, and since the facilities are in place the PFBC is not worried about trying to reduce the current standards.
Rep. Moul asked how the shales are contaminating surface and ground water. Arway said the contamination is caused by soil erosion and is not chemical contamination. He said once the land surface stabilizes and the vegetation grows, the contamination will decrease.
Rep. Moul asked for the official definition of a navigable stream and a non-navigable stream. Arway explained that it is a very gray area and is usually settled in court on a case-by-case basis.
Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) asked if the PFBC stocks adult fish or just fingerlings. Arway replied both, explaining that the decision is made based on the body of water. Heffley asked that the commission recognize where co-op nurseries can be best used and for some exemptions on some of the older fisheries.
Rep. Brett Miller (R-Lancaster) asked why Arway was optimistic that the Susquehanna River is impaired. Arway said it is clear the fish are sick, but the problem will not be fixed until the river is determined to be impaired, or unhealthy.
Rep. Miller asked what government body is responsible for fixing the Susquehanna River if it is deemed impaired. Arway explained the federal government provides the funding and the PFBC then determines how the funding will be prioritized. He noted if the river would be considered a high priority water if deemed impaired, a solution could be reached within two years.
Rep. Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna) asked if there has been an increase or decrease in fishing licenses, since the decrease in tourism funding. Arway explained fishing license sales hit a peak in 1990, but have increased by three percent over the last three years. He noted about ten percent of Pennsylvania’s population fish.
Rep. Flynn asked if the PFBC is implementing any marketing strategies to increase fishing license sales. Arway explained the PFBC continually reaches out to local businesses to help deliver its message and help increase the number of fishing licenses sold.
Rep. Frank Farina (D-Lackawanna) asked how trophy trout areas have fluctuated over the last ten years. Arway said trophy waters provide significant opportunity to attract out-of-state visitors. He noted the PFBC is currently working on a proposal to increase the number of trophy trout fishing areas. A PFBC staff member said the number of trophy waters is static.
Rep. Barry Jozwiak (R-Berks) asked if the DEP monitors the water quality of hatcheries owned by private outdoor clubs. Arway said those hatcheries must follow the same regulations as all the other hatcheries and DEP would only intervene if there is reasonable suspicion that regulations are not being followed. He noted the larger hatcheries are monitored, but not the small co-op hatcheries.
Chairman Keith Gillespie (R-York) asked if selling the 850,000 fishing license at a $1 reduction would result in close to a $1 million decrease in funding. Arway explained the financial losses were explored, but in return for the reduction the PFBC receives $5 in federal funding. He said the PFBC will break even if it sells 39,000 licenses.
Chairman Gillespie asked about expedited the review of the gas pipelines, which was every 85 days and is now ten days. Arway explained the PFBC repurposed staff to work on project reviews, and hired additional staff, which allowed expedited reviews.
Chairman Gillespie asked what percentage of the staff focuses on the shale reviews. A PFBC staff member said five full time employees are dedicated to the review, and some other PFBC employees divide their time in the field to the reviews.
Chairman Gillespie asked how many boating fatalities occurred in 2014, how many of those were not wearing life jackets, and how many of those were alcohol related. A PFBC staff member stated there were 78 accidents and 15 fatalities. Of the fatalities three were not wearing life jackets, and roughly 30 percent of the fatalities involved alcohol.
Chairman Gillespie stated the committee will be meeting on March 24, 2015, to receive a report from the Game Commission
3/4/15, 9:00 a.m., B31 Main Capitol
By Trevor J. Monk, PLS
The House Game and Fisheries Committee held an information meeting to discuss the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Annual Report.
John Arway, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), provided a summary of the PFBC 2014 Annual Report. Arway explained the PFBC Board of Commissioners voted in September to reduce the price of a fishing license for the first time in the history of the agency. He added the price reduction is an attempt to reverse the paradigm of declining license sales in the wake of license fee increases. He stated the discounted licenses are marketed under the promotional slogan Catch the Value!. Arway announced that 2014 also marked the return of the PFBC’s popular fishing license button as an alternative to the display requirement. Buttons are available online or at any of the 900 license issuing agents across Pennsylvania. Arway explained how the PFBC is expanding mentored youth trout fishing opportunities statewide. He said that in 2013, the PFBC piloted a program in southeastern Pennsylvania which allowed children under 16 and their adult mentors to fish in select waters a week before the opening day of trout season and keep two fish apiece. Arway thanked the committee for including the PFBC in Act 89 of 2013 and directing the full amount of taxes paid on motorboat fuel to the PFBC. Arway explained that every project is different, and all require creativity and flexibility to identify and secure funding sources necessary to design, repair, and construct the multi-million dollar, Commonwealth-owned facilities over the course of many years. He added that thanks to Act 89, PFBC has begun the repair process on some facilities and has a plan in place to complete designs for all of the high-hazard dams managed on behalf of the Commonwealth. Arway stated a study issued in March by the bipartisan Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) concluded that merging the PFBC and the Pennsylvania Game Commission would not produce substantial cost savings and would not likely result in a streamlined, smaller government agency, but would create a less efficient mega-agency. Arway reminded the committee the PFBC depends almost entirely on fishing licenses, boat registrations, and federal funding tied to fishing and boating to pay for almost everything. He added that in a 2010 triennial performance audit of the agency, the LBFC recommended that the General Assembly “consider providing additional resources to the PFBC so it can continue to make efforts to protect water resources from potential degradation by Marcellus Shale drilling efforts.”
Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks) asked for an explanation of the working relationship with co-op nurseries. Arway explained the PFBC provides the co-ops with fish eggs and the PFBC releases them into the wild. He noted that it has been financially difficult to keep nurseries alive. Rep. Maloney asked who owns the co-ops properties. Arway said most of the co-ops own the properties and volunteer to help the commission.
Rep. Maloney asked about the working relationship with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Arway explained he recently met with DEP Acting Secretary John Quigley, and is confident they will be able to work effectively together. He said he would like to see a joint effort to fix the Susquehanna River.
Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams) asked if there is a five-year fishing license button, like the five-year fishing licenses. Arway stated the color of the button changes each year, so a new button will have to be purchased before each new fishing season.
Rep. Moul expressed his concern with DEP’s regulations on treating hatchery water, and asked what can be done to make treating the hatcheries more cost efficient. Arway explained the treatment facilities are already installed to meet those standards, and since the facilities are in place the PFBC is not worried about trying to reduce the current standards.
Rep. Moul asked how the shales are contaminating surface and ground water. Arway said the contamination is caused by soil erosion and is not chemical contamination. He said once the land surface stabilizes and the vegetation grows, the contamination will decrease.
Rep. Moul asked for the official definition of a navigable stream and a non-navigable stream. Arway explained that it is a very gray area and is usually settled in court on a case-by-case basis.
Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) asked if the PFBC stocks adult fish or just fingerlings. Arway replied both, explaining that the decision is made based on the body of water. Heffley asked that the commission recognize where co-op nurseries can be best used and for some exemptions on some of the older fisheries.
Rep. Brett Miller (R-Lancaster) asked why Arway was optimistic that the Susquehanna River is impaired. Arway said it is clear the fish are sick, but the problem will not be fixed until the river is determined to be impaired, or unhealthy.
Rep. Miller asked what government body is responsible for fixing the Susquehanna River if it is deemed impaired. Arway explained the federal government provides the funding and the PFBC then determines how the funding will be prioritized. He noted if the river would be considered a high priority water if deemed impaired, a solution could be reached within two years.
Rep. Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna) asked if there has been an increase or decrease in fishing licenses, since the decrease in tourism funding. Arway explained fishing license sales hit a peak in 1990, but have increased by three percent over the last three years. He noted about ten percent of Pennsylvania’s population fish.
Rep. Flynn asked if the PFBC is implementing any marketing strategies to increase fishing license sales. Arway explained the PFBC continually reaches out to local businesses to help deliver its message and help increase the number of fishing licenses sold.
Rep. Frank Farina (D-Lackawanna) asked how trophy trout areas have fluctuated over the last ten years. Arway said trophy waters provide significant opportunity to attract out-of-state visitors. He noted the PFBC is currently working on a proposal to increase the number of trophy trout fishing areas. A PFBC staff member said the number of trophy waters is static.
Rep. Barry Jozwiak (R-Berks) asked if the DEP monitors the water quality of hatcheries owned by private outdoor clubs. Arway said those hatcheries must follow the same regulations as all the other hatcheries and DEP would only intervene if there is reasonable suspicion that regulations are not being followed. He noted the larger hatcheries are monitored, but not the small co-op hatcheries.
Chairman Keith Gillespie (R-York) asked if selling the 850,000 fishing license at a $1 reduction would result in close to a $1 million decrease in funding. Arway explained the financial losses were explored, but in return for the reduction the PFBC receives $5 in federal funding. He said the PFBC will break even if it sells 39,000 licenses.
Chairman Gillespie asked about expedited the review of the gas pipelines, which was every 85 days and is now ten days. Arway explained the PFBC repurposed staff to work on project reviews, and hired additional staff, which allowed expedited reviews.
Chairman Gillespie asked what percentage of the staff focuses on the shale reviews. A PFBC staff member said five full time employees are dedicated to the review, and some other PFBC employees divide their time in the field to the reviews.
Chairman Gillespie asked how many boating fatalities occurred in 2014, how many of those were not wearing life jackets, and how many of those were alcohol related. A PFBC staff member stated there were 78 accidents and 15 fatalities. Of the fatalities three were not wearing life jackets, and roughly 30 percent of the fatalities involved alcohol.
Chairman Gillespie stated the committee will be meeting on March 24, 2015, to receive a report from the Game Commission