New York Governor Proposes More Fishing Fees
Fishing off New York's coast would no longer be free and casting your line for trout and salmon would cost more if lawmakers back Gov. David Paterson's plan for new conservation fees next year.
The administration's budget proposal contains a new marine fishing license for saltwater that would cost the same as the current freshwater license - $19 a year for a state resident. A new mandatory trout and salmon stamp would cost $10.
New York sportsmen, already unhappy about the state closing its last pheasant breeding farm, want to be sure any new fees go to the Conservation Fund dedicated to restocking fish and protecting marine resources.
"I think that if we were assured that the $10 stamp, that money would go to a dedicated fund just for hatcheries, our members would take it in stride," said Harold Palmer, president of the New York State Conservation Council, which counts more than 300,000 members through clubs and county federations.
While they knew the federal government wanted coastal states to start registering all ocean fishermen - a plan federal officials have delayed to 2010 - Palmer said the New York saltwater fee proposal was a surprise. It would mean that fishing on the Hudson River below the Troy dam, a 150-mile saltwater estuary, would require a license, he said.
Holders of the state's lifetime sportsmen and fishing licenses apparently would be affected, Palmer said, though the proposed law hasn't been introduced yet and some details aren't available.
