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Fishing Fees Under Attack

October 9th, 2009 by Mike Vasilinda

Thousands of Floridians will head to the water this weekend to fish from piers and the shoreline. Since August, shore anglers have been required to pay about 9 dollars for a license, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, there is an effort underway to repeal the fee.

For the first time ever, people fishing from shore need a 9-dollar license to fish. It’s rubbing a lot of people, like Bill Williams, the wrong way.

“Why mess with something that’s good?” Williams said. “You’ve given that benefit to your people all along, why take it away?”

But the state argues the federal government will impose even bigger fees, 15 to 25 dollars,  on all fishing licenses if the shore license goes away. The purpose says Henry Cabbage, is to keep track of the catch.

“Shoreline anglers are taking from the resources,” Cabbage of the FWCC said. “It’s just a matter of what’s right, that they should contribute to maintaining the resources.”

Citing the economy, State Senator Don Gaetz has filed legislation to repeal the fee.

“There’s a way to ask people to keep track of their catches, without charging them money to fish,” Gaetz said.

Right now, only about one of every ten people who are expected to need the new license have actually gotten one so far.

Sam Cobb says if you want to fish, you need to pay the price.

“You probably don’t need to be fishing, because half the bait and lures cost more than 10 dollars,” Cobb said.

Ironically, the fact so few have purchased the license actually make it’s repeal more palatable, that’s because it will take fewer dollars out of a very tight state budget.

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