Assuming the previous posts are accurate (and I have no reason to questions them) all I can say is what a mess!
These programs are so convoluted no wonder it costs so much to run government. But then we could debate that until the webserver crashes,,,
I stand by my comment that $53 for a fishing license is crazy, my truck registration is not that much!
If they need to generate revenue for search and rescue or wildlife management or whatever then they should be looking at better/other options.
Its easy for some of us to say I’m happy to pay for certain things like boat or snowmobile registration as these are luxury items, but fishing (excluding the organized events) is a fundamental activity and one that should be within the reach of everyone.
The people involved in the original thread post can probably well afford the license fee, so I will not attempt to argue for them, but I know plenty of other folks that might struggle to pay that amount for the privilege of dropping a line in from shore hoping to enjoy what Mother Nature gave us (not the state)
Sorry, not disparaging the fish and game people or anyone else, just making the point that fishing is not like carving a trail out of the woods and grooming it all season for our snowmobiles, its inherently a natural activity and one that should be readily within the affordability of everyone. Somewhere we have lost sight of that,,,
If you believe that fishing licenses are a reasonable requirement (and I’m sure we could debate that until everyone is PO’d) but assuming it is accepted as reasonable, then maybe a better way to deal with it would be to have tiered licenses such as; no fee or very modest fee for fishing from shore, modest fee for fishing from an unpowered or electric powered or under a certain HP powered boat, and a “full” fee for fishing from a power boat over a certain HP. At least that might better reflect the ability of some to pay what they can legitimately afford, while still allowing others to enjoy this activity without undue financial hardship.
I’m done on this one,,,
