Share your input on fishing license changes

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
1

The proposed changes to Utah fishing license fees will be discussed at Regional Advisory Council (RAC) meetings, starting tomorrow night in Beaver. I saw the earlier discussion here on BFT (http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=833180;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread) and know there are some strong feelings about the proposals.

We’ve thought through the proposals carefully, and although they increase some fees, they still provide savings for youth hunters/anglers, senior hunters/anglers, and veteran anglers with disabilities. And, as was mentioned quite a bit here on BFT, we’re proposing to do away with the fee for the two-pole permit and to offer the option of multi-year licenses.

The money from those fees comes back to the Division and will be used for a variety of things, some of which include: enhancing warmwater fish production, covering increased hatchery costs (in feed and utilities), improving our popular community fisheries program, replacing lost federal funding, filling a key biologist position in the Flaming Gorge/Green River area, updating our hydroacoustics trawler, and accommodating increased costs in motorpool/fuel charges.

We’d like to encourage everyone — whether you support the proposals or not — to try and attend your local RAC meetings and share your input. You may support an idea (or oppose it) but if the RAC members don’t hear your voice, they won’t be able to weigh your concerns in making their recommendations to the Wildlife Board.

Click this link to read the fee proposals (about 1/4 down the document): http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings/info/2013-07_rac_packet.pdf

The meetings will be held across the state over the next two weeks:

Southern region
July 30, 7 p.m.
Belknap Elementary School
510 N 650 E, Beaver

Southeastern region
July 31, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E Main Street, Green River

Northeastern region
Aug. 1, 6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N Vernal Ave, Vernal

Central region
Aug. 6, 6:30 p.m.
Springville Public Library Meeting Room
45 S Main Street, Springville

Northern region
Aug. 7, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N 300 W, Brigham City

If you’re unable to attend in person, please contact the RAC members for your area and share your thoughts with them directly:

RAC chairs
http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/rac-chairs.html

RAC members
http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/rac-members.html

Amy Canning
Communications Specialist
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

2

I think most of those that responded to the thread you you gave a link to, were in favor or the proposed changes but with anything, there will always be nay sayers. Again I’ll say the proposed price change are more than fair, imo. Thanks Amy for the info on where the money will be going. I must have missed the 5 year license proposal, when I read it the first time but that will make some folks happy and even save a few $.

3

Amy, what I don’t understand is, if 80% of the population of Utah lives on the Wasatch front, why no RAC meetings here. Vernal, Beaver, Brigham City? Is there other meetings here in SLC that approach the subjects that are discussed in these other places?

4

Dude thats what I was thinking? I would love to go but Springville is too far for maybe an hour meeting.

5

The money from those fees comes back to the Division and will be used for a variety of things, some of which include: enhancing warmwater fish production, covering increased hatchery costs (in feed and utilities), improving our popular community fisheries program, replacing lost federal funding, filling a key biologist position in the Flaming Gorge/Green River area, updating our hydroacoustics trawler, and accommodating increased costs in motorpool/fuel charges.

I’m treading on thin ice here but I was just curious if that meant posting no fishing signs at the Lee Kay Centers’ tiger muskie spawning ponds?
[fishon]

6

If you have ever been to a RAC meeting you would understand, these meeting are a token gesture for the division to claim they have solicited public input before they do exactly what they planed to do before the meeting were held.
If you get enough people (like 3 or more) in a room any subject will be contentious and lack unanimity you can then do whatever you intended to do before the meeting. This is the basis of RAC.

7

Dude thats what I was thinking? I would love to go but Springville is too far for maybe an hour meeting.

Some of us rideshare. Wanna ride?

8

Keep the 2 pole permit fee. That second pole catches fish and it costs money to raise, manage and plant the fishing biting on that pole as well.

9

Keep the 2 pole permit fee. That second pole catches fish and it costs money to raise, manage and plant the fishing biting on that pole as well.

this was my initial thought as well but as I talked with my father and a good family friend and there are so many people that fish 2,3,and even 4 rods with only a fishing license or a combination license. people are going to use a second pole or more whether they pay for it or not so if it saves me money than I am game. If it was the opposite than it is I would say keep the two pole price but its not all it does is keep the honest people fishing one rod. if we all get to use a two pole permit than we all stay honest!!!

10

I love the new proposed increase. Thanks for detailing out some of the info.

Any idea on how much a replacement fee would be if I lost my license with the new increase?

P.S. I would like a RAC meeting to be held in SLC as well. Springville is way too far for for me to attend.

11

The second pole does catch fish but there is a daily limit last time I checked.[fishin]

12

Keep the 2 pole permit fee. That second pole catches fish and it costs money to raise, manage and plant the fishing biting on that pole as well.

The limit is still the same. A second pole permit does not allow you to keep two limits.

They increased the number of hooks per line from two to three but didn’t add a third hook permit. That third hook, or fly, catches fish too.

13

A little more for a license and not needing a two pole permit, yes please!

14

Yeah I wouldn’t mind. PM me with details.

15

I have a few answers, thoughts and comments, but there’s something else I should mention first:

At the northern region RAC meeting (scheduled for Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. in Brigham City), Drew Cushing will present an informational item to the RAC about Willard Bay and the inlet issue from this past spring. That item is listed near the bottom of the agenda because it will only occur in one region. (Drew is our warmwater fisheries coordinator and goes by the name “dowhatwecan” here on BFT.) I know he has already posted about this issue and chatted with many of you. This is not an action item, just an informational one to bring the RAC members up to speed on the topic. All of the fishing regulation proposals for the 2014 season will go out to the RACs in September.

On the subject of RAC locations: The RAC meeting locations shift from time to time, but the main goal is to keep them at fairly central places within the regional boundaries. (So Logan residents don’t have to drive all the way to Ogden, Nephi residents don’t have to drive all the way to Salt Lake, etc.) One other thing to consider is that the final decisions are all made in Salt Lake. On this particular issue, the RAC meetings are just the first step. These fee proposals will go to the RACs, the Wildlife Board, the governor’s office, a legislative subcommittee, and the full legislature. If passed at all levels, the changes will go into effect on July 1, 2014. So, I guess I’m saying there will be additional opportunities to weigh in on this topic in the Salt Lake area, particularly at the board meeting. And, again, if you can’t attend the meetings, please feel free to email your RAC members, RAC chairs and Wildlife Board members.

On the question of replacement licenses: The license-replacement fee is not on the proposed fee schedule. As far as I know, it will still be $10.

General thoughts: Although there has been a lot of discussion here — with many diverging views and preferences — I don’t believe that many of our RAC members look at these discussion forums. A proposal can have tons of quiet support, but if those who make the final recommendations or decisions don’t know about the support, they might act differently than they would if they heard from hundreds of people.

16

I won’t be able to make it to the meeting but as for me and the four fishermen in the boat with me Saturday we were all in favor of it!

17

Amy, how does this effect lifetime license holders? Do we still have to buy the second pole permit? I assume we won’t see any other increase due to the initial agreement. Just curious. Thanks. J

18

P.S. I would like a RAC meeting to be held in SLC as well. Springville is way too far for for me to attend.

Yet you drive to southern Utah to fish multiple times? LOL

19

If the money all goes back into Utah’s fishing programs increasing the fee’s is a great idea!!

20

P.S. I would like a RAC meeting to be held in SLC as well. Springville is way too far for for me to attend.

Yet you drive to southern Utah to fish multiple times? LOL

Apples/Oranges

Don’t be fatuous, Jeffery.