HARRISBURG, Pa. –Give me a “modest fee adjustment” the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said in a preliminary plan to hike prices to go fish next year in Bucks County and around the state – a plan that will hook $2.9 million annually.
Under the plan recently given preliminary approval, price increases were OK’d for a list of various licenses and permits like the most common -- Resident Annual Fishing License, Trout Permit and Combination Trout/Lake Erie permit that will increase $2.50 each.
“Through these modest fee adjustments, we are keeping pace with the rising costs associated with maintaining vital infrastructure, services, and programs that anglers and boaters deserve and have come to expect,” said Robert BJ Small, president, Fish and Boat Commission, and District 6 Commissioner. “Our goal is to keep the prices of fishing licenses and permits as low as possible, while still being able to upgrade and invest in the equipment, staff, programs and facilities, such as our fish hatcheries and hundreds of public access areas, that deliver quality recreation throughout the Commonwealth.”
The rate hike is an investment in the future, he said.
“Adjusting fees to match our business needs, when necessary, will ensure that Pennsylvania remains a destination for fishing and boating for a very long time,” said Small.
Other than the hike on the most common licenses, separate increase will be applied to other license and permit categories for non-residents, seniors and tourists, the commission said.
If given final approval, revenues from the fee adjustments are expected to generate an estimated $2.9 million annually for the commission’s Fish Fund to support fishing-related programs. After final approval, the fee adjustments will be given to the state House and Senate Game and Fisheries Committee for review.
A date for a public hearing on the proposal has yet to be established.
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