James RickardA sign of the times?
January 31st 2010 01:44
The State of Maryland recently passed legislation that will require anglers wishing to wet a line in the Atlantic Ocean or any of the state's several bays or inlets to have a license.
There are opinions out there--pro and con--but, the bottom line is this action is supposed to help scientists get a good look at the numbers of recreational anglers, see how many and what fish are caught, and help rebuild numbers of some fish stocks that are dwindling.
Maryland joins seven other coastal states in passing what some see as the most sweeping change for Maryland anglers in decades. To complicate matters for the next few years, the license will be free in 2010 and then run as much as $25 in 2011. After that??? I guess it's up to the law-makers.
I'm not overly political but, things like this bother me. I put this up there with cable television, paying for air at gas stations, and now we have to pay to fish in the ocean.
Most people reading this are going to have the attitude, "So what? I live in(fill in the blank.) BUT what about vacationers? I remember when I decided to fish the Outer Banks and called a pier down there to ask about fishing licenses. "You don't need a license to fish in the ocean." a guy told me.
Those days are vanishing!
There are opinions out there--pro and con--but, the bottom line is this action is supposed to help scientists get a good look at the numbers of recreational anglers, see how many and what fish are caught, and help rebuild numbers of some fish stocks that are dwindling.
Maryland joins seven other coastal states in passing what some see as the most sweeping change for Maryland anglers in decades. To complicate matters for the next few years, the license will be free in 2010 and then run as much as $25 in 2011. After that??? I guess it's up to the law-makers.
I'm not overly political but, things like this bother me. I put this up there with cable television, paying for air at gas stations, and now we have to pay to fish in the ocean.
Most people reading this are going to have the attitude, "So what? I live in(fill in the blank.) BUT what about vacationers? I remember when I decided to fish the Outer Banks and called a pier down there to ask about fishing licenses. "You don't need a license to fish in the ocean." a guy told me.
Those days are vanishing!
Remember to take the hooks outta yer pocket before ya sit down!
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