HB2900

[ptail1945]

I've posted this notice on a couple of other forums and decided I should post it everywhere I can. I know this has been discussed a lot on this forum but House Bill 2900 (the youth fishing license legislation) is in committee and soon to be brought before the legislature. No matter what your opinion is, now is the time to contact your legislator to let them know how you feel. The intentions behind this bill are good - all funds are to be used for youth fishing programs. I believe that they are going to lose more fishermen than they create. License sales have gone from over a million in 1990 to 700,000 in 2005. We should not put obstacles in the way of new sportsmen. I have talked to a Pa. WCO about this. He said they are not going to ticket kids, just educate them. The form of the license hasn't been decided yet. It may just be a button you buy at the local Wawa and pin on. But I don't know how that will work because the button could just be passed around. When I grew up in the innocent 50's, we spent summer vacation playing baseball, swimming and hiking. If you couldn't find anything else to do, you could always go fishing. We spend our lives being regulated and taxed. Let's not start with twelve year olds.

 

[ryguyfi]

I'm not big on politics. Prob never will. They bore me and I just dont care if 99% of it affects me or not... but... getting kids into fishing is a good idea... dont know if this bill is to charge kids to fish, thats a bad idea. But educating them is a great idea. Look at the First Tee program by the PGA. At a local golf course they have it implemented and kids eat it up. Whether they have to pay or not they love getting into something they might not have the chance to. If there were a pin or something for a buck when i bought my fishing license to help bring kids into fishing, I'd buy one. Nothing more than teaching kids to get off the streets, do something fun, and enjoy it. If that would help having 12 year olds buy a fishing license, so be it. But that's rediculous to have them do so. The only one's who would, are the wealthy, which in my mind all of fishing is slowly moving towards that end of the spectrum. But it keeps the kids who need it the most out of the system. Yeah i mostly ramble on this site but just figured i'd give a little bit of my mind on here.

 

[Maurice]

Some background and facts...

- The F&BC will get $3.50 for each youth license sold. (inaddition to the $5.00 license cost.) These funds are to go to Youth Programs. This would free up the budgeted amounts that currently go to Youth Programs.

- While the license is necessary, violaters will not be fined initially there will be a "grooming" period.

- People who cannot afford the Youth License can seek "aid" from the F&BC in the way of recommendations on who they can contact to have a license purchased for htem. (ie; Sportsmans clubs, TU chapters, Conservation groups)

- There was talk about the potential for a club to buy a block of say 50 licenses and donate them during youth field days or keep them for use with needy families.

- The "likening" of a Youth license only costing as much as a happy meal is the slogan that was chosen. If you think about it...$5.00 isn't a lot to ask for, for kids 12-15. A fishing license is still the best deal you will EVER see for a year round activity.

My only problem with this is that it is just another way to produce funding to feed the hatchery machine. For this reason I personally do not support it. (that and I have four kids :lol: )

The F&BC is estimation for Hatchery repairs to bring them to standard is $85 million bucks. They got $28MM form Growing Greener II that leaves a tab in the high 50's to make it right. Seems to me they need to do alot more than charge kids to fish to pay that bill...Maybe they ought to stop wasting fish they raise and stop stocking over wild trout pops...before they get my support.

Maurice

 

[tomgamber]

I haven't decided whether I support this or not...I agree with Mo that feeding the fish factory is a bad motive.

However, as someone who grew up without a fishing father (He was a footbal coach...I taught him to fish about 15 years ago) I think the idea of educating youngsters who may be getting into the sport is a good idea.

When I was 12 we used to get on our bikes and head to a creek and catch everything that was under that bridge and bring it home and have mom cook it up. Now mind yu that was a 4 mile bike ride with a stringer of everything from trout to suckers to bluegill to perch to bass. Sometimes the fish didn't look so good by the time we arrived and mom ended up using it to fertilize the garden. Anyway, it was waste. I had no idea that the stream was in danger...that the resource wasn't infinite...and that what we were doing was actually a way of life and a passion that we would carry into out adult hood. All we knew was that it was fun.

Several years later they put a small pumping station of some sort upstream from where we used to fish...they also replaced old wooden bridge with a big new fancy concrete and steel one...I went back to fish it after college and the landowner asked what I was doing because there hadn't been any fish in this stream for a long time. If we had only known. Anyway, the good news is that that stream is back on the stocking list this year. No thanks to a bunch of kids who used to have a lot of fun catching fish under the bridge. Perhaps its back because of someone who was educated as a kid by an adult who cared.

I don't see a lot of 12 year olds running out and buying licenses, even if they are only 5 bucks. I do see an uncle, a father, a friend buying one and giving it to a kid. Thats the first step in bringing the young and adults together. If we can't get together we can't teach them anything.