MakoMike
03-14-2015, 05:57 PM
WESTERLY — After push-back from constituents on a plan to repeal the recreational saltwater fishing license fee, 36th District state Rep. Blake Filippi (R-New Shoreham) hopes to forward a bill that would reduce the charge from $7 to $3.
Filippi said that only $3 of the fee is going toward administrative costs, and the extra $4 is matched three to one by federal funds that go toward maintaining and managing recreational fisheries across the state.
“That extra $4 amounts to a tax, and I believe that using our shoreline is a fundamental right we have,” Filippi said. “We have the right to fish on shore and the right to swim and walk at the beach, and I don’t believe those activities should be taxed.”
Filippi said he feels there is nothing in the state Constitution that gives the state the right to tax recreational fishermen.
“Article 1, Section 17 of our state Constitution protects the sacred right of people to fish freely from the shore,” he continued. “That’s the problem I see with all this.”
But Filippi heard a good deal of opposition from local fishermen regarding his draft of House Bill 5352.
“Ultimately, my goal is do away with the state license, but after getting feedback from my constituents, I decided to amend the legislation we first put together,” Filippi said. “I just don’t see anything in the Constitution that gives the state the authority to tax us in this manner, and instead of seeking declaration in federal court regarding the license fees, our state sought to comply with this demand.”
Filippi said he’s been opposed to the recreational saltwater fishing license for years, but now that he is part of the legislature, he can do something about it.
“I’ve been fishing from the shore all my life, and to be honest, I think this is a part of a larger problem, which is the fact that our citizens’ rights to the shorelines are being circumscribed,” he said. “I intend to be a strenuous advocate of shoreline access and people being able to enjoy our coast; I think it’s our fundamental right as Rhode Islanders.”
A local tackle shop owner sees the issue from a different perspective.
Mike Wade, owner and operator of Watch Hill Outfitters, said he believes most local fishermen are willing to pay the fee.
“I think if you asked most fishermen, they would say that it wouldn’t be bad if we raised the amount we pay for a license, because part of it is going towards DEM projects that as fishermen, we should be supporting,” Wade said. “These monies are extremely important and the fact that Filippi wants to eliminate everything the money that we as fisherman have to pay towards upkeep to our shoreline and the places we fish at seems wrong.”
According to Wade, the Rhode Island license fee is one of the lower recreational saltwater fishing license fees in the nation.
Additionally, the Rhode Island license affords reciprocity with Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Maine, said Wade, who noted that some people come to Rhode Island to get their license because other states don’t have a fund where a portion of the fee goes to help in maintaining fishing areas.
“Ultimately, it makes no sense to reduce cost and get rid of our funding because, and in my opinion, $7 is a nominal fee. And if the money is going into fishing, then taking it away would mean the money would go away from fishing,” Wade said.
John Lake, principal biologist in the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Fisheries Division at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, said the recreational saltwater license fee program was set up through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to collect information and statistics about recreational fishing throughout the nation. Lake said without the fee, the state would be forced to find the money required to pay the third-party database contractor to collect the recreational saltwater fishing registry information.
“Our program is the cheapest in the region, and all funds that aren’t allocated towards paying administrative costs go straight to a restricted receipt fund that is only spent on enforcement and management of recreational fisheries and fishing-access improvements such as boat ramps,” Lake said. “For every dollar we put towards recreational fishing improvement projects from our restricted receipt fund, the Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program gives us three more dollars to use for those projects.”
The DEM issues recreational saltwater fishing licenses to around 42,000 people per year and creates an annual report that includes information detailing how the money was spent.
“The money is used to benefit local fishermen throughout the state,” Lake said. “Whether or not this could be considered a tax is a philosophical question for sure.”
Filippi said that only $3 of the fee is going toward administrative costs, and the extra $4 is matched three to one by federal funds that go toward maintaining and managing recreational fisheries across the state.
“That extra $4 amounts to a tax, and I believe that using our shoreline is a fundamental right we have,” Filippi said. “We have the right to fish on shore and the right to swim and walk at the beach, and I don’t believe those activities should be taxed.”
Filippi said he feels there is nothing in the state Constitution that gives the state the right to tax recreational fishermen.
“Article 1, Section 17 of our state Constitution protects the sacred right of people to fish freely from the shore,” he continued. “That’s the problem I see with all this.”
But Filippi heard a good deal of opposition from local fishermen regarding his draft of House Bill 5352.
“Ultimately, my goal is do away with the state license, but after getting feedback from my constituents, I decided to amend the legislation we first put together,” Filippi said. “I just don’t see anything in the Constitution that gives the state the authority to tax us in this manner, and instead of seeking declaration in federal court regarding the license fees, our state sought to comply with this demand.”
Filippi said he’s been opposed to the recreational saltwater fishing license for years, but now that he is part of the legislature, he can do something about it.
“I’ve been fishing from the shore all my life, and to be honest, I think this is a part of a larger problem, which is the fact that our citizens’ rights to the shorelines are being circumscribed,” he said. “I intend to be a strenuous advocate of shoreline access and people being able to enjoy our coast; I think it’s our fundamental right as Rhode Islanders.”
A local tackle shop owner sees the issue from a different perspective.
Mike Wade, owner and operator of Watch Hill Outfitters, said he believes most local fishermen are willing to pay the fee.
“I think if you asked most fishermen, they would say that it wouldn’t be bad if we raised the amount we pay for a license, because part of it is going towards DEM projects that as fishermen, we should be supporting,” Wade said. “These monies are extremely important and the fact that Filippi wants to eliminate everything the money that we as fisherman have to pay towards upkeep to our shoreline and the places we fish at seems wrong.”
According to Wade, the Rhode Island license fee is one of the lower recreational saltwater fishing license fees in the nation.
Additionally, the Rhode Island license affords reciprocity with Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Maine, said Wade, who noted that some people come to Rhode Island to get their license because other states don’t have a fund where a portion of the fee goes to help in maintaining fishing areas.
“Ultimately, it makes no sense to reduce cost and get rid of our funding because, and in my opinion, $7 is a nominal fee. And if the money is going into fishing, then taking it away would mean the money would go away from fishing,” Wade said.
John Lake, principal biologist in the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Fisheries Division at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, said the recreational saltwater license fee program was set up through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to collect information and statistics about recreational fishing throughout the nation. Lake said without the fee, the state would be forced to find the money required to pay the third-party database contractor to collect the recreational saltwater fishing registry information.
“Our program is the cheapest in the region, and all funds that aren’t allocated towards paying administrative costs go straight to a restricted receipt fund that is only spent on enforcement and management of recreational fisheries and fishing-access improvements such as boat ramps,” Lake said. “For every dollar we put towards recreational fishing improvement projects from our restricted receipt fund, the Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program gives us three more dollars to use for those projects.”
The DEM issues recreational saltwater fishing licenses to around 42,000 people per year and creates an annual report that includes information detailing how the money was spent.
“The money is used to benefit local fishermen throughout the state,” Lake said. “Whether or not this could be considered a tax is a philosophical question for sure.”