NEWSNEWS
Pennsylvania anglers support a wide variety of programs that provide fish and fishing and protect, conserve and enhance Pennsylvania’s aquatic resources. When anglers purchase fishing licenses and trout stamps, their money goes into the “Fish Fund,” a special fund in the Pennsylvania treasury. The user fees paid by anglers are the source of about 80% of the annual revenue in the Fish Fund.
In the most recent fiscal year, the Fish Fund revenue is projected at about $30 million, and expenditures are projected for about $33 million. The Fish Fund supports hatcheries for warm water/cool water fish and trout. It funds law enforcement and fisheries management/habitat improvement efforts. The Fund supports facilities for anglers and boaters and provides for education and communications programs.
About $5 million in additional Fish Fund revenue each year would be enough to keep fees stable for seven years into the future. This amount would allow us to earmark about $2 million per year for infrastructure needs. If a future revenue package brings in less than $5 million per year, there will obvious impacts on the need for alternative revenue, the time span between fee adjustments, the amount of money available to devote to infrastructure and the funds available to defray day-to-day operating costs.
These revenue concepts were developed after numerous meetings with sportsmen and participation in sportsmen’s forums. In the first half of 2002, the Fish and Boat Commission plans to participate in several more public forums for sportsmen and others interested in the future of fishing in Pennsylvania to express their views.
The costs of operating the agency and providing services to Pennsylvania anglers have increased since the last license increase in 1996, but the revenue has remained much the same. License fees, which are set by the state General Assembly, are not designed to provide perpetual funding for the Fish Fund. Everyone recognizes that these fees must be adjusted periodically.