State developing proposal to hike fishing license fees
By ALLEN THOMAS
The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)December 13, 2014
Washington’s freshwater, saltwater, shellfish and razor clam licenses would increase by $2 per year, and some hunting license prices reduced, under a proposal to be unveiled by the Department of Fish and Wildlife in January.
An annual freshwater fishing license currently costs $29.50.
The license proposal is projected to generate about $2.2 million in additional revenue from recreational fees and $800,000 from commercial fees.
Guy Norman, the agency’s regional director in Southwest Washington, said the department’s state general fund revenue has been reduced by about $50 million since 2008.
Federal dollars are dwindling and the costs of managing fish and wildlife are creeping upward, he added.
Gov. Jay Inslee has directed most state agencies to identify how they would absorb another cut of up to 15 percent from general taxpayer dollars in the 2015-17 budget cycle.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife operates with 1,700 employees on a two-year budget of $375 million. The agency operates 83 fish hatcheries, manages almost 1 million acres of wildlife habitat and hunting areas, and maintains 700 boat ramps and water access sites.
The department also manages hundreds of species, including many listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.
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