FWC News Release
August 7, 2009
Contact: Henry Cabbage or Wendy Dial, 850-488-4676
Florida's saltwater anglers who fish from shore seem to accept the reality that paying about $9 for a state fishing license is better than paying a $15 - $25 federal registration fee.
The federal government will begin charging the fee in 2011 in states that don't have an approved licensing system. By establishing the shoreline license, the Florida Legislature arranged for this state's anglers to be exempt from the federal fee.
The shoreline license took effect Aug. 1, and by Aug. 6, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had sold 7,468 of them.
FWC officials said revenue generated by the new state license and matching funds will help pay for marine resource management, research and law enforcement in Florida. In states that opt for the federal registration fee, the money will go to Washington, D.C., and will not benefit the states' coffers.
Federal fisheries managers established the registration program to enable them to gather more information about recreational angling to guide management decisions. In Florida's case, the FWC's license structure enables the state to gather the information and makes the federal registration unnecessary.
