I, for one, don't mind shelling out $10 f or a fishing license. If the money collected is used wisely I think it's a good idea. There always could be more fishing regulation enforcement, more accurate statistics about how much fish those the recreational sector truly catches, and more research about waterway pollution.
Call me nuts, but I don't see what the big deal is about a measly $10. Then you have some who will rant about government interference. And there should be no if only a little government involvement in a recreation like fishing. I disagree. Fishing has been on a downward slope for years now. Each passing year it seems as if I catch less and less fish. It was only 10 years ago when I used to catch at least one winter flounder. No more. Last year there was a scarcity of bluefish. I hope this year the situation changes.
Nonetheless the only problem I see with requiring a license is if the government goofs and use any gathering satistic against the recreational angler. One of the great mistakes made by recreational anglers is the need to brag and lie about how much was caught. Just listening to others at my fishing haunts I would disbelieve anyone who said there is no fish out there. Fishermen tell me about catching tons of keeper flukes, weakfish, bluefish, striped bass, blackfish, and so on, that if the government ever heard the tall tales that I've heard the government would clamp down hard on recreational fishing for hoarding too much.
Nonetheless, I know better because I fish often since I live so close to the Atlantic Ocean. Some years the most I bring home are a dozen fish, including several snappers. And it's not just me. When I fish I look up and down the beach to see if any fishermen has landed any fish. Outside of sea robins and skates not many fish were landed last year. The government, however, doesn't know this. The stats the government gets are usually from boaters in Montauk. If only the surf at Jones Beach was as productive as the rips about a mile or two from the point in Montauk, I wouldn't complain about catching so few fish.
Now without licensing the government will never find out the true story about how little is kept fishing from the shore. There is no way for the government to find out without licensing.
It sounds great to say "we have our freedom" and "don't tread on me" but commonsense would say effective government programs could bring back the fish population for the shorebound angler. And at what price? A mere $10 a year. I spend more than that if I buy two dozen sandworms during winter flounder season, yet for some, I disagree, $10 is too much.
