Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2014 - 56

CURRENTS
Commissioners Approve Voluntary Youth License
On January 23, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
(PFBC) voted at its quarterly meeting to create a voluntary $1
youth fishing license and to dedicate the revenue generated from
it to programs to increase youth fishing participation.
"Increasing youth and family participation in fishing,
boating and conservation programs has always been part of our
strategic plan," said PFBC Executive Director John A. Arway.
"This goal responds to the fact that the percentage of children
and young adults ages 6 to 15 who fished in Pennsylvania in
2010 was only 24 percent, as compared to 37 percent in 2005
and 41 percent in 1995. We want to continue to refine and
develop programs to engage kids." A youth license also provides
an added benefit when it comes to federal funding, which
accounts for approximately 25 percent of PFBC's budget. For
every youth license sold, PFBC will receive approximately $5
in federal revenue from the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service's Sport Fish Restoration Act program, which provides
funds to states based on a formula that includes the number of
licenses a state sells.
According to the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting
and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 367,000 children and young
adults ages 6 to 15 fished in Pennsylvania in 2010.
"I want to emphasize that this is purely a voluntary youth
license, and it is not required for kids to fish," said Arway. "If
just 25 percent of those 367,000 children were to purchase a
voluntary $1 license, it would result in more than $550,000
in revenue for the Commission to invest in youth programs,"
said Arway.
He added that the potential market for voluntary youth
license sales goes beyond the youth anglers and their family
and friends. Clubs, organizations, businesses, individuals and
others who are interested in promoting youth angling could
purchase quantities of voluntary youth license vouchers to
distribute to children.
Once a voluntary youth license is purchased or a youth
license voucher is redeemed, the individual will be assigned a
unique customer identification number (CID).
"Having unique CIDs allows us to analyze license purchasing
patterns and trends, tailor messages and programs, and
correspond directly with customers," said Arway.
The voluntary youth license will be available beginning
February 1 from all licensing agents and online through
the PFBC's Outdoor Shop. With a $1 agent fee and a $0.70
transaction fee, the total cost to purchase the license will be $2.70.
Youth who plan to participate in the upcoming Mentored
Youth Fishing Days must obtain either a voluntary youth
fishing license or a free mentored youth fishing permit. It is not
necessary to obtain both. The Mentored Youth Fishing Days
are scheduled for March 22 and April 5. More information is
available at www.GoneFishingPa.com.
Commissioners voted to seek public comment on a staff
proposal to remove the option seniors 65 and older currently
have to purchase a lifetime trout/salmon permit in conjunction
with the purchase of a $50 senior resident lifetime fishing license.

56

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2014

Under the proposal, seniors who want to fish for trout
would have to purchase a permit each year, beginning
January 1, 2015. Seniors who purchase a lifetime trout/salmon
permit in conjunction with a lifetime license before that date
would be exempt.
"About 70 percent of seniors purchase a trout/salmon permit,
which mirrors the rate for other anglers," said Arway. "The
Commission's trout program accounts for 36 percent of the Fish
Fund annual expenditures, and the cost of trout production
continues to rise. We simply can no longer afford to allow anglers
to fish for trout without paying for the annual permit."
The PFBC estimates that the proposed change would
generate approximately $300,000 in additional annual revenue
by the fifth year. Once the notice of proposed rulemaking is
published in the PA Bulletin, individuals will have 30 days to
submit comments. Comments can be submitted through the
Commission's website, www.fishandboat.com.
In other action, Commissioners:
* Approved a regulation change that permits anglers who
purchase a one-year, multi-year or senior lifetime fishing
license and then move out of state to continue to use
the license until it expires. "This is a customer service
improvement that benefits both the agency and anglers," said
Arway. "We want anglers to get the maximum benefit from
their license and enjoy their fishing experience. This change
makes fishing more convenient for those individuals." The
change will take effect after being published in the PA Bulletin.
* Approved the elimination of the regulation, which requires
boat owners to affix a temporary validation decal to
their boats while their registration application is being
processed. Boat owners now will be able to demonstrate
proof of registration by showing a copy of their registration
application. The change goes into effect on April 1, or upon
publication in the PA Bulletin, whichever is later.
* Approved a change to the Statewide Natural Gas Leasing
Program, which removes the restriction on how funds
generated from the program must be used.
* Approved a habitat improvement plan submitted by Solebury
Township, Bucks County, to remove a dam on Aquetong
Creek at Ingham Springs and restore the stream channel to its
natural flowing condition.
* Approved a grant of up to $151,397 to American Rivers for
habitat stream restoration work on Bigby Run, Somerset
County. The Department of Transportation provided
the funding as part of mitigation efforts related to the
construction of Route 219. At its January 2008 meeting,
PFBC approved a grant of $270,000 to remove Bigby Dam,
owned by Garrett Borough. The restoration work is needed
to stabilize the channel and stream banks of Bigby Run.
A complete copy of the meeting schedule and the full agenda
for the meeting can be found on the Commission's website at
www.fishandboat.com/minutes.htm. For more information
about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, please visit our
website at www.fishandboat.com.
PFBC Facebook: PaFishandBoat
http://www.fishandboat.com http://www.GoneFishingPa.com http://www.fishandboat.com/minutes.htm http://www.fishandboat.com
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