State Concerned About Lack Of Interest In Fishing
If you want to fish today you've got to get yourself a license, and depending on your area it's going to involve different requirements, processing times, and costs. In most cases though the process can be quite easy and not that expensive individually with the average cost of a license running between $30-60, $45 on average.
Demand for fishing licenses has significantly dropped though in a number of places, some seeing a drop by at least 50 percent or more.
Facing A 50 Year Low
Now, the state is allegedly looking to entice children to get back into being interested about the sport, with their youth trout day and other initiatives.
Children don't default to fishing like they used to, and adults aren't as likely to teach them how to fish” - A. Quinn, executive director of JCWA.
Perhaps it could be because many people lack the patience that's required for recreational fishing? Or that they don't want to invest in different equipment that it might take to engage in fishing down at the river etc.
It's been suggested that if a child hasn't learned to fish by the age of 12 that it is far less likely that they ever will adopt and embrace that skill.
Getting children interested early in fishing is key and so that's why they're hoping that children will come back around to engaging in the activity.
Ultimately, the state hopes that their pro-fishing programs aimed at children are going to prompt those individuals to adopt a love of fishing that will in-turn mean more sales and money for them.
For the Fish and Boat Commission in Pennsylvania, it's said that almost half of their annual budget comes from fishing license sales and with the drastic decline in interest in many areas, they're looking to bump those fees, this could mean a 40 percent increase in price hikes for those who want a license.
If states that have already boosted the price have consequently seen a dramatic decline in sign-ups, then we can assume that this dramatic rise in fees is going to do just the same. Not only might their programs likely fail to entice enough people to adopt fishing, but it'll just end up making it more expensive for those who do enjoy engaging in this activity for livelihood or enjoyment. If they don't have enough fishermen and aren't making enough money from selling licenses, then raising the price of licenses isn't likely to solve that issue for them.
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I have been fishing since I was in diapers, and my eldest caught his first fish on rod and reel in his own diaper as well. Used to be you could get a fishing license for less than what you'd get paid for an hours work. Nowadays, here, it's almost a days work for many folks at $90 with all the appropriate tags, validations, and what not. That's the only reason I no longer fish. I actually broke out one of my surf rods today, and removed the reel, all covered in cobwebs from lack of use since 2016.
The ever rising fees are not only the cause of lack of fishing, that is the purpose of those fees IMHO. While government takes in a tidy sum, commercial fishing businesses lose a lot of potential profits, and they have powerful lobbies. Private interests continually lobby government directly, by astroturfing, and gaslighting as well, to forward their commercial interests. It's likely that the agencies themselves have no clue that this is happening, but their representatives sure as hell do.
Pretty soon there's gonna be a tax on the air we breathe. That's the whole purpose of AGW alarmism IMHO: to create a carbon tax where we will pay for that free plant food we breathe out.
Thanks!
Edit: @joelalvarez pointed out the increasingly restrictive and complex regulations that are now in effect, and it is difficult to overestimate the contribution this has to lack of interest in fishing. The various regulations are now nearly a half inch thick, and if you misinterpret just one, you could be fined significantly more than you spent on the license and gear to go fishing in the first place.
I totally agree on people losing interest on fishing, since it is quite expensive and all these rules etc. It really takes the fun out of it.
I mean if you just want to go fishing one weekend, you can't just go and do it, without wasting half a day getting the license, etc.
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When I was a kid, all I needed was a $.25 license and a fishing rod, and I could be catching salmon off the beach. Now it'd be $90 for the same license, and I'd have to spend a day or two reading the regs to figure out how and where I could actually go to catch a salmon legally.
Thanks!
It is expensive, but as much as I dont care for the government meddling, this time I think you can look at the gadgets as a larger "blame". I mean young people are really addicted to their phones and computers. Heck I know I am guilty of it as well.
agree I think it's a number of reasons contributing to the lack of interest, fishing can't compete with the other entertainment options today certainly no, and for those who are fishing just for food it's much more convenient for them just to go to the store 😂
If you search, you will find an incredible array of gadgets and apps to assist in fishing. I don't think that's remotely as significant an impediment to fishing as regulation and fees. I know people that spend more than $30k on fishing gadgets - if you count the boat.
My problem with fishing is that it seems foolish to toss the fish back in the water. If I kept the fish, I would not know what to do with them. My family is not keen on eating fish, other than tuna. I suppose I could go fishing with a friend who can make use of the fish.
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