Since Gov. Jim Justice announced he was waiving the fishing license requirements for West Virginia residents from late March to April 24, I’ve seen a noticeable uptick in anglers at my normal – and favorite – fishing spots. This has brought with it a range of emotions, from being happy that Justice made the move to being annoyed that I was going to have to find new times to cast my line.
For example, the Trout Pond at Coopers Rock has been inundated with new people. You know the regulars who go up there, and you can spot a new angler easily. Because of this, I’ve avoided going to the pond so I can follow the proper social distancing guidelines. Plus I don’t think I need to explain what happens when there are 20 lines in one small area.
I’m sure the increased number of people in addition to the new CDC guidelines has also brought with it certain problems for the Division of Natural Resources, too. According to a release they sent out a few weeks ago, they’re no longer updating us when they stock trout, nor are they allowing people around the agents stocking the fish should some trout chasers post at a stream.
I even ran into an issue when I went to Ices Ferry in the last week which made my blood boil. After parking my car and heading to my favorite spot under the Old Cheat Road bridge, I saw a plastic bag filled with discarded perch. I don’t think I need to go into what waste means to us sportsmen, especially wanton waste. It was taken care of by the WVDNR police, thankfully, but I hope that it wasn’t an act by someone taking advantage of the relaxed licensing period. It seems to me like it would be, considering licensed anglers are familiar with fish and game laws, but I don’t want to assume.
I know that some people who buy licenses act carelessly with the animals and fish they harvest, and I know that some refuse to buy licenses entirely, yet still take part in hunting and fishing. But whether it was an act of ignorance or jackassery, I hope that person never picks up a rod and reel again unless they plan to do things the right way.
But that’s beside the point. This time has allowed me to reflect on how this could bring new anglers into our ranks. Although fishing license sales haven’t decreased the way hunting licenses have in the last few decades, new people buying licenses would only benefit the WVDNR’s future work. That’s obvious for us who have been doing this for a while, but for the person who may not be educated on how fishery projects operate here’s a quick rundown.
In 1950, the Dingell-Johnson Act was passed, which was the fishing equivalent of the wildlife conservation Pittman-Robertson Act. Each act created an excise tax on certain goods to help fund state management projects. After an update in the 80s, the tax now applies to fishing and boating equipment, while the funds raised go into a laundry list of things like habitat acquisition, restoration, stocking, educational courses and more. But this isn’t the only money state agencies use. They also use the money from license sales to fund projects.
And this is where I’d like to bring this full circle. I hope that this month of free fishing convinces some folks who didn’t have their license to buy one. I ran a short survey on Twitter, considering I have a lot of friends and followers who are sportsmen, asking if folks have gone fishing during this time. I didn’t get a huge turnout, but it’s still a glimmer of hope that some people plan to buy a license moving forward. The overwhelming majority and 68% of the 31 voters responded that they haven’t fished, while just 13% have and plan to buy a license once the free period is over. Just 6% said they wouldn’t buy one. And while it may seem silly to be happy that four people said they would buy a license, if we want to see the WVDNR continue to work on projects we need those four people. And it’s not like it stops with them. Each person has the potential to bring more on board who have never fished in their life, or stopped for a while and want to get back into it.
So if you’re reading this, are a West Virginia resident and haven’t bought a fishing license, you still have two weeks to try it out. If you like it, spend the $29 on a license and trout stamp. You should buy the $5 conservation stamp, too. Truly, that $34 is only going to a good cause.
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