ALL Fishing in Florida Now Requires a License 7/15/2009
Florida Keys bridge and shoreline anglers must carry a new state fishing license by August.
Gov. Charlie Crist signed the $66.5 billion state budget into law Thursday, and it includes a measure to create Florida’s first license requirement for resident saltwater anglers who fish only from docks, piers or the shore.
The law technically takes effect in July, with enforcement expected to begin in earnest Aug. 1. The shoreline license is priced at $7.50, plus $1.50 in processing fees, for a total $9 cost. People who already hold Florida’s $17 annual saltwater license to fish from a boat are not required to buy an additional license to fish from shore.
“I’m telling my fishing friends to think about getting the $17 license, even if they usually do fish from shore,” said Lee Schlesinger, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “That way, if they get invited on a boat fishing trip, they don’t have to worry about not having the right license,” he said.
Florida began requiring resident recreational fishermen to have a saltwater license to fish from a boat in 1989. However, residents were exempt if they fished from a bridge, shore or dock. Licenses will be available at tax collector’s offices and shouldn’t be difficult to obtain, said Aileen Galvan from the Monroe County Tax Collector’s Office in Key West. “It’s just another link in the computer program we already use,” she said.
Residents over 65 can obtain a no-cost license by providing proof of age and residency. Children under age 16 do not need to carry a fishing license. Other exemptions cover:
Legislative background reports say the shoreline-angler license will apply to an estimated 115,000 to 185,000 anglers and generate about $900,000 annually. Out-of-state residents who fish in Florida have been required to buy a saltwater license since 1989 whether they fish from land or a boat.
The primary reason behind the creation of the shoreline license was not to raise money, but to prevent the federal government from imposing a new fee on all state fishermen. “Removing this glitch [in the state saltwater-fishing law] will save Florida’s recreational anglers about $20 million they would have spent on a federal license,” said Ted Forsgren, Florida executive director for the Coastal Conservation Association.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has mandated that coastal states be able to accurately show how many recreational anglers fish for saltwater species, from boats and shore. Since Florida did not have a shoreline license, the state’s records for licensed anglers couldn’t be used for that census, NMFS ruled. Without the shoreline license, the federal government would have required all state anglers to enroll in the National Fishery Registry at an annual cost estimated at $15 to $25.
But new laws on increasing fees for special hunting and fishing licenses will boost the cost of a recreational lobster stamp to $5, and a snook stamp to $10, beginning in July 2010. Both the snook and lobster stamps have cost $2 annually for the last 20 years.
FYI: Several years ago I purchased the Lifetime Saltwater Fishing License.
The FWC issues lifetime licenses to Florida residents for hunting, freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing. Funds generated from the sale of these licenses are invested, creating an endowment to support the long-term conservation of Florida’s wildlife and fisheries resources. If you want the convenience of securing licensing, once and for all, for all your hunting or fishing activities, and invest in Florida wildlife conservation, the lifetime license is for you. Your lifetime license will remain valid for use in Florida even if you move out of state. For hunters and anglers who like a bargain, the cost of a lifetime license is less than what you would spend on annual licenses, permits and fees. The earlier you make your purchase, the bigger the savings.
Tags: Fishing, Lobster 2009
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One Response to “ALL Fishing in Florida Now Requires a License 7/15/2009”
 Comment by john August 13th, 2009 at 11:54 pm |
…why take a fun thing to do with family and friends and make us pay to fish dont we pay anough shit what r you going to charge us to go to the beach come on |