It’s likely this will be the last summer that anglers in Maine ”“ and other coastal states ”“ will be free to drop a line in saltwater without official permission.
Starting in 2010, federal law requires all saltwater fishermen to be registered, either under an approved state system or a national registry. Implementation of this provision of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act has been delayed as states dragged their feet, but the day of reckoning will soon be at hand.
Giving up free access to the resources of the sea is another loss of a freedom long taken for granted. It seems inevitable, so we were hopeful that Maine could adopt a system that is as unrestrictive as federal law allows. As it stands now, the House this week rejected a moderate bill, leaving the situation unresolved.
The Committee on Marine Resources recently considered a bill by Sen. David Trahan, R-Waldoboro, to provide for a state registry without charging a registration fee to anglers. The legislation also provided that fishermen could be enrolled at the same time they purchased a freshwater fishing license from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Under a scenario like this, many Maine fishermen would not be inconvenienced and the registry would get the data it needs.
In the wake of this week’s House vote, Trahan is said to be exploring other options. With the federal deadline not far off, this is an issue that needs to be resolved.
One way or another, fishermen on jetties, piers, and in small boats, are likely to find themselves answering to wardens about whether or not they are licensed to fish. Out-of-state visitors, as well as Mainers fishing in other states, will have to catch up on the new rules or risk a ticket.
It is hard to argue with the goals of the Fishery Act, which seeks to get a better understanding of the impact of recreational fishing on fisheries. The Associated Press has reported that recreational fishermen are estimated to catch 257 million pounds of fish annually. If so, this amounts to less than 3 percent of the commercial catch.
Increased government regulation and monitoring is becoming a fact of life. The trend made it inevitable that the government would take an interest in who is catching stripers and bluefish from the jetty.
We hope Maine continues to do what it can to limit such federal oversight, especially in the case of recreational fishing, where a sense of independence is an important part of the experience.
On a day when the fish aren’t biting and the weather is less than ideal, what’s left to enjoy except notions of self-sufficiency and freedom.
— Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen Schulze Muszynski or Nick Cowenhoven at 282-1535 or kristenm@journaltribune.com or nickc@journaltribune.com.
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