Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bill Would Alter How Fishing Licenses Are Sold

Penny Meyer
/
Flickr, Creative Commons

A state Senate bill would change the way fishing licenses are sold in California. Sen. Tom Berryhill of Twain Hart says the bill would change the length of a license from a 12-month calendar period to a consecutive 12-month period, much like a driver’s license. The bill would also lower the fee for 16- and 17-year-old anglers, making it easier for them to afford. 

“How many of us wait at least until spring or you might wait until summer so you’re buying back to back, and what happens is nobody buys anything,  or you just don’t fish at all,” Berryhill said.

Berryhill says that revenue from fishing licenses has been on the decline for the last 30 years. He says sales have dropped as much as 55 percent during that time. He says that is money Fish and Wildlife can use to stock the more than 400 lakes and reservoirs that are used for fishing in California. The bill is set for a Senate vote and then it will go to the Assembly for its approval.