Anglers and fisheries advocates across Massachusetts are sounding off after language tucked into a House budget proposal would sweep hunting and fishing license fees into the state’s general fund. Critics are calling it a “violation of the public trust,” warning that the move would strip money from the habitat work, data collection and angler access projects that those fees currently support. The fight surfaced as the House Ways & Means Committee wrapped up its annual spending plan.
In a memo to lawmakers, the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association warned that the committee’s edits would redirect both inland and marine license money into the state’s general budget and “would automatically disqualify the state from receiving over $14,000,000 in annual federal funding,” according to reporting by the Lowell Sun. The group’s government affairs officer, Patrick Paquette, is urging anglers and hunters to turn up the pressure at the State House to keep the funds locked onto fisheries work.
How the license funds are supposed to work
State law currently sends saltwater fishing permit fees into a dedicated Marine Recreational Fisheries Development Fund, not into the General Fund. That fund pays for angler education, access projects, reef work and recreational fisheries monitoring. The Division of Marine Fisheries notes that these permit dollars are set aside specifically to improve recreational fishing opportunities in Massachusetts, a setup detailed on Mass.gov…